Just watched Ken Burn's Jazz last night- a few observations-

*The only folk in North America with an improvisational music style in the early-mid 19th century were Black African or otherwise negro folk.

True according to Burns (I guess he never read about the Irish immigrants when he studied New Orleans)

*The European Ballad tradition contributed nothing to Jazz. Not structure not form not content not role in society

True according to Burns. He cites the Baptist hymn tradition contributing to Jazz as if the church music tradition came entirely on the slave ship.

*There was no white/european input into the "gumbo".

*The european bawdy tradition or in other words reisky (sp?) tradition of the brothels which clearly is around as early as the 16th century and also came on ships to the new world. Was not important. The bawdy style of the African ameican tradition was the first unique and only such tradition. I think the program said it was unique to black folk...

I do not discount the contribution of African Americans to the development of Jazz but please do not strain the white man or the european ingredients out of the gumbo.

It might of been interesting to have seen a discussion of the other european improvisational musical styles which were present in the big american cities, the hills and the countryside which showed how they contributed to Jazz or on the other hand failed to prosper. It is my opinion that european improvisational music/tradition not only formed a significant portion of the gumbo but that it also conditioned the reception of jazz styles of improvisation within the european/white population. Success of Jazz having not so much to do with its inherent goodness as with a longing for a lost improvisational medium.

Another point missed in the series seems to be the fact that jazz made for comercial consumption became much more codified and lacking in improvisation than the music of the back porches in the Delta.

Big band music imho seems to be quite stylized and perhaps became more so after the recording and publishing industries got hold of its packaging. The Glen Miller theme heard so often in the series is never played in any other way but the received standard lacking totally in improvisation. I find that Jazz was successful perhaps because it created a language of musical communication which was the very opposite of pure improvisation into which even a layman could plug in. But is this feature of musical language uniquely african or does it derive some essential ingredients from the musical language and schemes of the european ballad and other traditions?

The same is true of Irish music. As you move from the kitchen of the tenement or farm house toward tin pan alley do you not find that packaging has virtually eliminated improvisation and as the piano music will oft tell you it provies the music as once "played by" another, rather than for further improvisation.

A few thoughts. What do you think? Is the gumbo of Jazz being blackwashed?

Conrad