Boston-based blogger Roanna Forman asked the question to a number of critics whether critics need to know how to play jazz. Here in brief are the first five answers:
1) "The reactions of those who don’t know how to play have value."
2) "I don’t play an instrument."
3) "Musical ability should not be a prerequisite for jazz critics."
4) "I’m more interested in how well they can hear what is happening in a performance."
5) "It’s not absolutely essential for them to be able to play."
Here's the full piece.
Ronan Guilfoyle, one of the people asked, has taken the discussion further, and concludes: "it's a fascinating read for anyone interested in how the music is written about."
1) "The reactions of those who don’t know how to play have value."
2) "I don’t play an instrument."
3) "Musical ability should not be a prerequisite for jazz critics."
4) "I’m more interested in how well they can hear what is happening in a performance."
5) "It’s not absolutely essential for them to be able to play."
Here's the full piece.
Ronan Guilfoyle, one of the people asked, has taken the discussion further, and concludes: "it's a fascinating read for anyone interested in how the music is written about."
I'm wondering what's new to aspire to - apart from gender issues with the pronouns ...- since Bernard Shaw wrote (in 1894): "There are three main qualifications for a musical critic, besides the general qualification of good sense and knowledge of the world. He must have a cultivated taste for music; he must be a skilled writer; and he must be a practised critic. Any of these three may be found without the others; but the complete combination is indispensable to good work."
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