Jazz

There is a justice for every tragedy. There is a redemption for every wrong.

On Thursday night, my friend and I watched Benny Golson play two sets, each about an hour long, at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City. The theater’s capacity was 215 seats but only a bit more than half were taken. A half-filled house to see a legend. Why?

Jazz is the only original American art form. It was born from the unchained hands of children of African slaves. It continues to be played by the great grandchildren of African slaves.

Most jazz music is based on a unifying melody that is then improvised throughout the song. Because of the nature of improvisation, no two performances are ever identical. Because of its continuously changing and syncopated beats, a typical jazz performance cannot be programmed into a computer. It cannot be contained.

Jazz is best performed live, best recorded live, with musicians playing acoustic instruments. It is best appreciated live, in front of a small audience, with just enough amplification to make each instrument audible. Jazz is best when it is not synthesized or reprocessed.

Jazz is well-known and has been respected for decades but remains elusive. It has yet to be packaged as commercial music and played at sporting events, or used to promote consumer products. Unlike pop, rock and country music, jazz has no major corporate sponsors.

So why isn’t jazz more popular? Why hasn’t one jazz great, like Miles or Coltrane or Monk, permeated into our everyday culture like the Beatles or Madonna or the Rolling Stones?

Maybe jazz doesn’t want to be more popular. Maybe it knows that in order to be accepted by the largest audience, it also must be the most simplified. Maybe it doesn’t aim to be more easily accepted, and thereby more easily labeled, tagged and categorized.

By remaining pure unto itself, maybe this music that was born from slavery is truly free.

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Benny Golson is playing now through Sunday at The Jazz Bakery. If you’re wondering who Benny Golson is, he was the last signature that Tom Hanks’ character needed in the movie The Terminal.

“This room may be half full, but you fill us completely with your applause, and we thank you.” –Benny Golson, January 12, 2006