Gratuitous James Brown Link Of The Day
Dean
I had a friend tell me not long ago that James Brown was a "one-trick pony."
I said, "Yeah whatever. You find a trick you do that good, you come talk to me about it. OOOOOW!"
By the way, did any other regular pop and R&B chart-topper of the 1970s work with a classic big band like that?
Also: Where can I get me some shoes like that?
(More here.)
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In their effort to dismiss a lot of popular music, I think a lot of musical purists miss this. Which is sad, as there's so much magic in that, and it's so worth respecting on its own merits.
It's like reducing sex to nothing but a pumping motion. Or reducing eating to nothing but chewing and swallowing. You can do that if you want to. But if so, you probably aren't doing it right.
On the other hand let's not compare any of it to Beethoven or Mozart, who surely were doing more than stretching they grooves.
Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Brahms, and the others (and I have quite a bit of all their music in my collection, by the way, and I love all their music) were all intellectually focused on one thing: great mathematical complexity, elaborate musical edifices within what we think of as the "classical music" framework.
But you know what I find interesting about that entire world? It was all basically in 4/4 or 3/4 time, with a few occasional rhythmic variations.
Indeed, there are a lot of people around the world who look at all that classical music and remark how simplistic it seems, since rhythmically it's almost impossible to find something that isn't 4/4 or 3/4 time, with a few occasional triplets thrown in now and then.
I would agree with you that the urge to make all musical forms equal is an unhealthy urge. But on the other hand, I often think we've given too much adulation to the great classical music composers.
Structural complexity is not the ultimate measure of greatness, is it?
You know, Dean, calling James Brown "one trick" is pretty much the same thing as bitching that Stevie Ray Vaughn did nothing but run through minor 11 chromatic scales. Or whatever. :)
This also a great example of Jimmy's influence on disco. Thanks!
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.