Hello everybody! Welcome to my shiny new blog, about jazz, string instruments, the evils of the music biz, and anything else I deem necessary to slap up here. I figured I'd give those of you that actually read the first post an idea of what's gonna be going on around here.
Frankly, I think there's a lot that's wrong with the state of music today. The major labels have stopped signing new artists, while every twenty-something with a guitar and GarageBand is hawking their trite "music" to anyone willing to pay attention; causing an enormous glut of no-cost, low-quality media. The average person is glued to their computer, TV, whatever (http://tinyurl.com/cbys3n) and has completely forgotten how pay attention to anything that isn't punching them in the visual cortex. That means music has become a footnote, another form of distraction while you drive/work out/sleep. Whatever happened to just listening to music? Meanwhile, the RIAA is suing single mothers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santangelo_v._RIAA) and spending millions to prosecute, yet musicians are making a meager $.0019 per performance over internet, radio, etc. Does anyone else see the problems here?
Well, I will not sit by while my muse, my livelihood spirals into darkness! This blog is about music as an art form, and re-establishing it as one. "Jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny" is a quote by Frank Zappa, and I agree with him. There are too many great artists out there to have Kenny G and Michael Buble represent the jazz world.
For those that agree, I'd love to hear your thoughts! For those that don't agree, I'd love to observe your remarks before snuffing them out with the heel of my boot. Next post's topic: What is Jazz?
Peace!