I don’t like that word “jazz.” There’s no “jazz” anymore.

Blasphemously, my version of church has become a ritual of reading Jesus’ tweets and watching lectures from The Funk University.  In one of today’s lessons, it was mentioned that jazz great Miles Davis was actually much humbler and more generous than people thought.  For example, his reputation for turning his back on the audience while playing was a staple in his egotistical image.  Instead, his main reason for doing so was to divert the attention from him while other musicians did their solo (Miles was such an icon that the spotlight stayed on him even when he wasn’t playing).  Surely, he was a troubled character and his history of beating women led me to avoid his character and admire his music from afar.  Still, I can’t deny his influence on me.  The first record that I bought that wasn’t contemporary pop was one of his, and it led me down the path of jazz and funk.

Above is a Bryant Gumbel interview with the man, trumpet aside. Interestingly enough, he explains that style and fashion is his primary means of judging other musicians, and that he loves mainstream music but hates “jazz.” When it comes down to it, you just can’t deny his brilliance.