dition of his eyes once he's been on
gage. That "lucifugous creature of
darkness" is inapplicable since many
people indulge themselves in tea-parties
in mid-afternoon on park-benches, etc.
Be-bop takes a hell of a beating
from one who seems to be a moldy fig,
in Leonard Feather's terminology. The
most important thing in bop is the
phrasing and it's a sign of immaturity
in a musician that he plays long, un–
interrupted, windy phrases. Be-bop has
all the best qualities of jazz. Where
more tension than in McGhee's "Be–
bop with Bird?" where more sincerity
than in Dizzy's "Can't Get Started,"
more violence than in "Things to
Come?"
Enthusiasm for music can be mani–
fested in various ways. One need not
go "trucking on down" the aisle of
Town Hall at a jazz concert to show
appreciation for the music. The bop–
per's enthusiasm is a quiet thing. He
wants to dig everything that's being
done and he knows that distractions
will cause him to miss the thread of
whatever the musician is building. You
see this enthusiasm on all hands and on
all faces during a bop concert or session.
The back-up is not a subordinate
thing in bop. Bop back-ups are essential
to the solo. It's those sustained chords
behind Diz that make his solos wistful.
Those saxes are analogous to the chorus
in a Greek tragedy. They raise their
voices, questioning the protagonist,
agreeing with him on certain points,
wondering about others. Just hum along
with the tram in "Can't get Started"
ANOTHER IMPORTANT NEW DIRECTIONS REVIVAL
'Jhe Other 'House
ev
J-fenry James
A little known but very good novel in which the
master turns his gaze on-murder! Hardly a detective
story, but excellent James, with a dramatic psycho–
logical situation building up through love to violence.
With an introduction by Leon Edel. $3.00
A NEW
DIRECTIONS
BOOK
New Directions also publishes "The Spoils of Poynton" ($1 .50)
and "Stories of Artists
&
Writers" ($3.50) by Henry james.
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