The Culture of Latin Jazz - by Bobby
Ramirez
"You
are either in or out", said Bobby Ramirez, musician and publisher of
LatinJazzClub™ Magazine. According to Mr. Ramirez, who founded LatinJazzClub™
Magazine, the first serious magazine of its kind totally dedicated to Latin
Jazz, "that sounds a little pretentious, but that is a specific trademark of
music fans that are attracted or likewise do not enjoy Latin Jazz music. I
mean, Latin Jazz is serious music. Musicians spend years going through
rigorous musical training to learn its language. Music fans also work hard
at acquiring a taste for Latin Jazz. If that makes some of these people a
bit arrogant at times, it's just the nature of this art form."
A giant literary cyber-emporium of
related music news, articles, interviews, CD reviews and learning resource,
LatinJazzClub™ is a virtual on-line magazine dedicated to the advancement,
education and historical preservation of Latin Jazz. More at:
LatinJazzClub.com
"In this modern time, people are
constantly being bombarded by thousands of visual images and sounds. After a
while, the mind is so busy processing this multitude of information that it
essentially becomes synthesis to simplistic sounds. For example, what was
once considered traditional "Jazz" has now been transformed or rather
intentionally engineered into the ever-popular "smooth Jazz" idiom (neatly
packaged melodies and harmonies, i.e. canned music). As a result, it does
not require much effort to understand and digest these sounds. Conversely,
to truly understand Latin Jazz, a music fan must learn to levitate to the
music. It is music that is created to challenge the imagination of the
listener."
Recently, Ramirez pioneered a virtual
grass-root initiative inviting Latin Jazz fans and musicians to join the
LatinJazzClub™ In Your City. It is a virtual meeting place where music fans
and musicians of a specific city/area share information about everything
concerning Latin Jazz--specifically upcoming concerts at clubs and festivals
that are open to the public at-large. The LatinJazzClub™ also serves as a
useful networking society for Latin Jazz music fans visiting that city and
interested in attending Latin Jazz events, etc. LatinJazzClub™ In Your City
is a public service that supports musicians and music fans of this unique
classic American artform: Latin Jazz. Additional information at:
http://www.latinjazzclub.com/in_your_city.html
"Latin Jazz is not for everyone, and
that's OK. Latin Jazz evolved from CuBop and Afro-Cuban Jazz, respectively.
It is not to be confused with other related words or phrases like "salsa",
"mambo", "Caribbean music", "tropical music" and other more incoherent
phrases like "Jazz-Latin." Because the style of Latin Jazz establishes a
perfect equilibrium that blends the language of Jazz and Afro-Latin rhythms,
by its very nature and like other abstract art forms, Latin Jazz appeals to a
particular music audience. Latin Jazz is a musical culture that embodies a
symmetrical balance of harmony, thereby maintaining a constant symbiotic
link from people/events that marked its ancestral beginnings in Africa, to
it's evolution in the New World. True diehard fans of this music understand
that they too are a part of this evolutionary process."
"Latin Jazz is not a music that attracts
mainstream radio/TV or to be part of a Grammy telecast because Latin Jazz is
not commercial pop-oriented music that would appeal to the masses. And those
that exploit the phrase "Latin Jazz" to sell other music (salsa) or to
advance an unrelated agenda are essentially high jacking Latin Jazz in false
pretense. Why? It is a matter of preservation."
"Sure, Latin Jazz would probably enjoy
mass appeal--and today it does, on a grass-root level worldwide. But it is
important to recognize and preserve the essence of this music and not
attempt to delude Latin Jazz into some kind of soft tropical Jazz experience
in hopes that it will appeal to a greater audience, as well as others who
intentionally promote "Latin music" as "Latin Jazz." A form of mostly
instrumental music whose main characteristic is based on (Jazz)
improvisation, Latin Jazz remains raw and organic, unpredictable and
inclusive.
Why create these virtual Latin Jazz
Clubs?
"For as long as LatinJazzClub™ Magazine has been in existence, we've gotten
many letters from Latin Jazz fans and musicians worldwide thanking us for
bringing awareness to this music. In recent years, music fans would call and
email asking us to tell them some places they can go listen to Latin Jazz
either in their own city or other places they where planning to travel. On a
local level, Latin Jazz is so grass-root that it is nearly impossible to
know what local bands are performing where in any city."
"At the same time, one of the key
functions of LatinJazzClub™ Magazine is to help support musicians who are
actively performing this music worldwide. Because Latin Jazz is not a
commercial music like "Salsa" or "Rap", local Latin Jazz bands continue to
struggle to find their audience (gigs). The fact that Latin Jazz has a
smaller audience appeal, continues to work against these local musicians. As
a result, a Latin Jazz artist/band continues to be a hard sell at festivals
and local clubs."
"LatinJazzClub™ In Your City" attempts to
create a networking system of support between the music fan and its local
artists/bands within a specific area/city. As more people join the
LatinJazzClub™ in any specific area/city, musicians feel more empowered to
perform Latin Jazz, and music fans feel more closely connected to Latin
Jazz. Like the function of many established Jazz and classical music
societies throughout the United States and the world, LatinJazzClub™ invites
music fans to become proactive in supporting their local "Latin Jazz" bands
in their respected community. This interactive system nurtures the mission
of LatinJazzClub Magazine: the advancement, education and historical
preservation of Latin Jazz."
LatinJazzClub™ is a trademark created and
owned by Bobby Ramirez, Latin Sheet Music Corp. Any unauthorized use is
strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.
Courtesy of
LatinJazzClub™
