He s the spiritual heart of Ken Burns documentary called Jazz , which ends Wednesday on WNPT-Channel 8 after unfolding 19 hours of American jazz history. Burns Jazz manages to be a study of the American character and the human condition, too. It celebrates jazz as America s great musical contribution to the world, a triumph of art over prejudice, a miracle from the melting pot. And it was raised to an art mostly by African-Americans. Whenever jazz is played, it s never a great day for racial bigotry or separatism.
Jazz is joyous music, often feel-good, danceable.
It has a serious side, too, as a document of social history. To take jazz seriously is to admit to a sociological, religious reality. It means admitting to the humanity of black Americans. It means acknowledging the condition of prejudice that blacks endure, an alienation that gave birth to jazz and that jazz testifies to every day. That doesn t mean jazz expresses nothing but the politics of race.