City of Derry Dodgy Lungs Self-Isolation Jazz Festival is well underway. Artists who have appeared so far are: Duke Ellington, with a Johnny Hodges sax solo; Thelonious Monk, in his favoured trio; Esperanza Spalding–the Festival was delighted to welcome the Obamas and other members of the (previous) Washington elite to her performance – and the Nicholas Brothers tap dancing up a storm, with Cab Calloway and his band.
Why a Dodgy Lungs Self Isolation Jazz Festival?
Take, as an image of the good life, a jazz group. A jazz group which is improvising obviously differs from a symphony orchestra, since to a large extent each member is free to express herself as she likes. But she does so with a receptive sensitivity to the self-expressive performances of the other musicians. The complex harmony they fashion comes not from playing from a collective score, but from the free musical expression of each member acting as the basis for the free expression of the others. As each player grows more musically eloquent, the others draw inspiration from this and are spurred to greater heights. There is no conflict here between freedom and the 'good of the whole', yet the image is the reverse of totalitarian.
From The Meaning of Life, Terry Eagleton
‘Individual freedom/safety’ with the ‘good of the whole’ are essential concepts at this time.
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Looking forward to seeing you there. Stay safe.
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