shadia147's Blog
Think about it.
The idea that every body deserves to win. That style is more important than substance.
Before the DH, pitchers actually had to know how to bat or lay down a bunt. They didnt have someone else come in to do it for them. Pitchers actually made outs. They actually failed sometimes.
Since the DH, we're told "It's OK , you don't have to play by the rules, we'll just alter the rules so that you don't embarass your self". It's ok to keep players around long past their prime, or one dimensional players who never had to learn to actually catch the ball.
Think about our children... Playing games where everybody gets a prize, Where they don't keep score. Where responsibility is something you pass off on someone else.
OK.. Let me ask you all a question...
Which came first? Watergate ? Or the Designated Hitter?
You younger guys will all ask, "Whats he complaining about!?"
Ok, if you like having to think being taken away. Or you like watching games with both teams scoring in the high teens, which BTW I have over a century of evidence saying that isnt the natural way to play Baseball any more than Steroids was..
Listen.. Quality is ALWAYS better than Quantity. Jazz is better music than Rock. Chess is a more beautiful game than Checkers. Mozart will ALWAYS be better than Lady Gaga. Why? Because of the challenge!
But the easy thing is to accept Style over Substance, Quantity over Quality,Rock over Jazz, Checkers over Chess, and Lady Gaga over Mozart.
The BEST things in life are always the things that makes it more of a challenge.. Not easier. It's easy to put a DH in instead of a Pitcher. But the CORRECT thing and the RIGHT thing and the challenging thing is having the pitcher have to bat.
Today's Society wants things to be fast. To be easy. To be exciting, more colorful. But Mozart's been dead for Centuries. Yet, he'll be remembered long after every rock or pop musician you've ever heard.
There's a reason for that. Mozart never asked for someone else to write his compositions. He painstakingly hand wrote every single note himself. It took him years to write a single piece of music. It took time..and time is always worth the effort. He challenged himself to fail. He was not afraid of failure.
Today, in America, it's all about succeeding. Compromise your values so long as you win in the end. Winning is the only thing that counts, The Final Score negates how the game was played.
Why learn music if you have Auto-Tune and Proworks?
Why have pitchers bat when you can plug in Jim Thome?
It's all the same thing..
# 3
bigdoc85 @ Jul 1
Ah. You're the "old" guy who posted the blog about The Show. I turn 45 this week so I'm one of the "old" gamers too - old in terms of age but new to next generation gaming (just got a PS3 about 2 years ago -- pretty much only played Atari back in high school and the the occasional Nintendo or Sega game in the 80's and early 90's). I would argue that the popularity of Lady Gaga is conclusive proof of the decline of society!
# 4
shadia147 @ Jul 2
To Bigdoc, You understand! I. I was referring to the decline in Values in American Society. It had nothing to do with the DH!
Yanksrule completely missed the point.
Oh, I got my PS3 about two years ago too.
Yanksrule completely missed the point.
Oh, I got my PS3 about two years ago too.
# 5
bigdoc85 @ Jul 2
Trust me, I understand more than you know! Actually, I have a somewhat related viewpoint that may prompt me to write a blog. Be on the lookout for it.
# 6
marginwalker12 @ Jul 2
For one, Lady Gaga does write her own music. A fairer comparison would be Mozart and Britney Spears. As far as the demise of American Culture, it's highly over-exaggerated. The only demise has been the culture you're accustomed to. Just saying there's a reason why Lady Gaga performs with Tony Bennett and Elton John, she kind of is a true artist. And it's backed by the fact that you don't like her. Much like Mozart, Gaga is currently defining a whole generation. When people look back at this time she could very well be a figure head. Mainly because she's different and sticks out. We're recording history at a record pace with the internet and various other publications. Back then, not so much. Only few things could be carried over for the lack of shared knowledge. What people consider to be the diffence between the late 1400's and the late 1700's could very well be how people interpret just the 60s to the 90s. No one really knows what part history will be dropped at any given point. It's all dictated on the current events and what led up to the world present people live in. This glut of music and iPods in the new generation could very well drown out Mozart. You never know. The DH debate won't matter maybe in the span of 2 lifetimes. But as long as there's a NL and AL, I think both leagues will stick with their roots. Once interleague tears down the walls of the two divisions, not very much is left to differentiate.
