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Ken Burns focused his savvy documentary talent onto jazz some time
ago. He collected 2400 photos (from how many more tens or hundreds of
thousands examined), includes 500 pieces of music), did 75
interviews, screened hundreds of hours of film and tape footage, and
came up with a massive 19-hour doc epic that's getting enormous
publicity, has two major labels (Sony & Universal/Verve) kicking
out wonderful tie-in CD's (with two Delmark tracks), and didn't wait
for first airing to release the whole 19 hours on VHS & DVD (w.
extra stuff on the latter).
This has got to be the greatest publicity break for the music in
ages! A clip-reel Mr. Burns was nice enough to send ran on our Video
demo at JRM so much that the employees had it memorized. I just saw
the series and I think it's damn good. It stresses the black origins
in ragtime, blues, and religious music as well as the brass bands,
opera, and other European and Caribbean music that was the New
Orleans music scene in the late 19th century. (Leonard Feather would
have hated the attention it gives Jelly Roll Morton as jazz's first
great orchestrator.)
For a guy who had no interest in jazz when he initiated the project I
think Burns did a hell of a canvas.
So what happens? Some jazz critics are dumping on him!
Incredible!!!
The major complaints: (I have a few minor ones myself)
"Too much Wynton Marsalis." I have had my disagreements with
WM but I can't disagree with much of what he's saying. He sure knows
more of what he's talking about than that musician-teacher who didn't
know of Louis' love for the Guy Lombardo sax sound. Not many young
musicians can claim the objectivity toward jazz history that Wynton
has.
"How can Wynton do Buddy Bolden?" Simple. He played the tune
Bunk Johnson demo'd for American Music in response to questioning
from Bill Russell about Buddy's style. -- And quite well, too. Paige
van Vorst says the tune is "Happy Sammy", a 1906 composition by
F.C.Schmitt retitled by AM as "Making Changes". This great tune ought
to be played more often. Too bad they didn't just use Bunk's
recording. (Not stereo?)
"Sound Of Jazz (or Jammin' The Blues) was better." Not
much to argue with here except they weren't trying to do what Burns
succeeded in doing: tell the history and explain the background of
jazz's first half-century.
"No moral to the story." It's a doc, guys, not a nursery
rhyme.
"Not enough about the avant garde, fusion, etc.." Mr. Burns
announced that he would only lightly cover the last several decades
so isn't it a bonus that he brought them in at all?
"I don't like this anonymous (voice of God) voiceover thing."
Hey, that's how docs are done. And a reading of the credits will tell
you who's speaking (when the subtitles don't) and who wrote it.
"It's too long." I can't believe they're complaining that jazz
gets so much coverage.
"My favorite artist wasn't mentioned." It's called editing --
and pre-editing. Writers ought to be familiar with the word if not
the concept. Burns is succeeding in speaking to millions of people
who think they don't like jazz --- and showing them that there is
probably some jazz they will like.
"Not enough about white musicians." Well, Bud Freeman and
Django Reinhardt seem to be my own main complaints. Aren't they more
important than Tommy Dorsey? It has always been obvious to me,
however, that most of the lasting changes in the music are wrought by
African-Americans.
Perhaps the main, tho unexpressed, complaint of many critics really
is: "I wasn't consulted."
There were, inevitably, a few inaccuracies. I'm sure a lot of us
mouldy figs winced at the mispronounciation of Gennett (as Gen-net
instead of Jen-ett, as people in the family pronouce it.).
I was disappointed to learn that that brass band music was played by
Wynton & Co. I think he played it well, having probably played a
few brass gigs in his youth. I'd have preferred tho to see the bread
go to guys who are still out there marching.
It's too bad the project didn't take place ten or twenty years ago
when more first-hand accounts could have been included. There are
musicians alive who played with Monk, Trane, etc. who could have
been interviewed. But, hey, life is short and even GM grant money
runs out.
Thanks, Mr. Burns and ... May we have an update? Please!
- Bob Koester
If you did like the show, or it at least piqued your interest, you
might also want to consider these solid products issued by Verve
& Sony to supplement the series:
Best of Ken Burns JAZZ
* 20 song overview of the series
* $15.99
Ken Burns JAZZ -- The Story of America's Music
* 5-CD Box Set Contains much of the music featured in the series
* $54.99
The Definitive Collection
* 22 CDs, one each of a variety of jazz greats.
* $11.99 each
