I'm not the person to decide, but I was a jazz drummer for decades. I met and befriended many people of all different walks of life. Black, White, Asian, Latin, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, ect. It was about bridging the gap, not creating one.
Years ago I saw Leontyne Price sing Butterfly at the Teatro des Arts in Mexico City. An African American Soprano singing in Italian the part of a Japanese courtesan to a mostly Mexican audience. No cultural appropriation. Just Glorious Art.
Amen! As a white jazz musician, I really appreciate this perspective. It's so important to recognize where the music came from and how it came to be. 100%. It is undoubtedly an art form created by Black American musicians. However, like Mr. Thomas said, it's a gift to the world. Playing jazz music brings me so much joy! While most of my favorite jazz artists are black, there are countless greats who are white and who were so influential in shaping the music. Two that come to mind, whom I love, are Bill Evans and Lennie Tristano. These cats helped shaped modern jazz piano, any jazz pianist who came after Bill cannot escape his influence. I've never liked the perspective that it's cultural appropriation. Imagine Europeans not wanting Americans to play classical music, or white people not wanting black people to play classical music, because thats *cultural appropriation*. That would be ludicrous!
YES YES YES. Jazz and the blues transformed and defined American popular music. I'm currently doing a study of the ways Jazz and Black culture inspired Jewish American composers and songwriters like George Gershwin and Irving Berlin and Leonard Bernstein. Their works coexisted with the monumental achievements of the great Black jazz musicians and composers. Jazz IS American music!
Sorry man, but all the great Jazz musicians saw/see Jazz as Black music, hence the popular term “Our music”. Of course there has been great white Jazz musicians and contributors to the development of Jazz. However, unfortunately throughout Jazz history, black musicians have been extremely reminded by ‘America’ that Jazz IS Black music. It would be a complete insult to the sacrifice of the black musicians, who were left to die without treatment, couldn’t use hotel entrances, not allowed to play in certain orchestras, became drug users to help with the pain of racism, exploited by record companies etc, etc, to then suddenly say, oh Jazz is not Black music, but American!
No, jazz is black American music. Before we know it y’all will say yall created it like rock and country. Black Americans are allowed to gatekeep their culture just as every other race! FOH with your kumbaya colonizer mindset
As a non American I have a much more superficial knowledge of it's culture than anyone living there of course. But I always thought of Jazz as US-American music. Same with Rock, Hip Hop, Country,.. All these styles, to me, represent different aspects of American culture. I agree completely on the "culture over race" approach. It is culture that forms us more than our skin colour. Personally I hope for the people of the US to find a way to celebrate their culture together. That the very special thing about their culture is the fact that it is so diverse and has all these different backgrounds.
I'm white. I've been heavily into jazz since I was 17 when I was introduced to John Coltrane. Q: What of these young black people one encounters today who tell us they "hate jazz". Will they need to be re-educated to love it?!! Who will be doing the re-education?!! Seriously. I believe the very first jazz recording made in 1919 was by a white band. If this cross-over music never happened jazz would've developed very differently. How long would it have taken for a black-owned music label to develop, embrace jazz, and release it? Had black musicians in the 1950s not embraced "white" music theory: modal and Avant Garde jazz may never have happened. We wouldn't have heard of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, ...
Sorry man, but typically clutching at straws. Is it that hard to attribute greatness to black people without trying to calculate white significance. Because I may have supplied the pot, I can’t claim to contribute significantly to the cook’s dish!
Jazz is colorless - I'm a white dude from Tennessee and my father raised me on the Duke and Miles and Gershwin. I never thought of jazz "belonging" to one specific color. Bill Evans with Miles is my all time go to... dig? As a guitarist, I ran into "guitar isn't really a jazz instrument " by the old timers more than any color differences.
Jazz is definitely Black. The foundations of Jazz music theory evolved from Blues. Jazz is what it is because of the experiences of Black Americans. The majority of its history is owed to the collective experiences of Black people.
@@myles6235exactly not saying other races can’t do and play jazz because they can but they have to understand this is our culture they are guests we let them in not the other way around
@@jaiiskii2262 You can't "let" anyone into art. Art isn't something you can police. Art is meant to be shared across culture. The value of art is what it communicates to the outsider. The point is recognizing its origins to not erase the history of the art. Moving foreward, trying to police different cultures participation in art is a counterproductive slippery slope.
@@myles6235 no says that K-pop (abeit heavily inspired by American Hip Hop) isn't Korean; yet everyone understands that you don't have to be of Korean descent to like K-pop or that not all people of Korean descent do, which does not take away from its essentially Korean identity. Likewise, most people won't deny the European origins (a.k.a essence) of classical music; yet everyone understands that you don't have to be of European descent to like classical music or that not all people of European descent do, which does not take away from its essentially European (and Western) identity. Yet, when Black(-American) people create something - all of sudden - it has to be "universal", "colorless" and "for everyone", isn't it funny how that works ?
