Fascinating topic! A bit of an intellectual discussion is refreshing here.

So that I'm not misunderstood - I love jazz music. My description of it would be more like, "a national treasure." Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane! An amazing part of American history.

"Collective improvisation" is the element of jazz often sited as the element unique to jazz. I am a skeptic, yet I have no examples to offer to dispute this claim. I guess this is a learning opportuntiy for me. I will seek examples of collective improvisation that precede jazz. Maybe I'm wrong. It could be that none are out there to be found. THAT is the joy of learning. Debate is healthy and does not need to be a matter of "winning." Definitive authors invite debate. That's how we grow. That's how we test our ideas and claims.

However, the reference to Native Americans as some sort of "prehistoric culture" is a bit disturbing. A simple internet search of "Native Americans" would reveal a huge amount of vibrant, contemporary cultural activity. And full of "the arts."

So I'm left wondering the motive of the author? The initial post was essentially a sales pitch, but there's more to it than that. This is a very worthy topic for our attention. I hope there are others here who have ideas about this topic.

Cheers,
Chuck

[This message has been edited by Chuck Cheesman (edited 11-30-2002).]