By Paul de Barros
NEW YORK CITY -- A pair of tall, striking paintings at the Grand Ballroom stage of the Hilton Hotel suggested two distinct visions of jazz at the recent conference of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), America's most important annual jazz gathering.
Both were painted by New Yorker E. J. Gold. One was a nostalgic rendering of a famous photo of Manhattan's bygone 52nd Street nightclub strip, known as “swing street" in its '40s heyday; the other, a more vivid rendering of a fantasy street with all of New York's current jazz clubs. In the days of 52nd Street, jazz played a dramatic role in the American consciousness, personifying the struggle for black freedom as well as projecting a rebellious, outsider sensibility.
What does jazz mean in today's America?
Gold's fantasy street seemed to suggest that, while the scene may be vivid and exciting, it's an artificial construct, sadly untethered to any specific time and place or anything actually going on in American society.
Over the three days that preceded the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend -- and just a block away from “swing street" in two huge, midtown Manhattan hotels -- participants at IAJE offered some sharp insights on this subject.
The gathering of 7,000-plus educators, students, stars and industry types provided an opportunity for Northwestern jazzers to strut their stuff. The confab ended on notes both celebratory and sad, as the new Ella Fitzgerald postage stamp was unveiled and news of the deaths of saxophonist Michael Brecker and pianist/composer Alice Coltrane filtered through the crowd.
NEW YORK CITY -- A pair of tall, striking paintings at the Grand Ballroom stage of the Hilton Hotel suggested two distinct visions of jazz at the recent conference of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), America's most important annual jazz gathering.
Both were painted by New Yorker E. J. Gold. One was a nostalgic rendering of a famous photo of Manhattan's bygone 52nd Street nightclub strip, known as “swing street" in its '40s heyday; the other, a more vivid rendering of a fantasy street with all of New York's current jazz clubs. In the days of 52nd Street, jazz played a dramatic role in the American consciousness, personifying the struggle for black freedom as well as projecting a rebellious, outsider sensibility.
What does jazz mean in today's America?
Gold's fantasy street seemed to suggest that, while the scene may be vivid and exciting, it's an artificial construct, sadly untethered to any specific time and place or anything actually going on in American society.
Over the three days that preceded the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend -- and just a block away from “swing street" in two huge, midtown Manhattan hotels -- participants at IAJE offered some sharp insights on this subject.
The gathering of 7,000-plus educators, students, stars and industry types provided an opportunity for Northwestern jazzers to strut their stuff. The confab ended on notes both celebratory and sad, as the new Ella Fitzgerald postage stamp was unveiled and news of the deaths of saxophonist Michael Brecker and pianist/composer Alice Coltrane filtered through the crowd.
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