As far as my music listening habits go as of late, I’ve, for the moment, put away Mr. Hendrix, Mr. Lennon (and the band), and Mr. Strummer (and the band). I’ve instead been spinning (or streaming more accurately) Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Ellington, and Mr. Berigan (shout out once again to my people in Fox Lake, Wis., and the surrounding Berigan Family areas).
I’ve rediscovered my appreciation for jazz music — listening, playing, and some amateurish composing.
As I listened to familiar and favorite recordings, binged Ken Burns’s Jazz documentary series, and bought numerous new CDs (thanks for your tolerance and support, my beloved), I found a part of myself I had closed off for at least a decade, if not more.
The peak of my jazz life probably happened in my teen years when I played in the high school jazz band and allegedly won a few medals and awards for my valving.
After a disastrously failed audition to be part of a UW-Madison jazz band my freshman year at the university, my jazz life was reduced to occasional listening, making mix CDs for people, and a here-and-there one-off performance when legitimate musicians were desperate for a horn player and were stuck with me.
It was fun re-finding a more youthful and hopeful me even if life changed a lot in the past decade-plus.
Whenever I put a lot of time into something, I find myself pondering its importance.
I’ll think things such as “Studying this musician’s discography is fun and all, but couldn’t I be praying instead, or growing in my faith, and/or evangelizing?”
No, I’m not fun at parties. Thanks for asking.
Noting imperfections
From a faith and morals standpoint, there are numerous things about jazz that needn’t be embraced.
At times, was there too much drug use? Yes.
At times, was there too much non-marital carryings-on? Yes.
At times, were people hurt, or even worse, by the so-called “lifestyle”? Yes.
Why bother then? What good can come out of this genre?
When we hear the pain and strain from life in Billie Holiday’s voice, we can reflect on our own struggles and those of people we know, and yet how much beauty and gifts they’ve been blessed with and can share with others.
When we know Charlie Parker struggled massively with drugs, yet hear his with Strings recordings, you can hear the heart he had deep down for not always living life or expressing life frenetically or chaotically and know that every soul has an aura of approachability and connection if you just take the time to look for it.
When you see Louis Armstrong at his peak, playing with his band in Denmark in the 1930s, you see happiness, hope, joy, and celebration, and know that making others happy and sharing talents are sometimes just that — embracing what we have right in front of us and enjoying the moment.
Jazz was never perfect or an ideal example from a holiness standpoint, but it does give us a depth of life to mirror our own.
A Love Supreme
Any hep points I may have earned will soon disappear when I admit that until a few weeks ago, I had never listened to the album A Love Supreme by saxophonist John Coltrane.
I’ve heard a fair amount of his other work, but not this particular one.
I was drawn to give it a listen when I read that, according to Wikipedia, “One critic has written that the album was intended to represent a struggle for purity, an expression of gratitude, and an acknowledgment that the musician’s talent comes from a higher power.” Oh? Go on.
I’ve given it many listens over the past month or so.
Those expecting a finely crafted musical suite of hymns won’t find it here, but there is something deeper going on than just a dance band playing “King Porter Stomp”.
The album is only four tracks (songs) long and part four is called “Psalm”.
It finds the tenor sax player playing notes along with a poem he has written, along with the accompaniment of his bass, drums, and piano quartet.
Part of the poem says, “God is all. Help us to resolve our fears and weaknesses. In you all things are possible. Thank you God . . . He is gracious and merciful . . . Thank you God. Glory to God . . . God is so alive. God is. God loves . . . May I be acceptable in Thy sight.”
No argument there, right?
Coltrane’s faith may have been growing and imperfect (like all of ours), but there’s something there — if it’s worth the energy to find and refine it to our search for holiness.
Finding the good
For many people, the Catholic faith and jazz music don’t go together well, and in many instances, they don’t.
However, the music and the personalities are just as flawed and human as we all are (and some songs and musicians are actually very full of beauty and goodness).
Each person who performed or wrote it in some way was trying to, and is still trying to, find meaning within their own lives, share love with others, and use the gifts they were given.
Isn’t that what we do every day?
Thank you for reading (and listening).
I’m praying for you.