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Greg Thomas wrote on January 23, 2012Marcus, by using the expression "penny wise and pound foolish" I didn't mean to imply you were being "foolish" literally. Throwing out the baby with the bathwater is the better expression, and I should emphasize that phrase because I think that while the word "jazz" has negative baggage, I celebrate the positive associations I put in my essay.
Regarding jazz not being descriptive enough, I hear you, but how descriptive is "bluegrass," or "rock"? Once a term is associated with an art form, the term evokes certain associations. But I won't beat a dead horse. (Please understand that as a writer, metaphors are my stock in trade, so take certain things figuratively, not literally.)
Without reading Murray's works, there's no way for you to know if his works do or don't validate anyone's points. And yes: "Seminal thought is encouraged if a society is to grow..." I fully agree! That's why I suggest that you check his work, man. Murray's body of work is seminal. You might want to start with "Stomping the Blues," then check out "The Hero and the Blues," and then dip into his first book, "The Omni-Americans: Some Alternatives to the Folklore of White Supremacy." Check out Ralph Ellison's essays on the music too, if you haven't.
To your point about using BAM as an expression to better market your music . . . we'll see if that works for you. But since you play so damn well, can swing so hard, and come out of an instrumental tradition that presenters, promoters, and audiences associate with what's called jazz, it might leave some scratching their heads when you claim all of the music from the black American music tree but leave to the side of the road, jazz, the music they associate with you.
I hope you and your fellow BAM supporters are getting advice from some brilliant marketers, because the kind of re-branding initiative you're engaging in is a tall order.
And to Ben, I made the very same point about Payton including folks other than those from his immediate cultural group in one of my first responses above. I've never accused him of such exclusionary behavior because I know that's not true.