# 7
marginwalker12 @ Jul 2
For sake of argument, who will be remembered longer? A 72 game winning Bull's team, or a Piston's Championship team led by Billups, Wallace, and Rip. Pistons played better as a team, saw almost even contributions across the board. Were practically the perfect teams team. The Bulls had the greatest player ever. Same thing with this Heat that just won. 3 superstars in their prime banding together to make winning easy. Pistons take back seats to both. Fun trumps substance everytime.
# 8
shadia147 @ Jul 2
Just for the record..I love Lady Gaga. I compare her to David Bowie.
But my point is that mere popularity does not equal quality. I could have said Michael Jackson, Justin Beiber etc. And the fact is that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Amongst others) has been and will remain pertinant as long as humans are alive on this planet. No body 100 years from now is going to remember Justin Beiber for anything but the punchline to a joke. And you say the same thing about ANY pop "Entertainer". Art is ALWAYS more important than mere Entertainment. The problem is that the vast majority of people (Thus the mentioned decline in Values), don't have a clue what the difference is. And Art (With a capital A) has been relegated to second class citizenship.
The only Pop act that might be around as long as Mozart might be The Beatles. But thats only because they moved from being Entertainers to Artists. While I agree with your points about the progress of the Timeline being much faster, and communication being faster. Nevertheless, Genius is timeless. Mozart would have been just as brilliant if not more so today. I often wonder what a Mozart would think if he suddenly re-appeared in the 21st Century. But I completely disagree with your statement that Fun Trumps Substance everytime. To say that implies that Michael Jordan never practiced all his life for hours on end. Or that the Bulls and Heat didnt work to succeed. To be the Best in the World at ANYTHING takes total dedication, skill, and a bit of luck. There's a great book titled "Outliers" which talks about what it takes to be good at anything requires at least 10,000 hours of practice. To be the Best in the World at anything takes maybe 100,000 or more.
Anyway, I've gotten a pretty decent response from this Blog considering it was somewhat Tongue in Cheek.
But my point is that mere popularity does not equal quality. I could have said Michael Jackson, Justin Beiber etc. And the fact is that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Amongst others) has been and will remain pertinant as long as humans are alive on this planet. No body 100 years from now is going to remember Justin Beiber for anything but the punchline to a joke. And you say the same thing about ANY pop "Entertainer". Art is ALWAYS more important than mere Entertainment. The problem is that the vast majority of people (Thus the mentioned decline in Values), don't have a clue what the difference is. And Art (With a capital A) has been relegated to second class citizenship.
The only Pop act that might be around as long as Mozart might be The Beatles. But thats only because they moved from being Entertainers to Artists. While I agree with your points about the progress of the Timeline being much faster, and communication being faster. Nevertheless, Genius is timeless. Mozart would have been just as brilliant if not more so today. I often wonder what a Mozart would think if he suddenly re-appeared in the 21st Century. But I completely disagree with your statement that Fun Trumps Substance everytime. To say that implies that Michael Jordan never practiced all his life for hours on end. Or that the Bulls and Heat didnt work to succeed. To be the Best in the World at ANYTHING takes total dedication, skill, and a bit of luck. There's a great book titled "Outliers" which talks about what it takes to be good at anything requires at least 10,000 hours of practice. To be the Best in the World at anything takes maybe 100,000 or more.
Anyway, I've gotten a pretty decent response from this Blog considering it was somewhat Tongue in Cheek.
# 9
shadia147 @ Jul 2
BTW, I said The Beatles became Artists. That's not saying that the Beatles are anything close to a Mozart or a Duke Ellington, or any topnotch Jazz Performer.
Comparing The Beatles to Mozart is like comparing something a first grader would draw in Kindergarten to the Sistene Chapel. What The Beatles did was relatively elementary. In no way could Sir Paul McCartney or John Lennon compete musically with say Charles Mingus or John McLaughlin.
Jimi Hendix couldnt compete either. When he died, he was begging Rahsaan Roland Kirk to teach him how to play Jazz. He never got there.
But of course, true Jazz Musicians record "Live", usually in one take. And they actually play their "acoustic" instruments in the single most sophisticated, creative, and demanding Artform there is. To be able to play at such a level, improvise and compose on the spot complex musical theories ,chord changes and at a speed unimaginable in pop music. As Wynton Marsalis once said, "There ain't no drum machine that can outplay Max Roach".
And that gets me back to the DH... If your game is honest. And it's real. The DH should never exist any more than a Drum Machine.
