Sunday, February 11, 2007

Miles Behind...


Today is just one of those days. Just one of those days where......your mind is in a million places at once. These days, seem to approach me on Sundays only. Jazz and Bossa Nova are the only things that calm my mind instantaneously. Hearing those minor 7's layered together with soul, passion, and groove. Nothing like it.


I've always wandered why America shuns this music. Our music. America's music. Is it because Jazz was created by the black man? We revere men such as Bach, Handel, Hayden, Mozart, etc. Classical music was the first sophisticated genre of music ever. Renaissance music was leading up to this grandeur. But, let's be logical. Classical music came into existence in the 18th century and then transposed itself through time to Romantic. We seem to forget that Jazz is the most recent form of complex music. It is by far the most complex genre of music known to man. Nothing even comes close to it. But anyways, I'm not going to bore you with music history of the past 300 years.


But all of which I have listed was created in Europe. Jazz is America's classical music. Europeans showed the Jazz artists with much respect and they were paid well there. In America, we treated these Bachs and Mozarts like trash that you find only in Washington D.C. Jazz unfortunately isn't as "cool" or as "bop" as it used to be. But it needs to be given the certain respect it deserves. We have already lost the greats, Miles, Coltrane, Monk, Montgomery, Elvin, and so on. Why go any further? We had some of the greatest musicians in the world. America shunned them. Jazz should be in every high school. Not just classical music. This isn't Europe. I thought America prided itself on being American? Well, I guess we were being America, Racist America. Sad. We can not let this happen again.
I'm just glad that I'm approaching my college years, where I can bask my head into knowledge that I could only dream of or not dream of.


Saturday, February 3, 2007

Awakened, at last.

I have finally found some sort of blog host that I can figure out. I wish I was a little more computer and html savvy but, oh well, it's not worth my time. I finally went on the advice of one of my friends/teacher/mentor, Mike Austin. This blog will not only contain the blabberings of politics, world history, world cultures, pop culture and religion but also music, art, art history, photography, philosophy, writing, guitars, music history, and films.

Here is some info on myself: I'm interested in many things, I believe that people should be well rounded when it comes to the fruits of knowledge. I'm an aspiring jazz guitarist. That is what I plan on my major being in college whether it be at the University of Oregon or the University of North Texas. Politically, I'm a liberal-liberatarian, odd combination but yes. I believe in many liberatarian concepts but also combined with liberal ideals as well, or sometimes liberal concepts in lieu of liberatarian concepts or vice versa. I'm agnostic , I love to read about the different religions of the world though. I love to debate politics, religion, and music. Listening to music and playing guitar is what I live for and wish to do until I die. I also have an odd interest in learning Spanish and Portugese. I don't know why, they're just attractive to me. They are the two most beautiful languages.

Well, expect a new post about something in the next 24 hours.