JAM: April/May 2001 Issue: From the Spit Valve

Mike Metheny

Another Two Cents

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people." -- H.L. Mencken

One of the most stunning revelations to come from Ken Burns' "Jazz" was how jazz (then swing) once accounted for nearly 70% of record company profits, but less than 3% today.

It's rock's fault, right? Elvis and the Beatles killed jazz.

Well, maybe. But changing consumer aptitudes might have had a hand in the nose dive, too. Another thing the Burns series made clear was that during the bop years, jazz started getting smarter. And more complicated. And more cerebral. And yes, more sophisticated. Talk about a sure-fire way to narrow an audience.

Not that people weren't smart and sophisticated 60-plus years ago. Mencken and Einstein and Orson Welles and FDR and a whole lot of other sharpies you can name were doing some pretty impressive things back then. But that was before the arrival of television. Looking for a way to describe where a lot of that other 97% resides today? Look no further than Jerry, Jenny, Sally, Maury, Rosie, Ricki, and "reality TV."

("I don't believe this!" you're thinking. "He's insinuating that people who don't buy jazz records are idiots!" Not at all. Just those who are okay with Jerry, Jenny, Sally, Maury, Rosie, Ricki, and "reality TV." And that's not you, of course, 'cause you're hip enough to flip through this magazine. And we thank you for doing that, by the way.)

But, we were talking about Ken Burns.

From this vantage point, those ten nights on PBS were mostly win-win. Sure, there were celebrated flaws (would there have been a first Basie band without Benny Moten?), as well as conspicuous omissions (a certain guitarist from KC comes to mind) and curious inclusions (no need to name names), both in the final fast-forward installment. (Was Freddie Hubbard ever mentioned? Or was that during the ten seconds it took to get a beer?) And there was also the dichotomous Wynton -- a high profile jazz spokesman and role model for thousands, yet someone whose brilliance remains neutralized by a chronic knack to annoy. (Confession: As my other life as a middling trumpeter will attest, I'm in no position to find fault with one of the most versatile and gifted players ever. But I've had the pleasure over the years of meeting some of the world's finest who were also genuinely gracious and unaffected people. Give me the combination of virtuosity and humility any day.)

Nevertheless, flaws and all, "Jazz" still was programming that attracted millions to a treasured yet increasingly marginalized art form. And that's a good thing. Interest in the music enjoyed a spike, sales got a bump (whether Louis, Duke and Bird need the royalties now or not), and even the JAM web site got more hits than usual.

But will this burst of attention make jazz more viable for the long run? Probably no more than anything else on PBS will cause people to abandon the aforementioned cavalcade of glorified aberration and curl up with a good book. It just isn't in the cultural cards right now. And that's the bad news. The good news, however, might be more subtle.

When KCIY "Smooth Jazz" 106.5 first went on the air six years ago, I got in some hot water by ribbing them for a questionable use of the word "jazz." (It still only takes half a heartbeat to lunge for the dial when Michael Bolton begins to howl...) Later I had the pleasure of meeting the (then) station director who patiently explained that "there are many rooms in the House of Jazz; but we need to get people through the front door first." A provocative angle, I remember thinking. He had a point.

Likewise, there are many shops in the sprawling mega-mall that is Entertainment in America. And if Ken Burns was able to lure a few shoppers away from Dopes 'R Us and toward the House of Jazz, then he has done a valuable service.

And, for now, we beggars who would be choosers should probably just count to ten and thank him for making the effort.

RETURN TO APRIL/MAY 2001 MAIN INDEX

© Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.






	Search our site:		Mike Metheny Another Two Cents "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people." -- H.L. Mencken One of the most stunning revelations to come from Ken Burns' "Jazz" was how jazz (then swing) once accounted for nearly 70% of record company profits, but less than 3% today. It's rock's fault, right? Elvis and the Beatles killed jazz. Well, maybe. But changing consumer aptitudes might have had a hand in the nose dive, too. Another thing the Burns series made clear was that during the bop years, jazz started getting smarter. And more complicated. And more cerebral. And yes, more sophisticated. Talk about a sure-fire way to narrow an audience. Not that people weren't smart and sophisticated 60-plus years ago. Mencken and Einstein and Orson Welles and FDR and a whole lot of other sharpies you can name were doing some pretty impressive things back then. But that was before the arrival of television. Looking for a way to describe where a lot of that other 97% resides today? Look no further than Jerry, Jenny, Sally, Maury, Rosie, Ricki, and "reality TV." ("I don't believe this!" you're thinking. "He's insinuating that people who don't buy jazz records are idiots!" Not at all. Just those who are okay with Jerry, Jenny, Sally, Maury, Rosie, Ricki, and "reality TV." And that's not you, of course, 'cause you're hip enough to flip through this magazine. And we thank you for doing that, by the way.) But, we were talking about Ken Burns. From this vantage point, those ten nights on PBS were mostly win-win. Sure, there were celebrated flaws (would there have been a first Basie band without Benny Moten?), as well as conspicuous omissions (a certain guitarist from KC comes to mind) and curious inclusions (no need to name names), both in the final fast-forward installment. (Was Freddie Hubbard ever mentioned? Or was that during the ten seconds it took to get a beer?) And there was also the dichotomous Wynton -- a high profile jazz spokesman and role model for thousands, yet someone whose brilliance remains neutralized by a chronic knack to annoy. (Confession: As my other life as a middling trumpeter will attest, I'm in no position to find fault with one of the most versatile and gifted players ever. But I've had the pleasure over the years of meeting some of the world's finest who were also genuinely gracious and unaffected people. Give me the combination of virtuosity and humility any day.) Nevertheless, flaws and all, "Jazz" still was programming that attracted millions to a treasured yet increasingly marginalized art form. And that's a good thing. Interest in the music enjoyed a spike, sales got a bump (whether Louis, Duke and Bird need the royalties now or not), and even the JAM web site got more hits than usual. But will this burst of attention make jazz more viable for the long run? Probably no more than anything else on PBS will cause people to abandon the aforementioned cavalcade of glorified aberration and curl up with a good book. It just isn't in the cultural cards right now. And that's the bad news. The good news, however, might be more subtle. When KCIY "Smooth Jazz" 106.5 first went on the air six years ago, I got in some hot water by ribbing them for a questionable use of the word "jazz." (It still only takes half a heartbeat to lunge for the dial when Michael Bolton begins to howl...) Later I had the pleasure of meeting the (then) station director who patiently explained that "there are many rooms in the House of Jazz; but we need to get people through the front door first." A provocative angle, I remember thinking. He had a point. Likewise, there are many shops in the sprawling mega-mall that is Entertainment in America. And if Ken Burns was able to lure a few shoppers away from Dopes 'R Us and toward the House of Jazz, then he has done a valuable service. And, for now, we beggars who would be choosers should probably just count to ten and thank him for making the effort. RETURN TO APRIL/MAY 2001 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.