[NewMusic] Zorn/Taylor Lincoln Center review in NYTimes

[Phillip Greenlief]

-----Original Message-----
On Behalf Of Damon Smith
Subject: Re: [NewMusic] Zorn/Taylor Lincoln Center review in NYTimes

- I guess it depends how well you can get your food from other sources!
Seriously though, in my experience most of that kind of criticism comes 
from lesser musicians (which includes most of us) threatened by Cecil's 
musical achievements, it is often followed by attacks on his character. 
It is not that he can do no wrong, or that he is above a substandard 
performance but the high points in his career are so far beyond what 
most other musicians can accomplish in one lifetime that trying to cut 
him down just makes you look like a pompous ass.
Maybe try doing it with an instrument instead of words.

PG:
You were doing a good job of staying focused on the debate, now you've
gone and made a few pretty ridiculous statements. First of all, (this is
so common for you to mis-read my comments BTW), I never for a minute put
Cecil's playing in question here. I think he's a great musician and an
innovator and a huge inspiration. I said this before in an earlier post.
I'm not sure how you can read that kind of a statement and then say that
if I don't dig Cecil I'm a lesser musician. When did I compare myself to
Cecil?

All I did was say that his music does not seem as radical to me (in the
context of all that is going on in the world today on a musical level)
as it was 40 years ago when he first hit the scene. I don't see how you
can recognize that statement as condemning him, or being unduly critical
of his work. I've given the guy the credit he deserves. Other "advances"
in musical form and language have taken place. Maybe they don't speak to
you - that doesn't give them less value in the shape of the larger
framework of "what's happening in music today". 

My ability to listen to music and analyze what's going on is certainly
on par with yours, regardless of the size of our record collections
(it's so insane I have to get into a pissing contest here just to make
my point). I have been listening to Cecil for a long time, so has
Matthew. Our musicianship has nothing to do with it. We can hear. We can
evaluate what we hear. It's that simple. All of us have a unique history
as a listener and those histories are different, and that is a good
thing. Because they are different, we have developed our own unique
schema, which shapes our musical aesthetics. As a result, we like
different things: that is also a good thing. There are no absolutes in
art, Damon, so stop measuring the whole world by your yardstick and
nagging other people that don't think like you think.