The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #170752   Message #4130994
Posted By: Big Al Whittle
04-Jan-22 - 02:35 PM
Thread Name: Is folk a dirty four-letter word?
Subject: RE: Is folk a dirty four-letter word?
I suppose the spiritual thing is a bit unavoidable for me. I was bought up a Quaker and - my intro to folk music was Where have all the Flowers Gone -folk music versus nuclear destruction.

However much I reject 'the pale socialist of Gallilee'. I look for larger significance in the music and most other things.

And I think this is the start of the problem. We come to folk and jazz music - always from different positions.

I'm sorry we've lost Jim . To me, my Fathers house has many mansions and I should have liked Jim to be co-existent with us. I don't know how it happened - he denounced everyone he didn't care for - and the simple fact is that far more people have become involved with folk music through Peter Paul and Mary and Donovan than any of the stuff he champions.

In classical music - there seems to be a general acceptance that Mozart is a good guy, so is Bach and Beethoven, Wagner, Chopin. And you can go to college to learn what makes these guys the bees knees.

Whereas in folk, there is no such common ground. And jazz.....trad lovers are really intolerant of mainstream jazz. And as for bebop players - they used to be called 'dirty boppers' when I was a kid.

Probably my favourite Julian Bream DVD starts off with with JB playing John Taverner's Nocturne. Now this a piece of music I really don't 'get'.

I don't get it but it doesn't seem to cause friction. There does seem to be emnity in folk music amongst the various factions.