Respects to Joey Ramone, but

[virgil tibbs]

Should we not celebrate jazz as art form because so
much of it emerged from the poverty caused by overt
racism and ultimately, from a brutish capitalism?  I
am proud to be an American if I get to call Miles
Davis, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, my brothers. 
Certainly, I am not proud of what a white nation did
to an entire race (races), though, unfortunately, it
is part of my American legacy as well.  

The point I was making is that America's cultural
tastes, whether those of the predominantly black
artists or the predominanttly white audience, were not
"playing it safe" when confronted by the artistic
explosion that was swing, be-bop, free jazz, fusion
(my apologies to Pat Metheny), etc.  Just because
America didn't go hogwild over the Ramones and Sex
Pistols does not mean that the nation's cultural
tastes are stunted.

--- ravi <gadfly at home.com> wrote:
> virgil tibbs wrote:
> 
> > Not to be an ugly American, but would the "playing
> it
> > safe America" be the same America that gave the
> world
> > jazz -- the most meaningful addition to the arts
> in
> > the 20th century?
> 
>  >
> 
> i dare not speculate on what is the most meaningful
> addition
> to the arts, but regarding the first part of your
> message:
> what does it mean to say "america" gave the world
> jazz? did
> not the black people give jazz to the world
> (excluding all
> the cuban, african and south american influences)?
> to what
> extent is it meaningful to appropriate the
> contribution of a
> minority oppressed group (black americans) as that
> of
> "america"?
> 
> 	--ravi
> 
> 
> 

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