Neal Boortz Doesn't Understand Jazz

I was just Listening to Neal Boortz go into one of his rants about noisy uncontrolled children in restaurants (He is having a bad day). He said he would much rather be in a restaurant with screaming kids than in a restaurant where they are playing jazz. Later with a caller he called jazz "the emperors new clothes", where everyone is sitting around and saying isn't it wonderful how they are communicating etc., but nobody listens to jazz alone.

I'm sure that's a truthful statement of how Neal feels about jazz. But I think about all the times I've witnessed genius in a jazz club, the hours I've spent at home in amazement of the skill and understanding of Coltrane or Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins. That said, there are times I have felt the same as Boortz of some jazz. Recordings of Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders come to mind.

In a social setting, say a restaurant where you are having conversation with others or your mind is distracted by the meal, it would be impossible for me to perceive the simultaneous free form wailing of Coltrane and Sanders as anything but noise. I have to think those guys would have the performing sense to not play in that manner at a restaurant, but then again...if they were actually there, I would probably not notice the food or friends and be completely absorbed in the performance. Ok, say you have a couple Coltrane and Sanders wanna bee's wailing away. Sure if you were to focus all your attention on it you may find intelligent music within it, or maybe not. I guess my point is, it takes active listening and understanding, maybe even practice listening, to appreciate great jazz. With practice at focused listening it takes less effort. The problem for appreciators of great improv is, that when you hear "normal" music, unless there is some other incredible performance aspect to it, you may become bored and irritated with it.

I'm not saying anyone is wrong in how someone appreciates music. If there is a style they like, then great, enjoy it. But caution when discussing types of music you don't yet appreciate. There is where the emperor's new clothes effect occurs. The snobs at the opera or the jazz lounge using little or no understanding to pose as superior.

Some paintings appear as noise till you study them a moment. The first time I read Shakespeare it made no sense to me, now it is amazing beautiful language. I surely wouldn't force anyone to listen to free jazz or hard bop, in fact I tend to take that off the stereo depending on who is around. But alone, I want to hear musicians really working and thinking on their feet, gravitating toward great jazz and blues players.

Thankfully Neal is bored with the subject and will move on to his championing of the free market. :)