@@m3vm3 fiction of race? tell that to China, Japan, Korea, India, all of Asia, And every single country in Africa. And the middle East. They all protect their "race" and don't let outsiders in. China is 99.5% Han Chinese to name one country on the list.
No it was not! Get your colonizing ass outta here! Saying shit just because I am yt and I say so!? Fuck no!! Y’all have created absolutely nothing! Jazz requires soul and you devils ain’t got it
Black americans influenced the music for all the 20th century. White people mixed with that and it make all that music even bigger. It was the only moment in the US when white and black mixed. It is not appropriation, it is called sharing. Im so happy to not be american because I think that the nation is suffering from its history. A genocide, followed by slavery and segregation are part of the foundation of the country. The US looks very divided and lost for the moment. Segregation stopped in 69-70 legally. People from that era are still alive today! No wonder that there is still an influence from this. You guys need a man like Madela. A man that will bring forgiveness and will focus on building a future. Colour blind society is horrible. A society that is aware of its difference and uses that as a strenght is a winner! Jazz is that! Django Reinhart, all the nordic musicians, the cuban, the arabic,... All of them took jazz black american music and used their difference as a strength. Then all sorts of people around the world listen to their music and loved it. Music is universal. We can all create one that is influenced by our background, and every human being can understand it, whatever their background is.
You'll be mind-blown by this life-changing hack : you can do multiple things at once (including - but not limited to - walking whilst breathing or listening to music while working).
I'm not the person to decide, but I was a jazz drummer for decades. I met and befriended many people of all different walks of life. Black, White, Asian, Latin, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, ect. It was about bridging the gap, not creating one.
Years ago I saw Leontyne Price sing Butterfly at the Teatro des Arts in Mexico City. An African American Soprano singing in Italian the part of a Japanese courtesan to a mostly Mexican audience. No cultural appropriation. Just Glorious Art.
Amen! As a white jazz musician, I really appreciate this perspective. It's so important to recognize where the music came from and how it came to be. 100%. It is undoubtedly an art form created by Black American musicians. However, like Mr. Thomas said, it's a gift to the world. Playing jazz music brings me so much joy! While most of my favorite jazz artists are black, there are countless greats who are white and who were so influential in shaping the music. Two that come to mind, whom I love, are Bill Evans and Lennie Tristano. These cats helped shaped modern jazz piano, any jazz pianist who came after Bill cannot escape his influence.
I've never liked the perspective that it's cultural appropriation. Imagine Europeans not wanting Americans to play classical music, or white people not wanting black people to play classical music, because thats *cultural appropriation*. That would be ludicrous!
As the proud daughter of a Swedish jazz drummer I thank you.
Beautifully put, Greg. Just awesome ❤️
YES YES YES. Jazz and the blues transformed and defined American popular music. I'm currently doing a study of the ways Jazz and Black culture inspired Jewish American composers and songwriters like George Gershwin and Irving Berlin and Leonard Bernstein. Their works coexisted with the monumental achievements of the great Black jazz musicians and composers. Jazz IS American music!
Sorry man, but all the great Jazz musicians saw/see Jazz as Black music, hence the popular term “Our music”. Of course there has been great white Jazz musicians and contributors to the development of Jazz. However, unfortunately throughout Jazz history, black musicians have been extremely reminded by ‘America’ that Jazz IS Black music. It would be a complete insult to the sacrifice of the black musicians, who were left to die without treatment, couldn’t use hotel entrances, not allowed to play in certain orchestras, became drug users to help with the pain of racism, exploited by record companies etc, etc, to then suddenly say, oh Jazz is not Black music, but American!
No, jazz is black American music. Before we know it y’all will say yall created it like rock and country. Black Americans are allowed to gatekeep their culture just as every other race! FOH with your kumbaya colonizer mindset
As a non American I have a much more superficial knowledge of it's culture than anyone living there of course. But I always thought of Jazz as US-American music. Same with Rock, Hip Hop, Country,.. All these styles, to me, represent different aspects of American culture. I agree completely on the "culture over race" approach. It is culture that forms us more than our skin colour. Personally I hope for the people of the US to find a way to celebrate their culture together. That the very special thing about their culture is the fact that it is so diverse and has all these different backgrounds.
very thoughtful
Yeah somehow we don't preach the "melting pot" concept anymore.
That’s because If you cook a big dish then add a pinch of salt, you can’t credit the salt as being significant
NIce!
