The Omaha guide., 1933-12-16
Debate Federal Anti Lynch Law
Dr.. Caliver Appointed To FRA. Staff
An Interview With
The Duke
Bureau

JAZZ-WHAT?- Their.
has been much talk lately in popular
musical circles as to the changing
styles in the writing and arranging
of compositions intended for orches-
trail use. Pro and con the experts
argue-Is jazz in it's accepted form
going to last and, if so, how long ?
Is some new musical form going to
be discovered to take the place of
jazz and, if so, what will it be called
These and many other questions
along the same lines, are being ask
ed and answered; and the musical de
bate goes on and on-What better
way to strike a nail into this contro-
versy and get a true expert opinion
that will hold weight throughout the
orchestral realm, than to ask the yer
dict OF the n person who is most
noted for his creative efforts in the
held Of jazz music-Duke Ellington
creator of such radical jazz depart
ures as BLACK and Tan Fantasy"
and the sensational MOOD INDI-
co.! In answer to many questions
the "Aristocrat of Jazz" had this to
say
1t is my honest belief that the
musical rhythm known as "jazz" will
actually never make a full exit from
the musical earth. / do feel that its
accepted forms are due for radical
changes but / also believe that in the
background the jazz element, based
on primitive jungle rhythms, will re-
main.
l have always been a firm believer
in musical experimentation. To
stand still musically is equivalent to
losing ground. 1t has ever been NV
ambition and desire to be a few steps
ahead of the times-so that they
would have to try to catch up with
me rather than ! with them. Just as
a scientist in his laboratory mixes and
re-mixes his chemical elements again
and again in order to reach a new
discovery -. SO must the musical ex-
perimenter mix and re-mix his must
cal elements trying different har-
monies, melodic strains, tempos, rhy-
thms-until he may emerge with that
sought after something new under
the sum.
My belief is that the new form of
Jazz will be sophisticated jazz'-a
more subtle, a more clever, a more
startling form than ever before. You
must have noticed the change in pop
ular song lyrics in the past year or
more. They have taken a sophisti-
Gated trend. They are more subtle
the rhyming is more clever-the re-
suits are more startling than ever
before. In a similar way, music must
keep satisfying the public taste-even
IN some cases, it must educate the
public taste SO that gradually it will
learn to know, like, and call for this
new type of jazz-this Sophisticated
jazz.
have just completed a recording
for RCA-VICTOR of my latest COM
position called crude INTER-
LUDE". In it are contained new de-
partures in musical tempo and ar
rangement-some pretty daring de-
partures-but l offer it as my first
contribution to what I sincerely be-
lieve is due to be the new form Of
jazz-ssophisticated jazz.
To try to describe verbally what
has been done in the writing Of crude
interlude" is an impossible task. Be-
words is, at best, an unsatisfactory
ing asked to describe any music in
assignment. Music is created to lis
ten too react TOTO stir emotions
and not to describe-"RUDE IN
TERLUDE" especially is difficult to
talk about-Perhaps it might be best,
considering the fact that l am its
author, that l leave the description
of this new radical sbrain-child' of
mine-this fore-runner of ssophisti-
Gated jazz'-to somebody else.
And so we rush off to the RCA-
VICTOR Record Company to get for
ourselves a glimpse of this new form