Comparing The Beatles to Mozart is like comparing something a first grader would draw in Kindergarten to the Sistene Chapel. What The Beatles did was relatively elementary. In no way could Sir Paul McCartney or John Lennon compete musically with say Charles Mingus or John McLaughlin.
Jimi Hendix couldnt compete either. When he died, he was begging Rahsaan Roland Kirk to teach him how to play Jazz. He never got there.
But of course, true Jazz Musicians record "Live", usually in one take. And they actually play their "acoustic" instruments in the single most sophisticated, creative, and demanding Artform there is. To be able to play at such a level, improvise and compose on the spot complex musical theories ,chord changes and at a speed unimaginable in pop music. As Wynton Marsalis once said, "There ain't no drum machine that can outplay Max Roach".
And that gets me back to the DH... If your game is honest. And it's real. The DH should never exist any more than a Drum Machine.
# 10
poilbrun @ Jul 3
You lost me when you said jazz is better than rock. Music is an art form and therefore subjective. Quality of music is therefore dependent on who listens to it. You'll notice that by the time of Mozart, there were nobles and burghers enjoying his music, while most of the people enjoyed what we'd today call pub music. That is and will always be the case: sophisticated music for those who think themselves better than the others, and catchy tunes for the masses.
As far as baseball, I agree with you that it corresponds to a culture change. But then again, baseball won't stop people's perceptions from changing, so you have a choice: either remain true to your roots and have people lose interest or evolve. You like things to remain pure, I understand the feeling, but that's a losing proposition for the get-go. The only thing that will never change is that things change.
As far as baseball, I agree with you that it corresponds to a culture change. But then again, baseball won't stop people's perceptions from changing, so you have a choice: either remain true to your roots and have people lose interest or evolve. You like things to remain pure, I understand the feeling, but that's a losing proposition for the get-go. The only thing that will never change is that things change.
# 11
shadia147 @ Jul 3
Wynton Marsalis wrote a beautiful book. "Up on Higher Ground- How Jazz can Change Your Life". I recommend it highly.
# 12
shadia147 @ Jul 3
This is how I can say Jazz is "Better" than Rock....
Though we are told to mourn it, we must know that it was a noble sound. It had majesty. Yes, it was majestic. Deep down in the soul of it all, where the notes themselves provide the levels of revelation we can only expect of great art, it formed a bridge. That’s right, a bridge. A bridge that stretched from the realm of dreams to the highways and byways and thoroughfares and back roads of action. To be even more precise, let me say that this sound was itself an action. Like a knight wrapped in the glistening armor of invention, of creativity of integrity of grace, of sophistication, of SOUL, this sound took the field. It arrived when the heart was like a percussively throbbing community suffering the despair imposed by dragons. Now if a dragon thinks it is grand enough, that dragon will try to make you believe that what you need to carry you through the inevitable turmoil that visits human life is beyond your grasp. If that dragon thinks it is grand enough, it will try to convince you that there is no escape, no release, no salvation from its wicked dominion. It will tell you that you are destined to live your life in the dark. But when a majestic sound takes the field, when it parts the waters of silence and noise with the power of song, when this majestic concantenation of rhythm, harmony, and melody assembles itself in the invisible world of music, ears begin to change and lives begin to change and those who were musically lame begin to walk with a charismatic sophistication to their steps. You see, when something is pure, when it has the noblest reasons as its fundamental purpose, then it will become a candle of sound in the dark cave of silence. Yes, it was a noble sound,
I say it was a noble sound because we are told today that this great sound is dead. We are told that because it did not cosign the ignoble proclivities of the marketplace, because it did not lie back and relax in the dungeon with riff raff, because it had an attitude of gutbucket grandeur, and because it sought to elevate through elegance, for all of these things, it has died, for some a most welcome death. But we must understand that the money lenders of the marketplace have never EVER known the difference between an office or an auction block and a temple, they have never known that there was any identity to anything other than that of a hustle, a shuck, a scam, a game. If you listen to them, they’ll tell you that everything is always up for sale. They recognize no difference or distance between the sacred and the profane. For them, everything is fair game to be used in THEIR game. Oh, they chuckle when they hear that the coffin for this noble sound has been built; they offer to donate more nails. They send bouquets instead of wreaths. They feel this sound began to outlive its usefulness the moment it could no longer be abused in the world of prostitution, that world where the beautiful, wondrous act of intimate romance and procreation is reduced to one fact: a sham ritual in which the customer’s appetite for lies is equaled by the prostitute’s willingness to tell those lies in whatever detail he is ready to pay for. The tones of lies are vulgar facts but they are not noble sounds.
