Jazz and Ken Burns

Jazz always felt unattainable to me, at least what I was under the impression was "real" jazz. During college, I became acquainted with Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Glenn Miller. But I always felt as if I was missing out on something. I didn't know anything about Miles Davis, John Coltrane, or Thelonious Monk. I'm not sure why I never got into these musicians or their style of jazz, but I do know that when I listened to it- it felt well, "all over the place" to me. I couldn't follow it. I couldn't find the melody.

Since my research focus has narrowed on music, I felt that I needed to explore this uncharted territory- much like my recent experiences with Bob Dylan- I needed the exposure. I rented Ken Burns' 10-disc documentary on jazz. After falling in love with Burns' similar series on baseball, I knew that if anyone could teach me about jazz in a way that resonated for me- it'd be Ken Burns. He uses still photographs, videos, interviews, and quotes to piece together the history, the motion, all while connecting it to larger social structures in America. It is often in these series that people are quoted as saying, "this is America." And that is how it feels, it feels patriotic, it feels free, it feels like what we would all like to believe we have. That doesn't mean that Burns glosses over the fact that white and black musicians were not allowed to play on the same stage until pretty recently or that certain musicians were not accepted by mainstream white consumers, unless of course they had assimiliated to some extent or that after a black musican played for an all-white audience, they would find themselves driving to the edges of town just to find a place to sleep and eat.

I'm a horrible person to watch a documentary with, particularly one on music. I have to pause to make notes and commentary. I have roughly 4-5 pages of notes jotted down with ideas for further research. Throughout the series, there were a couple of thoughts that left lasting impressions on me.

One, I discovered how much I already knew about jazz. At least- to Ken Burns. Much of the series focused on earlier jazz (pre-1960), though the last two episodes do start to explore the more modern territory. This might be my only complaint about the documentary. Although I did know many of the musicians that were featured (those mentioned earlier), it was interesting to find out their life story. Where they came from, how they made "it". That being said, I would have also liked to find out this same information about some of the more contemporary musicans. Burns did touch on this, but it was the difference between a 15-20 minutes detailing of their life story (Holiday, Fitzgerald) in comparison to 1-2 minutes (Coltrane).

Two, Seeing as how I had always felt that modern or improvisational jazz was "all over the place." I learned that it wasn't really. Learning about the history of jazz allowed me to see the full picture. I could see how Joe Oliver influenced Louis Armstrong who influenced Ella Fitzgerald...and onward. Not just focusing on who influenced who, but rather the development of the music is what I able to understand. As society changed, so did jazz. As society became more fragmented and modern, so did jazz. And when I heard Charlie Parker and John Coltrane and Miles Davis this time- I understood. It didn't sound so different from Armstrong, but rather felt like a building upon...an addition that reflected the diversity and choices available to the modern man and woman. And just like that, I understood jazz.

Three, Despite the fact that I needed to take this journey through the history of jazz (and like i mentioned, it ended too early), I still come back to Louis Armstrong. Armstrong is the one who you realize by the end of the series- it was all about. It always has been about. He is that story, like a classic Olympic week story, the story that Americans love. You know, the story about the kid who had nothing. He worked hard and then, had everything, but you'd never know it. He wasn't ostentatious. He didn't act like a celebrity. He was kind, generous, and never for the sake of public relations changed his opinion on what he believed. He never compromised. And even when he told he was sick and dying by his doctors- that he shouldn't perform, he still did. He felt he owed it to his audience. He had to be helped onto the stage. It is all of these things that makes Armstrong such an icon in the eyes of Americans. He is America to us. When I watched the final episode of the series, Burns covered Armstrong's death and I found myself crying. During the interview where Arvell Shaw talks about Armstrong's death, he fights through the tears and words to try to answer the question- but what comes clear is the complete admiration and love for Armstrong that so many people had. And how jazz changed America.

Now, go listen to Louis Armstrong's West End Blues.