Music should not be a contest. The great Hungarian composer Bela Bartok is quoted as having said that competitions should be for horses, not musicians. He refused to sit on competition juries because he didn’t want the decisions on his conscience. Jazz educators are generally not so privileged, and there are times when we are called upon to render judgement upon musicians who are playing on a bandstand. My conscience has bothered me from time to time after playing judge, jury, and kingmaker during a music festival. Those good ol’ “win-win” moments feel out of reach when writing down such observations like: Impossible to understand / appreciate group dynamic because the bass is too loud.Overall sum seems less than the parts.I’m not a huge djembe fan.Drummer’s brushes on cymbals ineffectual.Annoying harmonic form.A lot of “Mickey Mousing” going on.Drummer’s x-stick sound is annoying (the DRUMMER is annoying…)The whole hipster vibe is […]

July 2023 Issue