I had to catch myself. Marsalis worked for years to elevate the official status of jazz. His friend, Al Murray, has worked decades. Murray is a writer and cultural historian and something of a mentor to Marsalis, who was deeply influenced by a book Murray wrote in the 70's, Stompin' the Blues. At a party last week celebrating the publication of two new books by Murray, a novel and a collection of essays, his editor, Erroll McDonald, read an excerpt from the now classic Stompin' the Blues.
Life is rough.
They're a mutual admiration society, Marsalis and Murray, and we sat down with them recently to talk about jazz's place at Lincoln Center and in American cultural life. Al Murray, tell me why jazz at Lincoln Center, home of the opera, the ballet, the philharmonic, why jazz. Well, jazz should be perceived as a fine art. For many years it's been confused with pop art or pop music or folk music, whereas, it is fine art music. It's not played by amateurs.