Humanity and the Importance of Jazz
“God has brought many things out of oppression. He has endowed his
creatures with the capacity to create – and from this capacity has
flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy that have allowed man to cope
with his environment and many different situations. Jazz speaks for
life. The Blues tell the story of life’s difficulties, and if you think
for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of
life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or
sense of triumph. This is triumphant music. Modern Jazz has continued in
this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban
existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician
creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow
through his instrument.
It is no wonder that so much of the search for identity among
American Negroes was championed by Jazz musicians. Long before the
modern essayists and scholars wrote of “racial identity” as a problem
for a multi-racial world, musicians were returning to their roots to
affirm that which was stirring within their souls. Much of the power of
our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It
has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail.
It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down. And
now, Jazz is exported to the world. For in the particular struggle of
the Negro in America there is something akin to the universal struggle
of modern man. Everybody has the Blues. Everybody longs for meaning.
Everybody needs to love and be loved. Everybody needs to clap hands and
be happy. Everybody longs for faith.
In music, especially this broad category called Jazz, there is a
stepping stone towards all of these.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
No comments:
Post a Comment