IMN - International Music Network
3.jpg)
2.jpg)
1-1313417092.jpg)
Jazz and Its Changing Apprenticeship Systems
< Back
Tuesday July 24, 2012
From nytimes.com
Jazz Apprentices Still Find Their Masters
By: Nate Chinen
Thirty years ago a serious-minded trumpeter named Wynton Marsalis released his self-titled debut album, which seemed remarkable for a number of reasons — not least his poise, as he had yet to turn 21. If the album was received less as an impressive jolt than as the fulfillment of a promise, there was ample reason for that: Mr. Marsalis had already skyrocketed to fame with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, widely regarded as jazz’s premier finishing school. What’s more, the rhythm section on “Wynton Marsalis” (Columbia) consisted of the pianist Herbie Hancock, the bassist Ron Carter and the drummer Tony Williams, who had served in a similar capacity with Miles Davis, back when they were young men of unnerving composure themselves.
All of which added a rich layer of subtext to Mr. Marsalis’s spectacular early career, underscoring jazz’s natural cycle of mentorship and apprenticeship. That guildlike process, by which young musicians absorb invaluable lessons from their elders, was then famously being upheld by bandleaders like Blakey, a volcano of a drummer, and Betty Carter, a spitfire of a singer. Informal but rigorous, and pragmatic to the core, experience with veterans like these was seen as an essential path to success.
That trajectory might seem a little less certain now. Beginning in the 1990s, a decade that saw the deaths of Blakey, Davis and Carter, jazz’s apprenticeship system has routinely been described as woefully diminished. That’s surely the case in market terms, given that so few jazz musicians can keep a working band on payroll in today’s climate. But it’s not as if there are fewer apprentices availing themselves of counsel.
To read more click here
| Time Shift | Oscar Hernandez's Latin Jazz Quintet, Alma Libre | |
| There Is A Light That Never Goes Out | 5:22 | Becca Stevens |
| Óró, Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile | 5:35 | The Gloaming |
| Lalla | 3:29 | Rokia Traoré |
| Thula Mama | 3:42 | Vusi Mahlasela |
| Sunshine "I Can Fly" (Live) | 9:33 | Raul Midón |
| Manalyuca | 6:30 | McCoy Tyner |
Watch what's on
| *Made Possible EPK | The Bad Plus |
| *Live at the 2011 Montreal Jazz Festival | Sing the Truth! |
| Charming Disease | Gabriel Kahane |
| MEHLIANA featuring Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana | MEHLIANA featuring Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana |
| MacArthur Foundation: Genius Award | Chris Thile |
| MEHLIANA featuring Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana | MEHLIANA featuring Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana |
| Dobet Gnahore, Idan Raichel and India.Arie - "Pale | Dobet Gnahoré |
May 10th: Women In Jazz Day
From Broadway World Mayor Bloomberg Proclaims May 10 ‘Women in Jazz Day’ By: BMW News Desk To celebrate the acclaimed documentary The Girls in...
Posted May 10th, 2013
Blue Note to Partner with ArtistShare
From The New York Times Blue Note to Partner With ArtistShare By: Nate Chinen Blue Note Records, the most storied label in jazz, has...
Posted May 8th, 2013
Interview With New NCA Member Emil Kang
From The NEA Inside the NEA: Meet NCA Member Emil Kang By: Rebecca Gross As most artists know, becoming a professional isn’t necessarily about...
Posted Mar 25th, 2013
