Re: "All art is political."

In article <1150919005.831652.30810@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
<momalle3@xxxxxxx> wrote:

For future reference when this stock cliche comes up in a class, I
think a professor should be challenged with a specific piece of
instrumental music, say "Moonlight in Vermont" and be forced to say
how it is INHERENTLY political, not merely political when
piggy-backed (as with my war movie above, or in program dance
works) on to some other visual or textual art. I think he'd fold.

This is so easy. I'm a professor--maybe even the "professor in
question." Moonlight in Vermont? Have you ever looked at the lyrics?

I said INSTRUMENTAL. That's the whole point of the exercise. As a
loyal guitarist I thought of the Johnny Smith version and forgot it had
lyrics.

[snip]

But, you say, what about the instrumentals, where there are no lyrics?
First off, how many times have jazz mmusicians argued that to really
know a song well, you have to play the lyrics? it works for me--I
interpret a song better if I know what the lyrics are. But taking the
lyrics out is yes, I know it's hard to accept--a poltical decision. it
lets you give the ssong new meanings. lots of time jazz render more
ambigious readings--Billie Holiday was a master at giving broadway
fluff more emotional and intellectual depth.

All points regard the lyrics, in this case, even though they are gone
and what that means.

Take bird's famous
recording of "embraceable you." He almost completely ignores thee
orioginal melody, but he implies it. He keeps the tenderness but loses
the broadway cutesy-poo. He stretches the meanig of the song in new
ways. I see this as a political, anmd Bird pllaying "moonlight in
vermont" is gong to be full of irnoc commentary on the original's
corniness and whiteness.

Any reasonable political analysis would have to make a more exacting
comparison between tenderness and cutesy-poo. You are free to consider
discarding the melody a political act, I'm not sure how many would join
you in this example. Any instrumental can be "politicized" then, by
over-blowing, shrieking, or randomly down-tuning the strings. Exactly
what the political message is would be so vague as to be unusable, no?

But I've digressed, I was trying to select an instrumental tune that is
straight up the middle. So how about "In Your Own Sweet Way" by
Brubeck, or Bill Evans' Peri's Scope? I don't think either have ever
had lyrics. In any case, nobody knows them. If 'all art is political'
how are these songs political?

But jazz musicians are alwasy taking the familiar and trying to render
new meanings out of it. I treid before to argue that was an inherently
politcal act. Because this list seems to be composed of really
stunningly literal minded folks, that arguement isn't persuasive here
and I won't rehash it.

If your argument is that any musician who choses to play jazz instead
of pop or classical renders every note he plays from that point forward
a political statement, that's fine. It renders the definition of this
meaning of the word "political" almost useless. Or in dramatic need of
a stated definition for the specific circumstance.

--
When somebody says it's not about the money--it's about the money. -- H.L.
Mencken
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: "All art is political."
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    (rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz)
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    (rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz)
  • Re: "All art is political."
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    (rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz)
  • Re: When the deal goes down
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  • Re: "All art is political."
    ... say "Moonlight in Vermont" and be forced to say ... Have you ever looked at the lyrics? ... politicians who assume that their sphere of influence is large and all ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz)