Forwarded to me from a jazz radio programmers’ listserv, a riposte to Gilad Atzmon’s morally and intellectually bankrupt portrait of jazz as “holy war” akin to militant jihad.
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Last night’s televised prayers of representatives of the Moslem, Buddhist, Jewish and Christian community of Virginia Tech offering solace to the families and friends of the massacre victims and appeals for mutual respect and restraint in the tragedy’s aftermath are a moving reminder of the America we uphold and the hatred and violence we reject.
The recent posting of Gilad Atzmon’s confused ramblings is particularly abhorrent in view of his attempt to couple the symbol of freedom that is jazz with the moniker of incitement that is jihad.
Students at the University of Denver where Atzmon spoke may be interested to note that Colorado hosted, half a century earlier, a father of Islamic extremism and jihad, Sayyid Qutb, whose rantings against jazz, among other American repugnancies such as its bare-legged women, are noted in last October’s Unesco-sponsored jazz symposium (marking the 50th Anniversary of the 1st International Congress of Black Writers and Artists 1956-2006):
“In ‘The Age of Horrorism’, an essay in the Observer, Martin Amis quoted Sayyid Qutb, a founder of Islamic fundamentalism, as defining jazz as “a type of music invented by blacks to please their primitive tendencies – their desire for noise and their appetite for sexual arousal.” That is pretty much how Hitler and Stalin defined it. Like it or not, you have to admit music with enemies like that can’t be all bad.” ( Mike Zwerin, “Jazz Is World Music, Even With An American Accent”, Oct 2, 2006)
Respected journalists including The Washington Post’s Lee Hockstader have lamented the Islamic extremism that closed down Ramallah’s sole jazz club at the start of the 2nd Intifada, preventing saxophonist Arnie Lawrence and his co-existence jazz band of Israelis and Palestinians from continuing to play there to a packed multi-cultural house. Last April 22, marking a year since Mr Lawrence’s death, Israel’s Army Radio dedicated its weekly jazz program to this dream of cultural freedom, broadcasting Mr Lawrence’s Palestinian-Israeli-American ensemble singing “Cheek to Cheek” in the still unreleased “Live from Ramallah”.
Since Atzmon mentions Max Roach in his diatribe, I would add that Max’s “The Promised Land: A Peace Tour” in the Spring of 1999, brought together Moslems, Jews, Buddhists, Christians and others in a series of concerts throughout Arab and Israeli towns capped by a standing-room only Israel Festival performance for over ten thousand, despite the threats of jihadist suicide bombers.
As April 22 approaches, marking two years since Arnie’s passing, his students of all faiths and nationalities continue to play together throughout Israel and wherever in the world free music is audible. Jazz swings. Jihad don’t.
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