This is a follow-up to my last blog, Let It Happen? A good point was made regarding “letting it happen” versus “making it happen”; it reminded me of the effect pop culture has had on the common misconceptions of jazz musicians. I’m talking especially about the beliefs of non-musicians here, but I realize that there are many trained non-jazz musicians who share them. Let’s call it a “popular misconception,” believed by society in general.
Misconception #1 is that “jazz musicians” are those who can just let it happen, apparently with no preconception. They are native-gift savants who don’t require any special training or experience; put instrument in hand, and music magically happens. I don’t mean to make this a “race” issue, but this misconception began with early black jazz musicians.
Watch Ken Burns’ documentary Jazz: in one of the first episodes, he profiles James Reese Europe and his ragtime orchestra. Though his musicians were all highly-trained Classical musicians, Maestro Europe insisted that they all memorize the music for public performance. He was afraid of sparking outrage among his high-society white patrons who would be insulted to know that black musicians had been allowed to get an education. That just did not fit the narrative of the day. They thought the musicians were “just doing what came naturally to the race” (“well aren’t they simple and precious!”). It paid well to perpetuate that myth.
Being one of the first “jazz” orchestras (credited with introducing jazz music to France during WWI as the 369th Infantry Regiment “Harlem Hellfighters”—and no, they were not welcomed home as war heroes, despite having seen plenty of decorated action in the trenches), I believe this set a precedent that all musicians—regardless of race—would be measured against for all time: jazz musicians are ignorant naturals who couldn’t read the simplest sheet music (and didn’t need to). Hollywood naturally glommed onto this myth.
I can’t count the movies I’ve seen where music just happens (with all kinds of music, actually). The most recent I can think of is Mr. Holland’s Opus: remember the scene where a struggling clarinetist suddenly starts making beautiful music when Mr. Holland advises her to “play the sunset” (look it up by that name on YouTube if you’re not familiar with it). And, the band that sounded like a bunch of beginners at the start of his tenure sounded just like the Seattle Symphony (who just happened to record the soundtrack) by the end of the first year of his miracle tutelage. What a crock! And what a disservice to the real music education community, of which I was a part.
Anyway (don’t get me started on that movie!)…
Yes, of course, there have been many untrained, natural musicians in jazz history! But there have been just as many (or more) trained musicians as well. By the time of the Bebop era (1940s), jazz had evolved to where a formal education of some kind was pretty much required just to keep up! Charlie Parker himself famously spent three years practicing 6-8 hours a day after being embarrassed in a cutting session. During that time, he devoured numerous Classical method books, and many different kinds of ethnic music. His resulting, groundbreaking jazz improv skill was the result of reading “legit” music!
So, back to the theme of letting it happen vs. making it happen: If you’re “waiting for inspiration,” you better hope it happens soon! Every day that goes by waiting for a miracle is another day lost to the possibilities offered by hard work and study. In my experience, work will get you a lot further a lot quicker than will wishing. I’ve learned more in three years of researching and writing a jazz improv book than I did in the previous three decades of trying to let it happen.