lessons of a late night dj by kid oakland at Daily Kos
I was working late one night at WKCR FM New York. (89.9 FM if you live in the area.)
Yep, I was a student dj. I don't know why I thought I could work those crazy hours: 5-8:30AM, 2-6AM...etc. etc...but I knew I loved jazz, and I knew that Phil Schaap, the guru of the station, was one of the coolest human beings I had ever met. Phil simply loves, lives and breathes jazz...and has a profound appreciation for jazz musicians that comes out in everything he does. Phil is also a master at spinning words in long threads of intense build-up that bring home a sweet, oftentimes musical, point. I owe him alot...and not just for teaching me, like so many students before and after me, about this great American art form.
At any rate, it was early one Saturday evening and the phone rang....
I had been playing Charles Mingus interviews intermixed with his music. And a woman's voice comes on the line and says:
"Paul...this is Sue Mingus. I just want to thank you for playing my husband's work."
At which point I'm thinking, 'wow, this it too unreal.' But Sue follows this up with something for me to think about.
"I'm just calling to let you know that an ensemble called the Mingus Dynasty is still playing my husband's music live and was hoping you could mention their shows." Which of course I did.
But the whole exchange got me thinking about any number of things. First, how my actions in the control booth, the music I played and how I presented it, really did go out to so many people...including, in New York City, some of the very musicians who created that music in the first place and those connected to them. And second, about how those who really love jazz, love living jazz, and, specifically, the musicians who create the music and keep the art form alive.
Which is something that you always got from Phil. Phil is a genius at the interview. He just brings things out of people that you didn't know were there. I remember sitting in on a two hour interview he did with Sun Ra which was just stunning both for Sun's celestial philosophies and how Phil always got him back to how his life connected with his music. (I couldn't find one of Phil's but here is Sun Ra from a 1989 interview with Robert Franza which gives you an idea of the flavor.)
At any rate, it took me awhile to realize that when artists like Dizzy Gillespie or Charles Mingus or Sun Ra sat in with Phil for an interview they knew they were dealing with two things. Someone who respected them and someone who loved their music. And the process of an interview in that context often proceeded to reveal that the musician's life influenced the music in so many ways.
And ain't that the truth.
I know that seems like slim political broth. But that's the whole point right there. It doesn't have to be jazz musicians...it can be something else. When we talk to folks, if we convey to them respect for where they're coming from and knowledge of their path...and if we truly listen to their story....in my experience, they will almost always tell us something profound that we didn't know before. Phil knew that...and we on the Democratic end of the dial could learn a thing or two about it.
You know, here on dKos we're alot like I was in that dj booth. We just don't know who is listening or what they might teach us. And sometimes it takes a pleasant surprise to open our eyes...not just to the power of our words...but to have them come back to us in new light.
From the comments on that thread:
Jazzonia (Langston Hughes)
Oh, silver tree!
Oh, shining rivers of the soul!In a Harlem cabaret
Six long-headed jazzers play.
A dancing girl whose eyes are bold
Lifts high a dress of silken gold.Oh, singing tree!
Oh, shining rivers of the soul!Were Eve's eyes
In the first garden
Just a bit too bold?
Was Cleopatra gorgeous
In a gown of gold?Oh, shining tree!
Oh, silver rivers of the soul!In a whirling cabaret
Six long-headed jazzers play.
I've always believed that ordinary people have lives that are interesting, full of drama and meaning, and by listening with respect we can get them to share that.
I had a job once where I interviewed (for jobs) dozens of people every week, and I loved that part of it. Someone would understand and connect, and open up to reveal astonishing insights and beliefs.
Too much of our media and culture focuses on the "important" people, and we are poorer as a result.
It's that desire to share that wisdom and to create a shared meaning that I think is part of what drives blogging and the related social software. It's also what keeps me optimistic.
