sashimi-jazz

Finally - they have to go - I am saving a few of my much-loved jazz, blues, african and afro-rock and other world music but I am also putting about 1300 of my CDs up for sale on eBay. Starting with the As and Bs - quite a few of Abdullah Ibrahim, Art Blakey, Count Basie. On eBay my seller name is sashimi-jazz . Ron Santen

I noted that some members have expressed concern about political subjects being raised in these forums. Whats wrong with being political? Isn't politics about how we see our society being run? Given the history of jazz how can it not be political. Name one great jazz musician that wasn't subtly or overtly making a political statement in his music. Weren't Mingus, Ellington, Parker, Gillespie and Monk (and most bop musicians) making statements about the role of african-americans in society and their role in jazz. Isn't playing and listening to jazz a political statement when there are so many other forms of music to listen to. Every black musician who got up and played jazz was making a political statement and every white musician who played it was making a political as well as an artistic choice. Every young white kid who listened to and appreciated jazz was making a political statement when I was growing up. Its making a statement about who you are and what you feel - and in todays American and European societies thats political. Maybe a problem with jazz today is that too many of its practitioners have become 'artists' and see their art as being isolated from the problems of society - thats why so much interesting jazz and related music is coming from Europeans, Africans and South Americans who have something to say about who they are and what they feel. Hooray for politics - and a double hooray for politics in art and jazz.