Well, Porter's great. And there was a magnificant efflorescence of show/pop music that made its way into jazz -- the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Rogers & Hart, Johnny Mercer, Jerome Kern, Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Loesser. They don't call it the great American Songbook for nothing. Now we have, as far as shos music goes, Stephen Sondheim, whom I adore, but who doesn't translate musch of the context of his shows. I'd say it's reasonable to say that economics has killed the Broadway Musical and Tin Pan Alley. And jazz, which is highly accomplished, hasn't produced a giant at Coltrane's level since Trane died. IMHO.
Be that may, there was a lot of dreck done in those days too, and there's good stuff done today, just not so much in the show/pop area. Maybe real inheritor of Cole Porter is Elvis Costello, for example. And for them as is au courant, the absolutely astounding Nellie McKay. Everyone should go out and buy her brilliant Get Away From Me.
Cultural modes and styles wane and wax. Culturesw flourish -- think of the Renaissance -- and die. Thing of the post-Renaissance. But I'm suspicious of the Golden Age myth. I don't think people know when they are living in Golden Ages. Taht decision is made by other later. At the time, it's just what they do. Generally in a neglected manner.
--- Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> Miles Jackson wrote:
>
> >Oh great--now we'll receive a lecture from JKS
> about the inherent
> >superiority of Cole Porter--
>
> Well Cole Porter's pretty good, even if he isn't my
> iTunes' Top 25
> Most Played. But people are always comparing the
> best of the old
> days, e.g. Porter, with the median or worse of the
> present, e.g.
> N*Sync. Or Jane Austen with Danielle Steele. It's
> not fair to the
> present.
>
> Doug
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>
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>
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