[TPIN] Keep on honkin B U T a word of caution !!!

[David Arndt]

<<
We can hardly blame most young people for knowing practically nothing about
their musical heritage
they are continuously exposed to those insane videos & rap music which
insults the intelligence.   Live music
especially good jazz and good pop has almost disappeared from
nightclubs,lounges and restaurants.
>>>

Jumping in here...

There are venues.  People just don't support them enough.

The single best thing we can do as educators, parents, uncles, aunts, big
brothers/sisters, whatever - is to get young people out to hear live music -
good jazz in particular.  I single out jazz only because it tends to be the
most "alien" to kids, from my experience - and that's a shame because jazz
is arguably the "richest" and most "diverse" musical genre that exists.  It
also plays greatly to "individuality" - which should resonate with teenagers
like crazy.  But they just don't get exposed to it enough - so how can we
expect them to "get it" ("dig it")?

My 2 daughters and my son have been exposed to jazz by virtue of my insanity
over the years - and it does sink in - but not immediately. My daughters
(now both in college), will still listen to what I consider to be poor
quality rock & roll (there *is* good quality rock, IMHO), but they have a
very definate appreciation for jazz.  They will go out of their way to hear
it now - and to read and study it - and they always touch base with me if
they run across something or someone "hip" (call from my 18 year old
daughter last week: "Dad - I saw Jimmy Owens - it was really cool"). My 10
year old son loves it.  But it's because they had a steady "drumbeat" on the
topic while they were growing up.  Kids at a young age are *very* (very)
impressionable, so the key is to enthusiastically expose them to it, and let
the magic work.

This is the best way to pass it on, in my opinion:  Take your niece and
nephew to hear Randy Brecker.... Or Roy Hargrove... Or Diane Mosers Big
Band... (local band in Montclair, NJ that is near and dear to my heart)...
or to hear the come back player down the block who still plays "pretty
well"...

Then take 'em out for ice cream.

Cheers,

- dave