Loving jazz - the great Herbie Hancock at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington.
Loving jazz - the great Herbie Hancock at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington.
In 1976, Nat Hentoff, the celebrated American columnist, historian, novelist and music critic wrote a book defining jazz by gathering quotes from a host of musicians who were famous for their contributions to this elusive art. The book is entitled Jazz Is and it is as good an attempt asyou will find to describe the immense scope of the music.
Jazz has been called the one truly American art form, and there is no doubt that the music originated there and it is there where it has its greatest representation.
And just as McDonald’s and Coca-Cola have spread from America to every corner of the globe, so has jazz music taken root in virtually every country. It is the musicians’ music and its footprint can be recognised on every continent with clubs and educational institutions, concerts and festivals dedicated to jazz performance.
It is the most documented of all modern music, coming of age at the turn of the 20th century and fuelling the development of the recording industry as well as radio, film, television, and now social media.
There is a rich archive of print - countless newspaper and magazine articles, reviews, biographies, and a ton of books analysing its complexities and its influence on modern culture. Anyone wanting to learn about this great tradition need only ask Google or YouTube, and the algorithms will do the rest.
Here in Whanganui, we recognise the jazz tradition in many ways. Our annual celebration of International Jazz Day (IJD) has led to monthly jam sessions at Porridge Watson where a house band invites local musicians to come and “sit in.”
This month we welcome back pianist Chris Dann from Palmerston North to lead the band. Joining him are Whanganui’s Michael Franklin-Browne on drums and Dave Griffiths on bass. We are well into the holiday season, and Sunday’s session is sure to be a festive occasion. Come down and check it out.
■ IJD Jam Session @ Porridge Watson, 30 Drews Ave, Sunday, December 22, from 6-8pm, free entry
