My dear equal jazz freak and friend Mat :tiphat:.
I salute you for your explanation on the word "freak" connected to jazz:
"Well, I don't perceive the word "freak" here as something wrong or negative. It is quite the other way round. Nevertheless, among
some of my friends (they don't know the beauty of jazz) I'm considered as a freak because I listen to jazz. The truth is that
they are freaks
. They are losing so much they don't even realize. But the day will come when they say: "Mat , you were right."
One if them has aleready changed. Now she listens to the "proper":grin: music. And whenever there's a concert at our local jazz club she is willing to come and have a great time.:grin::grin::grin:".
In particular, I salute you with a thousand smiles
for the expression about your girl friend: "Now she listens to the "proper" music.", equals Jazz music.
Now, here´s the contradiction in terms about Jazz and wearing the title of a "jazz freak". Historicly Jazz as a musical style has never been accepted in our western societies as an equal music direction in the establishment to for instance classical music, opera, rock, gospel, pop, folk or any other ethnic music style. Jazz has it´s own history in music to be evolved from The Blues and before the Blues the Negro Spirituals, sung by slaves in the cotton and sugar fields back in the past. So Jazz as a musical artform has been originated in the USA.
It´s also considered for jazz musicians to have the ability, the skills to improvise on the stage or in the recording studio, which are not appropriate in other musical styles.
We all know, it´s not popular to be called a "freak", when "freak" represents someone who for reasons of physical or mental disabilities from birth or both wears the name of "a freak". Or as the word "freak" have been used about sexual minority groups like gay people for instance. Nor when someone characterize the group of serial killers as "freaks".
But to me personally it is one of the highest forms of expressions in the characterisation of, who I am as a man in my own life, when someone call me a "jazz freak". I wear this title proudly, like you do Mat. So I salute you for this tooooooooooooooooo:tiphat::clap::banana::trp: