I have an old school affiliation to daily newsprint. in my case The Guardian. As part of that addiction, I subscribe to the weekend edition of the Financial Times which provides a different slant on, in these days terminally depressing world news and some fresh perspectives on arts and culture (although in common with all the broadsheets its arts coverage has significantly reduced in recent years). The weekend FT still runs to a regular jazz album review ably penned by Mike Hobart.
It also includes a chunky double sized glossy magazine originally entitled How To Spend It, now trading under the more discrete moniker HTSI. The old title continues to sum it up well-stacked with high spec. images and text aimed at the super rich spotlighting go to influencers, undiscovered ski experiences, the latest in high end food and gadget fads and super luxury hotels. Imagine my surprise therefore when HTSI recently carried a long spread entitled The New Jazz Age which profiled contemporary jazz musicians practicing their art many thousands of miles away from the American mother ship plus a major piece on the Montreux Jazz Festival, probably Europe’s most significant jazz festival which has been running continuously since 1967.
These pieces were a salutary reminder that one of the foundational characteristics of jazz is its endless and continuing capacity to be influenced by other musical cultures and to enhance and assimilate non-core influences into the language of jazz. From the early and very serious influence of Afro Cuban music on the bebop pioneers and Dizzy Gillespie in particular in the 1940’s , through to the tsunami of bossa nova grooves in the late 50’s and early 60’s and the impact of South African township music on the wider jazz community from the 1950’s and 60’s and to the impacts of indigenous and folk musical traditions from central Europe, Japan , Scandinavia and Scotland ( to give just four examples) jazz has continued to be refreshed and enhanced by its exposure to global musical and cultural influences.
Ganavya, New York born now London based
And of course, the major established jazz centres of the world; New York, London, Paris, Brussels, Tokyo have been generating home grown musicians for many generations whose musical influences draw and drew heavily on local and diasporic sources from Africa (where of course the jazz story essentially began), the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, the middle east and north Africa, Latin America, klezmer and numerous indigenous musical cultures. This ongoing process has served to enhance and enrich jazz in ways that no other musical forms can either claim or replicate.
Sonny Rollins, the saxophone colossus himself has numerously referenced the significance of his Caribbean heritage as did Horace Silver. Miguel Zenon a great contemporary saxophonist and band leader is based in New York but fashions performances and recordings that dig deep into his Puerto Rican heritage. I caught an impressive set from Zenon and his band at Ronnie Scott’s this summer. In the last couple of decades, the Avant Garde composer and saxophonist John Zorn has been reflecting his Jewish heritage including Talmudic texts in his challenging compositions. Jamaica born saxophonist Joe Harriott had a huge influence on the UK jazz scene during his too brief career and created two masterworks with the Indo-Jazz Fusions in the mid 1960’s, which he co-led with the Indian violinist and composer John Mayer.
Enji now Berlin-based whose music is deeply grounded Mongolian heritage
Wherever jazz is played it will reflect local musical cultures and traditions in often unexpected ways. My playlist gives you a taste of this dynamic interplay. From Machito and Chano Pozo embedding Afro-Cuban sounds and rhythms in the 1940’s club scene through to two of the musicians profiled by the FT; Ganavya, New York born now London based drawing on distinctive Tamil and Marathi traditions and Enji now Berlin-based whose music is deeply grounded Mongolian heritage.
This process of cultural enrichment forms a central pillar in the contemporary landscape of jazz.
The Playlist
Discovering Ganavya and Enji for the first time courtesy of the FT were great personal discoveries. You will find tracks from their recent albums here along with tracks either made in or influenced by musical traditions from Poland, Chile, Japan, Puerto Rico, Cuba, South and North Africa, Armenia, Bulgaria, Jamaica, New Zealand and Bulgaria. The list goes on!
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