>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"?
I find jazz mainly a lot of aimless noodling, but still, lots of people love it so who am I to question? But, dammit, black Americans are Americans, as much as white racists would like to claim they're not. Their ancestors have certainly been here a lot longer than mine. Jazz as we know it couldn't have arisen anywhere but in the U.S. - and there were more than a few white people involved in its evolution too.
Doug