I'm white. I've been heavily into jazz since I was 17 when I was introduced to John Coltrane.
Q: What of these young black people one encounters today who tell us they "hate jazz". Will they need to be re-educated to love it?!! Who will be doing the re-education?!!
Seriously. I believe the very first jazz recording made in 1919 was by a white band. If this cross-over music never happened jazz would've developed very differently. How long would it have taken for a black-owned music label to develop, embrace jazz, and release it? Had black musicians in the 1950s not embraced "white" music theory: modal and Avant Garde jazz may never have happened. We wouldn't have heard of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, ...
Sorry man, but typically clutching at straws. Is it that hard to attribute greatness to black people without trying to calculate white significance. Because I may have supplied the pot, I can’t claim to contribute significantly to the cook’s dish!
Yes and it's a good thing
The chaotic evil response
Jazz is colorless - I'm a white dude from Tennessee and my father raised me on the Duke and Miles and Gershwin. I never thought of jazz "belonging" to one specific color. Bill Evans with Miles is my all time go to... dig?
As a guitarist, I ran into "guitar isn't really a jazz instrument " by the old timers more than any color differences.
Jazz is definitely Black. The foundations of Jazz music theory evolved from Blues. Jazz is what it is because of the experiences of Black Americans. The majority of its history is owed to the collective experiences of Black people.
@@myles6235exactly not saying other races can’t do and play jazz because they can but they have to understand this is our culture they are guests we let them in not the other way around
@@jaiiskii2262 You can't "let" anyone into art. Art isn't something you can police. Art is meant to be shared across culture. The value of art is what it communicates to the outsider. The point is recognizing its origins to not erase the history of the art. Moving foreward, trying to police different cultures participation in art is a counterproductive slippery slope.
@@myles6235 True and well stated!
@@myles6235 no says that K-pop (abeit heavily inspired by American Hip Hop) isn't Korean; yet everyone understands that you don't have to be of Korean descent to like K-pop or that not all people of Korean descent do, which does not take away from its essentially Korean identity.
Likewise, most people won't deny the European origins (a.k.a essence) of classical music; yet everyone understands that you don't have to be of European descent to like classical music or that not all people of European descent do, which does not take away from its essentially European (and Western) identity.
Yet, when Black(-American) people create something - all of sudden - it has to be "universal", "colorless" and "for everyone", isn't it funny how that works ?
But the real question is who are the inventors of those music instruments...
Everything about Jazz came from Europe, including the instruments, Jazz did not come from Africa.
@@LuckyPoop I know it was a bit sarcastic
Learned nothing from his video. You’re in love with the fiction of race
@@m3vm3 fiction of race? tell that to China, Japan, Korea, India, all of Asia, And every single country in Africa. And the middle East. They all protect their "race" and don't let outsiders in. China is 99.5% Han Chinese to name one country on the list.
@@LuckyPoopDon't expect these people to know anything about this. China is practically a Han ethno state.
LOL!!!
The musical style that influenced the creation of jazz was a mixture of European and African music. The instruments used are from Europe as well.
No it was not! Get your colonizing ass outta here! Saying shit just because I am yt and I say so!? Fuck no!! Y’all have created absolutely nothing! Jazz requires soul and you devils ain’t got it
'White folk' provided harmony and instruments used in jazz. No 'white folk' - no jazz.
ill be honest i have no idea how jazz is associated with african folk, i tried listening to some a while ago and it sounds like shit
I never heard an European say that Asians are guests in classical music.
(I'm Italian)
Just saying.
Black americans influenced the music for all the 20th century.
White people mixed with that and it make all that music even bigger.
It was the only moment in the US when white and black mixed.
It is not appropriation, it is called sharing.
Im so happy to not be american because I think that the nation is suffering from its history.
A genocide, followed by slavery and segregation are part of the foundation of the country.
The US looks very divided and lost for the moment.
Segregation stopped in 69-70 legally.
People from that era are still alive today!
No wonder that there is still an influence from this.
You guys need a man like Madela. A man that will bring forgiveness and will focus on building a future.
Colour blind society is horrible. A society that is aware of its difference and uses that as a strenght is a winner!
Jazz is that!
Django Reinhart, all the nordic musicians, the cuban, the arabic,...
All of them took jazz black american music and used their difference as a strength.
Then all sorts of people around the world listen to their music and loved it.
Music is universal.
We can all create one that is influenced by our background, and every human being can understand it, whatever their background is.
Never listen to jazz or any music. Just a waste of time. I have work to do and goals in life. Why not appropriate that into your culture?
You'll be mind-blown by this life-changing hack :
you can do multiple things at once (including - but not limited to - walking whilst breathing or listening to music while working).