Branford Marsalis speaks some hard truth:
If you don’t like plain talk that uses appropriate vulgarity, tough.
h.t. Chaos Manor
Trackposted to The Pink Flamingo, Allie is Wired, Political Byline, and CORSARI D’ITALIA, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
Now there’s a man with true wisdom, who tells it like it is.
Of course his message is anathema to the NEA and the AFT and the people beholden to them.
Perri, Branford Marsalis is one of those guys who can speak with authority, because he has chops, real musicianship that he’s labored to achieve. Oh, he–and his family–are blessed with talent to spare, but talent’s cheap and darned near worthless without the years of diligent hard work that result in mastery of ones art.
And that is why he says the kids he has a students are full of shit–because they want to skate on talent (and even though talent’s cheap, musical talent is also rare). Heck, at least 90% of the “recording artists” today… aren’t. Artists, that is. Because they’ve skated on talent (or in some cases on looks and the talent of their recording engineers and producers… and on the tone-deafness of their listeners) instead of working the years of shedding blood, sweat, toil and tears upon their art until they master it.
Heck, most recording “artists” nowadays are masters of anything but bullshit… and even then, their mastery is mostly in bullshitting themselves and a senseless public.
But it’s not just the music students Marsalis refers to. It’s students from grade 1 all the way through doctoral programs who expect that all they have to do is just (mostly) show up, and life ought to shower them with riches, plaudits and fame.
*feh*
I grew tired of prima donnas in gradeschool and beyond execting to be GIVEN good grades and patted on the heads and told “What good children you are,” when they were the very images of their lazy-assed, enstupiated, greedy parents.
And one wonders where politicians come from.
Perri says:
“Of course his message is anathema to the NEA and the AFT and the people beholden to them.”
And Mr. Marsalis is part of the same political coalition no doubt, so I can’t take him too seriously. Complaining about a thing means nothing when you won’t even VOTE towards the solution much less campaign or engage in any real activism.
I dunno, Woody. Those who attack the two oldest Marsalis brothers usually sneer at them for their convervatism–socially as well as musically. Perhaps I’m biased because of my strong affinity for musicians who are willing to spend the blood, sweat, toil and tears for years and years to actually master their craft, and who then seek to teach that same genuine love for music to a younger generation.
That, added to the committment Branford has shown for years in sharing his wealth of experience outside the public schools system leads me to give him a break on this and cede him his apparent sincerity.