Indigenous Culture
A random thought this morning:
Jazz. Baseball. Superheroes. Three thoroughly American creations. (Each, of course, drawing from a pastiche of other, older traditions -- but never before combined into a whole until the U.S. got hold of them.)
Why do I only like two out of three? That is, is it that I only get two out of three?
I played little league baseball, but it wasn't until recent years that I've come to appreciate the nuances of the sport itself. Superheroes, on the other hand, were introduced to me quite young, and as I've grown, so has my appreciation of them (as well as my criticism).
Should I have also been exposed to jazz as a youth? Would I have embraced it as I have the other two? Or, are the three unrelated, and this thought is just a psynaptic misfire?
I'm inclined to say no to that last thought (though, to profess it without question would be easily lunatic). Is there some line that can be drawn from Ted Williams to Jack Kirby to John Coltrane? If so, it would be interesting territory, indeed.
posted by ADL @ 8:46 AM
3 Comments:
Yeah - without a doubt. Jazz was THE popular music form for close on to four decades. I don't think it was simply because rock and roll wasn't around.
I'm not sure there can even be a correlation between exposure at a young age and subsequent appreciation at an older age. I didn't understand jazz at all when I was younger. On the other hand, I do have a background in classical music which helps my appreciation of jazz now.
More than anything, it comes down to personal interest. Eventually, you get to a level where you want more complexity, more depth in what you enjoy. The originating culture only has as much to do with it as your personal ties to that culture do.
Skorpia said, "I didn't understand jazz at all when I was younger."
So, though I don't share Skorpia's background in classical music, there's still hope for me? :-)
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