Excellent post. I came of age in the ‘60s, when the discussions of the first waves of “avant garde” jazz were being discussed, often virulently, in the music press. The process of “genre-izing” really put me off. All of these artists had their own music to play, certainly informed by elements of a grand tradition, but defined by individuality. I learned to listen first, and read later, which put me into a mindset of letting music be music, be it Sun Ra or Cecil Taylor, or Duke Ellington, Charles Lloyd, or the Grateful Dead, for that matter.
I was thinking about this more over the weekend, and a lot of jazz heads I know came into that music through the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, even Steely Dan.
I try not to be a ‘60s bore, but everything was going on at once and that historical moment lent itself to a singular openmindedness to culture. We were soaking up everything. My own path began with Bob Dylan and Thelonious Monk—Jazz and Folk—and expanded with the expansions of the time. The value was in the experience itself, not in the analysis before or after the fact.
I enjoyed this post and appreciate how thoughtfully done it was. I think in wonder about how much those Arista albums - such as the ones on the display ad you include - impacted my life. I hadn’t heard some of the music you link (TY for instance for allowing me to hear Mark Turner - and yes, Steve Lehman - playing Braxton’s music). What strikes about WSQ in its origin composition is simply that it existed, that there was space, for a time, for such different kinds of musical voices. But how often does that last?
I always thought Hemphill left the WSQ for health reasons and am sad to think it was petty jealousy instead that drove him out. He was the high point of every WSQ performance I saw.
As Hemphill put it, "I was getting too much credit. I always told interviewers we all contributed, but people had the perception that I was the leader because I wrote the bulk of the music. And that didn't sit well." More serious were disagreements over choice of projects and the artistic direction of the band, and these led ultimately to Hemphill's expulsion from the group in 1989, a parting of ways that seemed uncannily reminiscent of his ejection from BAG eighteen years earlier.
Excellent post. I came of age in the ‘60s, when the discussions of the first waves of “avant garde” jazz were being discussed, often virulently, in the music press. The process of “genre-izing” really put me off. All of these artists had their own music to play, certainly informed by elements of a grand tradition, but defined by individuality. I learned to listen first, and read later, which put me into a mindset of letting music be music, be it Sun Ra or Cecil Taylor, or Duke Ellington, Charles Lloyd, or the Grateful Dead, for that matter.
I was thinking about this more over the weekend, and a lot of jazz heads I know came into that music through the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, even Steely Dan.
I try not to be a ‘60s bore, but everything was going on at once and that historical moment lent itself to a singular openmindedness to culture. We were soaking up everything. My own path began with Bob Dylan and Thelonious Monk—Jazz and Folk—and expanded with the expansions of the time. The value was in the experience itself, not in the analysis before or after the fact.
I move between being a '60s bore and a '90s bore, depends on the day and whether I feel nostalgic or old soul.
I enjoyed this post and appreciate how thoughtfully done it was. I think in wonder about how much those Arista albums - such as the ones on the display ad you include - impacted my life. I hadn’t heard some of the music you link (TY for instance for allowing me to hear Mark Turner - and yes, Steve Lehman - playing Braxton’s music). What strikes about WSQ in its origin composition is simply that it existed, that there was space, for a time, for such different kinds of musical voices. But how often does that last?
I always thought Hemphill left the WSQ for health reasons and am sad to think it was petty jealousy instead that drove him out. He was the high point of every WSQ performance I saw.
From pg. 238 of Benjamin Looker’s book on BAG:
As Hemphill put it, "I was getting too much credit. I always told interviewers we all contributed, but people had the perception that I was the leader because I wrote the bulk of the music. And that didn't sit well." More serious were disagreements over choice of projects and the artistic direction of the band, and these led ultimately to Hemphill's expulsion from the group in 1989, a parting of ways that seemed uncannily reminiscent of his ejection from BAG eighteen years earlier.
I haven’t gotten through all the nitty-gritty yet, but this is a great idea for a post, Lee. Cheers!