But there is another truth and that truth passes through time in the very same way an irresistible force passes through an immovable object. That’s what I said: this truth is so irresistible that it passes through immoveable objects. It is the truth of a desire for a refined and impassioned portrait of the presence and the power and the possibilities of the human spirit. Can you imagine that? I said: a desire for the refined and impassioned depiction in music of the presence and the power and the possibilities of the human spirit. That is the desire that lights the candle in the darkness. That is the desire that confounds dragons who think themselves so grand. We have heard the striking of the match and have felt ourselves made whole in the glow of the candle for a long time.
It is possible that we who listened heard something timeless from those who are the descendents of the many who were literally up for sale, those whose presence on the auction blocks and in the slave quarters formed the cross upon which the Constitution of this nation was crucified. Yet, even after that crucifixion, there were those who rose in the third century of American slavery with a vision of freedom; there were those who lit the mighty wick that extended from the candle and carried it; there were those who spoke through music of the meaning of light; those who were not content to accept the darkness in the heart that comes of surrender to dragons who think themselves grand; those who said- LISTEN CLOSELY NOW-who said, “If you give me a fair chance I will help you better understand the meaning of democracy” Yes, that is precisely what they said: “If you give me a fair chance I will help you better understand the meaning of democracy” These are they who were truly the makers of a noble sound.
But as we mourn the passing of this noble sound, we are told to accept the idea that no longer are those blessed who are endowed with majestic inclinations; we are told that no longer are those blessed who have the intention of refining those majestic inclinations into rhythm and tune. If we accept that, however we might find ourselves ignoring the democratic imperatives of our birthright. We might fail to understand what was meant way back in the day when the sun of liberty had been cloaked by the ignoble practice of slavery. We might fail to understand that those living in the dragon’s shadow of bondage fashioned a luminous and mighty chariot that could swing low and carry us back to the home of human hope, which is heroism. I say heroism because it is ever the quality of bravery, of devotion, of the will to nobility that underscores the marvelous phrases of this music. It swung low and it swung upward and it wore wings. It knew that its shining armor would fit it well because it tried that armor on at the gate of slavery’s hell. It was the ethereal aerodynamics of musical art in America. It was democratic because it proved over and over that the sound of human glory knows no social limitations, that the sound of human glory has no concern with pigmentation, that the sound of human glory transcends all definitions except those of the human soul itself. Without a doubt, it was a noble sound.....
Though we are told to mourn it, we must know that it was a noble sound. It had majesty. Yes, it was majestic. Deep down in the soul of it all, where the notes themselves provide the levels of revelation we can only expect of great art, it formed a bridge. That’s right, a bridge. A bridge that stretched from the realm of dreams to the highways and byways and thoroughfares and back roads of action. To be even more precise, let me say that this sound was itself an action. Like a knight wrapped in the glistening armor of invention, of creativity of integrity of grace, of sophistication, of SOUL, this sound took the field. It arrived when the heart was like a percussively throbbing community suffering the despair imposed by dragons. Now if a dragon thinks it is grand enough, that dragon will try to make you believe that what you need to carry you through the inevitable turmoil that visits human life is beyond your grasp. If that dragon thinks it is grand enough, it will try to convince you that there is no escape, no release, no salvation from its wicked dominion. It will tell you that you are destined to live your life in the dark. But when a majestic sound takes the field, when it parts the waters of silence and noise with the power of song, when this majestic concantenation of rhythm, harmony, and melody assembles itself in the invisible world of music, ears begin to change and lives begin to change and those who were musically lame begin to walk with a charismatic sophistication to their steps. You see, when something is pure, when it has the noblest reasons as its fundamental purpose, then it will become a candle of sound in the dark cave of silence. Yes, it was a noble sound,
I say it was a noble sound because we are told today that this great sound is dead. We are told that because it did not cosign the ignoble proclivities of the marketplace, because it did not lie back and relax in the dungeon with riff raff, because it had an attitude of gutbucket grandeur, and because it sought to elevate through elegance, for all of these things, it has died, for some a most welcome death. But we must understand that the money lenders of the marketplace have never EVER known the difference between an office or an auction block and a temple, they have never known that there was any identity to anything other than that of a hustle, a shuck, a scam, a game. If you listen to them, they’ll tell you that everything is always up for sale. They recognize no difference or distance between the sacred and the profane. For them, everything is fair game to be used in THEIR game. Oh, they chuckle when they hear that the coffin for this noble sound has been built; they offer to donate more nails. They send bouquets instead of wreaths. They feel this sound began to outlive its usefulness the moment it could no longer be abused in the world of prostitution, that world where the beautiful, wondrous act of intimate romance and procreation is reduced to one fact: a sham ritual in which the customer’s appetite for lies is equaled by the prostitute’s willingness to tell those lies in whatever detail he is ready to pay for. The tones of lies are vulgar facts but they are not noble sounds.
