Thursday, September 17, 2020

Stanley Crouch (1945–2020)

A New York Times obituary characterizes Stanley Crouch as a “fiercely iconoclastic social critic who elevated the invention of jazz into a metaphor for the indelible contributions that Black people have made to American democracy.”

The Crouch model of criticism as combat is one I have little use for. Nor am I a fan of the Crouch–Wynton Marsalis neo-conservative aesthetic that shaped Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Ken Burns PBS series Jazz. But there was no doubting Crouch’s love of and devotion to the music.

comments: 7

Geo-B said...

I'm so happy to read this. I'm always in a pack of Ken Burns-adoring people, and I say I don't like him. I've watched a couple of Ken Burns documentaries, but when I watched Jazz, I thought, here is something I know about and he's getting it so wrong. What about those other shows I didn't know so much about?

Michael Leddy said...

Good question.

The great-man theory of musical history, the fetishizing of “swing,” the short shrift given to so many musicians, the general dissing of the so-called avant-garde, the “No one had ever heard anything like it before,” the relentless claims about jazz and democracy — it’s all so tiresome. I just found this piece from 2014 via NPR’s obit for Crouch — you should find it interesting.

Michael Leddy said...

Good question.

The great-man theory of musical history, the fetishizing of “swing,” the short shrift given to so many musicians, the general dissing of the so-called avant-garde, the “No one had ever heard anything like it before,” the relentless claims about jazz and democracy — it’s all so tiresome. I just found this piece from 2014 via NPR’s obit for Crouch — you should find it interesting.

Geo-B said...

You can say that again.

Sparky said...

I often chatted with Stanley at various Jazz clubs around NYC. He was fiercely intelligent, sharp-tongued and frequently dismissive of any and all differing opinion.

Michael Leddy said...

I believe it. :)

Michael Leddy said...

George, I don’t know how I posted my comment twice. Now I get the joke. Earlier today, I just thought you were agreeing with me.