Sit Down and Listen
These last few weeks
I found myself drawn to soft Jazz music that was made in the 1930s and beyond.
As I write this, La vie en rose by Louis Armstrong is playing in the
background. I found myself captivated by a few different artists such as Frank
Sinatra, Chet Baker, and Billy Joel. In my discovery, I also found variations
of the different genres and mixes with some contemporary versions. There's
something different about the original versions of these songs. I think it's
the soft crackling, pops, and scratches you hear from original vinyl being
recorded. I find the music sounds raw, unfiltered, and real. When I close my
eyes, I envision myself sitting at a table before the stage, watching the
performers sing, holding on to a condenser microphone. The light is dimmed to
highlight the stage, on which one musician is playing the piano with precise
taps on the keys, while another plays the saxophone. The scent of cigars is
wafting towards you from a few tables back. It hangs in the air, mixing with
the spicy smoky fragrance of perfume and the faint smell of leather. The room
is a bit warm, but you hardly notice as you watch the light glint off the cool
sleek metal of the trombone and your attention draws to its player. You see the
sweat glisten on his forehead. The shiny shoes of the singer move left and
right to the beat of his song. There is a faint murmur of voices around you,
accompanied by the sound of utensils scraping against plates. Somewhere in the
distance, two glasses are dinged together followed by cheerful glee. All this
you picture as you listen, being transported back into time.
This is all in contrast to the music that I hear today: crystal clear, every note perfectly timed. It is edited, digitally created, and autotuned, leaving behind a cool, polished, and reserved song that leaves no place for error.
It is odd that I find
more comfort in music before my time. It has a way of making me nostalgic for a
life I never had. This same feeling I've found only when re-watching the TV
show Friends. It’s funny that I often yearn for the life lived by the main
characters of this show. It was a different time, people were more involved. I
think if I lived back in 1994, you too would find me sitting at a coffee shop
and people watching. Maybe walking through the little shops outside, attending
drive through theaters, and walking home listening to my cassette player.
Maybe I have a
strange, and romanticized view of the past, but I wouldn't say it's naive. I'm aware
that as time progressed and technology advanced, core issues seemed to follow
us into today. Racism, in particular, has still stayed. One would think that with
the advancement of knowledge we have in the world we would have eradicated this
problem. Yet, many still hold archaic perceptions, based on nothing but
outdated stereotypes and biases that cause destruction far deeper than the
physical world.
I read a short story online about Ella Fitzgerald. When Ella wouldn't get booked by a club due to her race, Marilyn Monroe offered to come to the nightclub every night and sit at the front in exchange for letting her sing. It's absurd to think that talk of race is something we have fought against for decades. When I dived deeper into the beginning of Jazz and blues, I was surprised to discover this style of composition was first discovered in the African American culture. It was first brought to the attention of the “white music industry” through W. C Handy with his composition, “Memphis Blues” inspired by the African American music style of singing about their sorrow that was translated from a country-style, into a more performative format. From there, the industry took off, with Jazz growing to become the sound most associated with the roaring ’20s.
Today, we can trace the influence of African American cultures to so many aspects of the culture we have today. Through music, food, fashion and more. In fact, the American culture in which many find their pride and joy wouldn't be “American” without the influence of other cultures. What makes us so unique and different from the rest of the world is that we have become a hub of intermingling and coming together from different parts of the world and one can't help but see the beauty in that. How empowering is it to identify a part of your culture that has influenced a greater whole? So, when I look at the world today it's heartbreaking to see the pain of the American people. Those, who face oppression to this day, who are standing up against the injustice they have suffered for so long. Their voices have been silenced for so long, by so many.
When I researched Jazz and the African American influence, I found that so much
of their “influence” was stolen, not just in music either. I can’t wrap my mind
around the fact that “Americans” are fighting against their own, killing their
own - refusing to see the present for what it really is. It's more than just an
uprising - it's a cry out to be heard. We need to stop viewing this movement as a division but as coming together. Stand up for our friends, family and fellow
human beings and ask ourselves how we can be a part of a movement that will make
a difference? We need to stop speaking
louder than the voices that want to be heard but close our eyes and listen.
Listen like we never did before, to the sad music of their voices ringing loud
across the country. The Jazz, the Rap the Blues. Sit down in the front and
listen; refusing to back down until the fight is won, because now is our time
to actively change our present. Let’s stop dreaming about a life in the past
but build a better future for us and those that follow. It’s time to see
America for what it is: a country carried by the people of the world.
Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for supporting my writing! :)
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