But there is another truth and that truth passes through time in the very same way an irresistible force passes through an immovable object. That’s what I said: this truth is so irresistible that it passes through immoveable objects. It is the truth of a desire for a refined and impassioned portrait of the presence and the power and the possibilities of the human spirit. Can you imagine that? I said: a desire for the refined and impassioned depiction in music of the presence and the power and the possibilities of the human spirit. That is the desire that lights the candle in the darkness. That is the desire that confounds dragons who think themselves so grand. We have heard the striking of the match and have felt ourselves made whole in the glow of the candle for a long time.
It is possible that we who listened heard something timeless from those who are the descendents of the many who were literally up for sale, those whose presence on the auction blocks and in the slave quarters formed the cross upon which the Constitution of this nation was crucified. Yet, even after that crucifixion, there were those who rose in the third century of American slavery with a vision of freedom; there were those who lit the mighty wick that extended from the candle and carried it; there were those who spoke through music of the meaning of light; those who were not content to accept the darkness in the heart that comes of surrender to dragons who think themselves grand; those who said- LISTEN CLOSELY NOW-who said, “If you give me a fair chance I will help you better understand the meaning of democracy” Yes, that is precisely what they said: “If you give me a fair chance I will help you better understand the meaning of democracy” These are they who were truly the makers of a noble sound.
But as we mourn the passing of this noble sound, we are told to accept the idea that no longer are those blessed who are endowed with majestic inclinations; we are told that no longer are those blessed who have the intention of refining those majestic inclinations into rhythm and tune. If we accept that, however we might find ourselves ignoring the democratic imperatives of our birthright. We might fail to understand what was meant way back in the day when the sun of liberty had been cloaked by the ignoble practice of slavery. We might fail to understand that those living in the dragon’s shadow of bondage fashioned a luminous and mighty chariot that could swing low and carry us back to the home of human hope, which is heroism. I say heroism because it is ever the quality of bravery, of devotion, of the will to nobility that underscores the marvelous phrases of this music. It swung low and it swung upward and it wore wings. It knew that its shining armor would fit it well because it tried that armor on at the gate of slavery’s hell. It was the ethereal aerodynamics of musical art in America. It was democratic because it proved over and over that the sound of human glory knows no social limitations, that the sound of human glory has no concern with pigmentation, that the sound of human glory transcends all definitions except those of the human soul itself. Without a doubt, it was a noble sound.....
# 13
shadia147 @ Jul 3
...
Some people might ask, “What is this man doing talking about nobility? Doesn’t he know that this is a dragon-spawned and blood-encrusted century? Doesn’t he know that the dragon breath of our time is breathing down the neck of the year 2012? Doesn’t he know that this is the era of flash and cash?” I will say to them that the interwoven labyrinths of greed and manipulation are as old as the FIRST lie, When you lie you are trying to manipulate; and when you try to manipulate for false profit, you reveal your greed; and when you swallow that dragon dust cooperatively you reveal yourself as a chump, a sucker, one of those folks Barnum said was born every minute. But I will answer them also by saying that nobility is always born somewhere out there in the world, and when you live in a democratic nation you have to face the mysterious fact that nobility has no permanent address, you hove to face the fact that nobody has nobility’s private phone number. Nobility is not listed in the phone book. Nobility is not listed in the society column, nobility shows up where it feels like showing up, and where it feels like showing up might be just about anywhere. If it could rise like a mighty light from among the human livestock of the plantation, you know it can come from anywhere it wants to. You see, nobility is listed though. Yes, it is listed. Nobility lists itself in the human spirit, and its purpose is to enlist the ears of the listeners in the bittersweet song of spiritual concerns.
