I wasn't figuring on doing a Blog today, but the passing of Etta James today reminds me all that I love about music. And what I love is that the legacy of the true innovators, and people that I admire so much will always live on, even when they pass. Music is subjective, and what certain people like, others don't. It's as simple as that. I have my very strong opinions on what is great music, and I constantly have conversations about what is good and not, and those are just opinions back and forth. But what I am truly convinced about and no one can turn me around on this, is that within the popular music framework of the last hundred years, there are certain innovators within the history of music that will last and be influential long after generations are gone, and that quality of that particular individual will never be replaced. Whether it be Bessie Smith , or Louis Armstrong..Whether it be Duke Ellington, Sinatra, Howlin' Wolf or Sam Cooke, or whether it be Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, or Etta James, there are certain people that came along at a certain time, and gave us themselves and their art, and they will never be replaced. True artists set a certain bar, and standard, and everyone else has no choice but to follow, because what they do is so good, that you can't help but be moved if you are just a listener, or imitate if you are a fellow artist.
Today's cookie cutter mass production line of belly buttons, funky haircuts, and auto-tuned lip synch puppets are no match for the true innovators, and tremendous talents who had to perform sometimes with little or no P.A. system, without ear monitors, or music stands in front of them, in smoke filled Jook Joints, after sleeping in the back of a car, or on some train, for only 3 hours. Yes those were different times, but what those people did was create art that was expressive, innovative, beautiful and visceral at the same time. How? Because there were no videos to watch. There was no Youtube, or American idol. There was no Autotune. You had to sing, and play your ass off as well as or better than someone else, so you better have your heart and soul ready to come out of your mouth, or onto your hands, because in some instances there were no second takes. You had to practice your craft, and be able to perform in the morning or evening. And you had to be different to get noticed.
In the aspect of popular music which encompasses Rock, Soul, Jazz, and Blues, the great ones are dying off, and leaving in their wake beautiful blueprints to follow. I often wonder how can someone not listen to Billie Holiday and not wish to sing emotionally like that. How can someone not want a band behind them like James Brown's band? How can someone not want to play Guitar like Freddie King? How can someone not want to play Bass like James Jamerson? These people set the standard of how to approach their craft, how to attack their art, and even if their personal lives were hell, they showed that you can take that hell, and for a brief time, make it beautiful music that can reach souls. There are people still living now that when they go, it will be tragic, because we won't see the likes of them again..Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, B.B. King, Al Green, and Aretha Franklin are some that are alive at this writing that come to mind.And now Etta James is gone. Once they are gone just like Etta, the landscape is different. There is one less musical voice, or instrumentalist that had a tremendous impact that lasts years, through many generations. One less piece of popular musical history that can never be either replaced or measured for impact.
We are all just copy cats now. Putting our own spin upon what these great artists have already done. The foundations of what we listen to today in popular music were set in stone many years before by artists that never truly got their due because it was a different world back then. But in retrospect they have left us with riches beyond belief, and anyone who loves music as much as I do can understand exactly what I am writing here. You don't have to be as old or older than I am, nor do you have to be a virtuoso singer or musician to hear and feel, and appreciate what came before these individuals, and just what they changed, and made better. I am often called an "Old Schooler" where as I love real musicianship, and real sounding music. I want to know what is on a musician's mind, by listening to what they have to say, or play unfiltered. I understand music history, and have the greatest love and respect for the true innovators who gave me, and millions of others inspiration to be the best I could be as a musician. I take their contributions seriously, and although I will never be those individuals, I can certainly strive to have their spirit within me as I approach what I do.
That's why it is such a sad time when someone like Etta James passes. Not just because she was a wonderful singer, but because she was a brick in the foundation of popular music as we know it today...And as I look at the landscape of popular music today, I am truly saddened, because in my opinion, the more bricks that leave, the more they just won't be replaced, and the house that I see sometimes ain't worth a damn of inhabiting...In fact sometimes it needs a big o'l "condemned" sign on it..Rest in Peace Etta.
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