Chick Corea (1941-2021)

12 Feb, 2021 at 08:12 | Posted in Varia | 4 Comments

A jazz legend is dead. Yours truly will always remember his Mad Hatter concert at Olympen in Lund back in 1978. One of the most fantastic concerts I’ve ever visited.

R.I.P.

4 Comments

  1. A wonderful pianist and pedagogue. Watched his live pedagogic sessions last year; very, very modest and thoroughly dedicated to getting people involved in music.

    Lars, given your interest in Adorno, capitalism and music, have you read The Philosophy of New Music?

    Adorno was of course a pupil of Berg. Corea, apparently of the Mozart pianist, Gulda.

    Comment by Nanikore— 13 Feb, 2021 #

    • Adorno was a great thinker, but when it comes to music I have very little understanding or sympathy for his opinions. Re music I find Adorno too much of an elitist snob. But, of course, then, I’m nothing but a ‘sentiment listener’ …

      Comment by Lars Syll— 13 Feb, 2021 #

      • It’s a difficult book, I did look at it almost 20 years ago now. There are some good summaries of the narrative, one by CUP which I can’t remember now. Perhaps these issues are compounded by the German style of writing not translating well.

        I don’t necessarily agree with it (of what I understand). But it does definitely make you think. I think it is reasonably to say that part of the problems in the music industry today, both ‘classical’ and pop, have to do with the capitalistic monopolisation. There are some big label celebrity artists (including ‘classical’) which are definitely promoted a certain way by these huge multinational firms. In some ways it’s a Galbraith argument: are these firms determining tastes, or responding to them? Added to this is a Marxist narrative of how the ideas of the Enlightenment were captured by capitalism.

        Adorno has an interesting narrative on why ‘serious’ music turned highly abstract in the early 20th century, that is definitely pause for thought. In fact he traces, developments before this. He traces the history and relationship between music and the bourgeois back to before Beethoven.

        Think of how different it was to the situation of Bach – a church organist paid an organist’s salary. And it is fair to say that he is still the composer’s composer.

        Comment by Nanikore— 13 Feb, 2021 #

        • I totally agree on what you — and Adorno — says here. My problem with his views on music is more concerning his critique of modern music (not the music industry) and perhaps especially his views on ‘jazz’ music and people who use music as a pure joy . Adorno was a musician and composer himself and knew much more about it — especially about classical music — than most of us who only enjoy just listening to it. But I find it hard to accept his ranking of different attitudes towards musical experiences.

          Comment by Lars Syll— 13 Feb, 2021 #


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