As we gather here to mourn the passing of this noble sound, we should take the pains to remember something. There are some of us who don’t accept the dreams of dragons as their own, no matter how grand those dragons might say they are. Yes, there are some who will refuse to drop the candle even when pushed into a dark cave and locked there behind a stone. Don’t forget the people like Duke Ellington, who will not leave the field once it becomes obvious that the sound of a cymbal swinging in celebration is more beautiful than the ringing of a cash register. Remember that there are those who, like Duke Ellington, are willing to face the majesty of their heritage and endure the slow, painful development demanded of serious study There is, you must recall, a kind of serious study that will give you the confidence to strike your match to the mighty wick that will illuminate yet another portion of the darkness. Out there somewhere are the kind of people who do not accept the premature autopsy of a noble art form. These are the ones who follow in the footsteps of the gifted and the disciplined who have been deeply hurt but not discouraged, who have been frightened but have not forgotten how to be brave, who revel in the company of their friends and sweethearts but are willing to face the loneliness that is demanded of mastery.
In order to carry the candle, you have to accept the fact that when the wax on that candle begins to melt it will slide down and burn your hand. You must be willing to accept the fact that pain is a part of the process of revelation. You have to be willing to take the field and stay on the field the way Duke stayed on the road, traveling in raggedy cars, traveling in private Pullman cars, traveling by bus, traveling by boat, traveling against his will sometimes in airplanes. Duke Ellington accepted all the pain and the agony and the self-doubt and the disappointment he was faced with because he had been inspired! Duke Ellington was inspired by the majesty he heard coming from the musicians of all hues and from all levels of training. Duke heard the Constitutional orchestra of American life and transformed it into musical form. Whenever they said this music was dead, Duke was out there, writing music and performing the meaning of his democratic birthright in an artistic language that uttered its first words way back on that first day that a slave sang a new sang in a new land.
I am here to tell you that there are some who do not accept the premature autopsy of a noble art form. There are some of us out here who are on a quest, and in the process of that quest who find themselves having to perform conquests. There are some of us out here who believe that the majesty of human life demands an accurate rendition in rhythm and tune. Duke Ellington performed with Sidney Bechet, with Louis Armstrong, with Coleman Hawkins, with Charlie Parker, with John Coltrane, and wrote music for almost all of them. His own orchestra was described by Mahalia Jackson as a sacred institution. The Duke Ellington Orchestra was the manifestation of the elaborately fabricated drum he called this music. He was dedicated without reservation. He knew that you have to listen to a noble sound. You see, you have to watch out for a tradition built on the intention of putting noble inclinations into rhythm and tune. You have to beware of premature autopsies. A noble sound might not lie still in the dark cave where the dragons have takenit. A noble sound might just rise up and push away the stones that were placed in its path. A noble sound might just rise up on the high side of the sky, it might just ring the silver bells of musical light that tear through the cloak of the dragon’s shadow that blacks the sun. You got to watch those early autopsies. A noble sound is a mighty thing. It can mess around and end up swinging low and swinging high and flapping its wings in a rhythm that might swoop up over the limitations imposed by the dreams of dragons. I said: You better check those autopsies. A noble sound, the birthright understood so clearly by Duke Ellington, it might swing low and it might tell you to get on board. It might move with so much grace and so much confidence that you will have to remember what I have been telling you: You had better not pay much attention to those premature autopsies. This noble sound, this thing of majesty this art, so battered but so ready for battle, it just might lift you high enough in the understanding of human life to let you know in no uncertain terms why that marvelous Washingtonian, Edward Kennedy Ellington, NEVER came off the road.
Some people might ask, “What is this man doing talking about nobility? Doesn’t he know that this is a dragon-spawned and blood-encrusted century? Doesn’t he know that the dragon breath of our time is breathing down the neck of the year 2012? Doesn’t he know that this is the era of flash and cash?” I will say to them that the interwoven labyrinths of greed and manipulation are as old as the FIRST lie, When you lie you are trying to manipulate; and when you try to manipulate for false profit, you reveal your greed; and when you swallow that dragon dust cooperatively you reveal yourself as a chump, a sucker, one of those folks Barnum said was born every minute. But I will answer them also by saying that nobility is always born somewhere out there in the world, and when you live in a democratic nation you have to face the mysterious fact that nobility has no permanent address, you hove to face the fact that nobody has nobility’s private phone number. Nobility is not listed in the phone book. Nobility is not listed in the society column, nobility shows up where it feels like showing up, and where it feels like showing up might be just about anywhere. If it could rise like a mighty light from among the human livestock of the plantation, you know it can come from anywhere it wants to. You see, nobility is listed though. Yes, it is listed. Nobility lists itself in the human spirit, and its purpose is to enlist the ears of the listeners in the bittersweet song of spiritual concerns.
