From: WK7@CORNELLC.BITNET
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Subject: the blues 'controversy'
Date: 17 Oct 92 00:08:45 GMT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU

As you all already know, I'm a big fan of the blues, and I appreciate that
Leonard, Jake, and Sonia came to its rescue, but I question whether all
this bruhaha is really necessary.
Haven't alot of us been circling 'round the same sorts of unresolvable, but
very basic arguments lately ? For example, awhile back we discussed the
misleading simplicity of some of Mozarts works, and the necessity of the
serious artist/musician to imbue those pieces with his/her own emotions,
feelings, interpretations, etc?

I think the same can be said of the ongoing argument of composition/re-
hearsed/written music to 'spontaneous' improvised music. As has been already
summed up eloquently by quite a few allmusicers, it's who the musician is
and what he/she brings to their craft that matters. If you're listening to
a recorded piece of music for the 1st time, you might speculate as to whether
it was written down or improvised (unless it was a known work), but you
wouldn't really know, would you unless you read up on it and the person
who played it. And what intrinsic difference does it make anyway, unless you
wish to attempt the same piece, or copy the same style ? If it was sounds in
ANY organized fashion that moved you, stimulated you, or amused, intrigued,
enraged,caressed, or enveloped you then it was 'good' effective music. Now
why try to put it down because it either isn't as 'organized', 'complex',
or whatever as another type? Isn't it still valid musical art?

I know I'm rambling, but it just seems that we cover and recover the same
theme over and over. I know that blues isn't easy to play well, or as well
as the masters of the blues did/do. I feel the same way about every other kind
of music.

2 IMHO's:
  1. I think it would possibly be interesting to Lenny and Jeff (was it?) to
     experiment with the others type of music, but it will prove nothing, and
     actually I as an outsider (kindof) would rather hear a tape of Lenny
     wailing on his blues guitar, and Jeff using any electronic or non device
     under the sun to make the kind of music He Can Feel !

  2. Regarding Hendrix and his use of effects, actually, Lenny, I think for the
     time period he was in Jimi used as many electronic boxes and avant garde
     recording techniques as he and his engineers could muster. In fact I have
     a biography of Hendrix called "Scuse me while I kiss the sky", and they
     talk in it about Jimi always fiddling with new and different efx boxes,
     trying to create something new. I Don't, however, believe he would ever
     stoop to using another musician's recorded sound off his/her axe for
     whatever purpose. I know that I, even with the technology available, don't
     want to use a sampled sound. It's just my own ethics. But I'd love to
     learn more about how to turn/twist/and enhance my generated keyboard
     sounds through whatever filters,fuzzes,wha wha's, etc that I could find.
     But it would have to start with my sound.


...clouding the issue or lending sunshine, I remain......,
                                                          ...walt...