Ben: I think you'd find that most of the initial European improvisers like Bailey, Prévost, Parker, Oxley, Watts, Stevens, Rutherford, Brötzmann, Schiano, Van Hove et. etc. would describe themselves as socialists, a perfectly respectable word in Europe, and Canada come to think of it. Only a couple may have been communists. But recall that in Europe that party is legal and participates in the electoral process as well. How much of collectivist thought was transmitted to the music is probably the focus of many PhD theses. Ken Waxman --- Ben Axelrad <soulfrieda@hotmail.com> wrote:
If I could piggyback on this thread....
I was wondering if there are any substantial ties between the improv musicians in Europe and socialism/communism. A week or two after purchasing one of Paul Rutherfords ISKRA cds, I came across the word ISKRA in Lenin's "Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder." Apparently it is the name of a pre-Revolutionary journal edited by Lenin, Plekhanov, and others. Anyone have more info (maybe Bill Ashline if he is still around)?
I grew up in the 80s and recall sitting in a movie theater watching "Rocky IV" and the whole audience erupted in a "USA! USA!" chant during the big fight. But even that seems naive when compared with to the pre-Fascist times we live in now
===== Ken Waxman mingusaum@yahoo.ca www.jazzword.com - Jazz/improv news, CD reviews and photos ______________________________________________________________________ Movies, Music, Sports, Games! http://entertainment.yahoo.ca