As we gather here to mourn the passing of this noble sound, we should take the pains to remember something. There are some of us who don’t accept the dreams of dragons as their own, no matter how grand those dragons might say they are. Yes, there are some who will refuse to drop the candle even when pushed into a dark cave and locked there behind a stone. Don’t forget the people like Duke Ellington, who will not leave the field once it becomes obvious that the sound of a cymbal swinging in celebration is more beautiful than the ringing of a cash register. Remember that there are those who, like Duke Ellington, are willing to face the majesty of their heritage and endure the slow, painful development demanded of serious study There is, you must recall, a kind of serious study that will give you the confidence to strike your match to the mighty wick that will illuminate yet another portion of the darkness. Out there somewhere are the kind of people who do not accept the premature autopsy of a noble art form. These are the ones who follow in the footsteps of the gifted and the disciplined who have been deeply hurt but not discouraged, who have been frightened but have not forgotten how to be brave, who revel in the company of their friends and sweethearts but are willing to face the loneliness that is demanded of mastery.
In order to carry the candle, you have to accept the fact that when the wax on that candle begins to melt it will slide down and burn your hand. You must be willing to accept the fact that pain is a part of the process of revelation. You have to be willing to take the field and stay on the field the way Duke stayed on the road, traveling in raggedy cars, traveling in private Pullman cars, traveling by bus, traveling by boat, traveling against his will sometimes in airplanes. Duke Ellington accepted all the pain and the agony and the self-doubt and the disappointment he was faced with because he had been inspired! Duke Ellington was inspired by the majesty he heard coming from the musicians of all hues and from all levels of training. Duke heard the Constitutional orchestra of American life and transformed it into musical form. Whenever they said this music was dead, Duke was out there, writing music and performing the meaning of his democratic birthright in an artistic language that uttered its first words way back on that first day that a slave sang a new sang in a new land.
I am here to tell you that there are some who do not accept the premature autopsy of a noble art form. There are some of us out here who are on a quest, and in the process of that quest who find themselves having to perform conquests. There are some of us out here who believe that the majesty of human life demands an accurate rendition in rhythm and tune. Duke Ellington performed with Sidney Bechet, with Louis Armstrong, with Coleman Hawkins, with Charlie Parker, with John Coltrane, and wrote music for almost all of them. His own orchestra was described by Mahalia Jackson as a sacred institution. The Duke Ellington Orchestra was the manifestation of the elaborately fabricated drum he called this music. He was dedicated without reservation. He knew that you have to listen to a noble sound. You see, you have to watch out for a tradition built on the intention of putting noble inclinations into rhythm and tune. You have to beware of premature autopsies. A noble sound might not lie still in the dark cave where the dragons have takenit. A noble sound might just rise up and push away the stones that were placed in its path. A noble sound might just rise up on the high side of the sky, it might just ring the silver bells of musical light that tear through the cloak of the dragon’s shadow that blacks the sun. You got to watch those early autopsies. A noble sound is a mighty thing. It can mess around and end up swinging low and swinging high and flapping its wings in a rhythm that might swoop up over the limitations imposed by the dreams of dragons. I said: You better check those autopsies. A noble sound, the birthright understood so clearly by Duke Ellington, it might swing low and it might tell you to get on board. It might move with so much grace and so much confidence that you will have to remember what I have been telling you: You had better not pay much attention to those premature autopsies. This noble sound, this thing of majesty this art, so battered but so ready for battle, it just might lift you high enough in the understanding of human life to let you know in no uncertain terms why that marvelous Washingtonian, Edward Kennedy Ellington, NEVER came off the road.
# 14
shadia147 @ Jul 3
The two above are in reverse order.. And that's a sermon from Wynton Marsalis's Album "Majesty of the Blues"., Written by Rev Jeremiah Wright and spoken by Andre Crouch.
My points about Rock and Pop music refer to the parts about the "Dragon" in the above piece.
My points about Rock and Pop music refer to the parts about the "Dragon" in the above piece.
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