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Book Reviews
Music And The Creative Spirit
John Kelman
With the realization that there will always be more music coming at him than he can keep up with, John wonders why anyone would think that jazz is dead or dying.The bond that ties the artists Peterson has chosen is their distinct musical personalities and questing spirits, regardless of how they apply it. While fans often find themselves judging who is more or less creative or forward-thinking, what Music And The Creative Spirit reveals is that most musicians simply don't think in those terms. Despite his crusty response, Steve Lacy may well have said it best: "Jazz is a language, a way of life, a glorious history... in the music I make I'm not trying to express anything, I don't believe I'm that important. I think the work (the music) is of far greater interest. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth doing. Nobody asked us to play like this. We all have to struggle to make a living at it. We play what and how we want to play, and only that, during a lifetime."
Not everyone may be as direct or as confrontational as Lacy, but in Music And The Creative Spirit Peterson has created a wonderfully unbiased exploration of what it is to make music. Because it's a series of interviews it's a book that you can read in dribs and drabs; but by the time you've read the last interview (arranged alphabetically as there's no specifically intentioned, linear arc) you'll have a greater insight into what that process is. And, perhaps, a more open mind to check out areas to which you've yet to be exposed. For that alone Music And The Creative Spirit is a resounding success.
