What, No Savagery?

Maybe I listen too intently for other things.

Maybe I take seriously the notion that the music is supposed to be about something; even if it's about something ineffable.

Maybe I'm taking the whole thing way too seriously and it's really all about entertainment and chops and swing... to the exclusion of anything deep or serious or, heavens forefend, meaningful.

All this, because a new CD came across my desk, recently. And, while the writing and arranging and composing are all very capable, it doesn't grab me. There are echoes (faint ones, to be sure) of some of the giants here, and it's all very listenable, but it doesn't affect me.

And so I got to thinking: Shouldn't the musician be reaching... for something? I mean, not every single recording has to scream. Some can weep or sob or cry or just barely well up. They can, for that matter, smile and guffaw and giggle. But shouldn't there be something behind – or in front of – the playing, the sound?

And I still maintain that there are differences between "peaceful" and "introspective" as opposed to, say, "(merely) pleasant" or "relaxing". I'm thinking now of "Transparence" (from "Nocturne" by Charlie Haden)... so quiet and sad. Joe Lovano's playing is so soft and poignant... perfect. It has nothing to do with "nice" or "unobtrusive", though.

And I want to find the musician in question and yell, "Wake Up! Take some chances!", but who am I, after all?

If I'm to take myself as some sort of occasional critic, I really ought to keep a sense of perspective and recognize that I may simply not "get it"... but still...

I look at it this way: Let's be passionate about the music. All the dulling of the edges and dumbing-down of musical ideas that I went on about in "Lounge v. Jazz" is antithetical to what I (and, by extension, you, since you're reading this) wish to accomplish or foster... or, at the very least, hear in 'jazz', today. Let's expand that: in music... no... in the culture. More reality and less "Reality TV"... It's what we're after, right?

But, at the same time, let's maintain some civility. We don't want to penalize those very capable (if slightly unsatisfying) musical efforts. We want to help them attain a higher level of something approaching perfection.

So, no... no savagery. Encouragement.