"This class took my ignorance to a new level of knowledge."
"Count Basie helped Big Bands but led them all to their deaths in 1937."
"Studying for tests made me crazy as Kenny G hair on a bad day."
"Free Jazz was probably called that because no one would pay to hear it."
"My sister took this class last year because she said it was easy. She's pretty stupid so I figured I'd take it too."
Believe it or not, these are quotes from college essays! They are from students in a Jazz Appreciation course who wrote these essays as extra credit. There are over 100 pages of quotes collected from over 1000 papers. They cover everything from Louis Armstrong to Wynton Marsalis- no musician or subject is spared, including the professor. You will get great laughs whether you're a professional musician, a novice, or even a person who knows nothing about Jazz or music. This is a must-have book for your coffee table or library.
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By Bill Barnes
Aug 10, 2010
Scott Gwinnell, one of Detroit's most accomplished pianists, arrangers and big band leaders, has given us an uproariously entertaining glimpse into the minds of musically challenged jazz neophytes, most of whom were in search of that easy crib course. The humor is generated by the actual words written by the essayists, whose thoughts range from the ironic to the tragically absurd. I couldn't put it down and had more than a few belly laughs along the way. But then it hit me- the underlying message is serious and a bit tragic. By the time a student reaches college level, it's too late to ignite that spark of artistic connectivity, the right-left brain exchange so vital to creative thinking and higher aesthetic values. That process has to begin in early education- kindergarten or grade one. Reagan-era and ongoing cuts in arts education are having devastating consequences in the way our young peoples' minds develop and the effect is an increase in violence in our schools, lower math... More > scores and the general dumbing-down of our culture. This collection of misguided missives is a hilarious indictment of a system that has failed our children and is jeopardizing the future of America's one true art form. Read, laugh and be afraid. Be very afraid.< Less
