{"id":3091,"date":"2018-10-24T15:54:47","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T15:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ripm.org\/cnc\/?p=3091"},"modified":"2018-10-24T16:17:53","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T16:17:53","slug":"dan-morgenstern-on-jazz-a-note-of-thanks-on-his-birthday-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnc.ripm.org\/?p=3091","title":{"rendered":"Dan Morgenstern on Jazz
  A Note of Thanks on His Birthday
 (Part One)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today marks the 89th birthday of jazz writer, editor, critic, archivist, and producer Dan Morgenstern.\u00a0 The<\/em>\u00a0chief editor of\u00a0<\/em>DownBeat\u00a0from 1967 to 1973, and a number of other publications, as well as Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University for over three decades, Morgenstern remains today a giant in the jazz community.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

How, within the confines of a <\/em>Curio, does one celebrate the birthday of this remarkable individual and his contribution to jazz literature?\u00a0 How, with a few snippets of text, does one thank a distinguished author, and at the same time, introduce his exceptional body of work to those perhaps less familiar with it?\u00a0 After some discussion, an unorthodox idea came to the fore . . . . quote the final paragraph of some of his many memorable articles.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

In the first of this two-part series, we feature Morgenstern’s closing thoughts on variety of wide-ranging issues related to jazz.\u00a0 In part two, we will focus on Morgenstern’s profiles of both highly influential and lesser-known jazz musicians.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Dan Morgenstern at the 2012\u00a0Satchmo SummerFest in New Orleans
\nAccessed in Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons attribution license; Attributed to “Infrogmation” of New Orleans<\/span><\/p>\n

In the following letter that appeared in\u00a0The Jazz Review<\/em>, Morgenstern reflects on jazz criticism in general…<\/p>\n

\"\"The Jazz Review,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Vol. 3 No. 3 (March-April 1960): 4.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Morgenstern on jazz and the spirit of community…<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
\nMetronome,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Vol. 78 No. 4 (April 1961): 47.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On an unidentified Monday evening in April, or perhaps in May 1961, a remarkable gathering took place at the instigation and at the home of Miles Davis. \u00a0It was organized as a turn-the-tables forum in which well-known performers could pose questions to well-known jazz critics. Among the numerous performers\u2014Horace Silver, “Cannonball” Adderley, Gerry Mulligan, J. J. Johnson, and Gil Evans\u2014among the critics, Dan Morgenstern, Nat Hentoff, Ira Gitler, and Martin Williams.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Metronome,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Vol. 78 No. 5 (May 1961): 46.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Morgenstern on jazz festivals, with some unexpected comparisons …<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Metronome<\/em>, Vol. 78 No. 7 (July 1961): 9.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

… on jazz and classical music.<\/p>\n

\"\"Metronome,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Vol. 77 No. 8 (August 1960): 45.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

… on jazz and race.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Downbeat<\/em>, Vol. 29 No 10 (10 May 1962): 6.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

… reflections on his first meeting with James Baldwin (“Jimmy”), on the “Star Spangled Banner,” and on hearing, with Jimmy, Louis Armstrong’s rendition of it at the Newport Jazz Festival.<\/p>\n