Thu. 10/2 12p: In hindsight, evolution may not be the best word to describe jazz's thus far 120-year journey, simply because all of the central tenets of jazz have been in place since the beginning (ie. swing, rhythmic variety, fun, spontaneity, theme & variations improvisations, in-the-moment reflection of society). The ideas inherent in jazz have always implied everything that was yet to be explored and discovered, we just needed the time to get to it all. To use the word "evolution" tends to imply advancements, improvements, new levels of complexity, armored sophistication. Not that jazz didn't have a few wrinkles to iron out over the years.
It is interesting to note that the technology of the phonograph and jazz came into being concomitantly. Records have played a big part in the jazz life, which brings us to the matter at hand: Spinning records on the radio airwaves
of New Mexico! Even as jazz is essentially a live music, still, a lot of it has made it to record, lucky for us.
Elite Syncopations
Mark Weber
