So if it’s misguided to restrict what qualifies as jazz to music with a triplet swing rhythm (as some would have it), what, then, is really jazz? Continue reading →
What is really jazz?
Some traditionalists have appointed themselves guardians of jazz purity. Like plantation owners fearful of an assault on the virgin chastity of their daughters, they draw a narrow perimeter around the term jazz and lock the door. Few are allowed to pass the threshold. But such an exclusionary attitude is the antithesis of the African heritage out of which jazz was born, a heritage in which music-making was a communal experience, without a great degree of distinction between performer and audience.
Tori uses highly personal and idiosyncratic language in her lyrics that makes the songs often difficult to decipher and open to multiple interpretations. We don’t always know exactly what she’s talking about, but her choice of words and imagery convey an underlying emotional state that we understand. The ambiguity of meaning helps keep the songs interesting and engaging. A good example of the challenge of interpretation is “Caught A Lite Sneeze” from her third solo album, “Boys for Pele.” 
Before recording the Joni Mitchell songs that comprise 10 of the 12 tracks* on “River – The Joni Letters,” Herbie Hancock first gathered his fellow musicians — Wayne Shorter on sax, Dave Holland on bass, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Lionel Loueke on guitar — and discussed the meaning of the lyrics, the environment of the lyrics in relation to the music. The music they crafted together is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to Joni’s artistry. Herbie’s harmonic sensibilities are bold and imaginative. Jazz artists have never shied away from dissonance, but the way in which Herbie moves fluidly from moments of lucid tonality to restless, dissonant harmony shows his artistic greatness.