Music as Escapism

Music as Escapism 9

By: Grace Hofer

It is the middle of the night, in a dark, secluded space stuffed with patrons and alcohol and most importantly, jazz. The room buzzes with a passionate frenzy— the air smells of dust and gin. There is a certain ambivalence to the atmosphere— an energy secretly shared betweenall attendees. On the left of the stage, there is an ancient Steinway and a man, dressed in suit and tie, choreographing his fingers on the keys. He bops his head to a swingin’ tune as he leans forward and closes his eyes. Nothing exists but sound and the intensity of spirit in the room. Every single musician is in sync, horns blasting high notes until it is certain that any person walking outside on the cold rainy pavement would hear. This underground unanimity, although unknown to the patrons, is the beginning of something beautiful-- something thus far unexpected. The dramatic jazz standard represents an American rebellion. It exists to push the limits of what already exists. To experience and feel mor than society says that we should. Music has always been a way of not only escaping reality, but changing it. In the 1920s the advent of jazz meant black artists began to perform at clubs they could not even attend-- clubs where they had to be escorted through the back with security and hushed voices. Clubs where they were forbidden to speak to the white attendees; where they were constantly dehumanized; yet they still sang. They still walked on stage to the sound of cheers and together invented harmonious tunes. They played melodies unafraid to express their full lives. They were revolutionaries, and artists, and with that, they gave a voice to resistance. The human soul crave music as it is the expression of the soul, of decadence, of hope. Music in itself is embodied internally and therefore, must convey the agonies of that body whether in pain or in gratification. When one plays, especially in improvisational jazz, nothing can be hidden. It is honest and raw, full of every possible feeling. Music has always been a way to communicate that which cannot be verbalized and it is the only art that is not physically experienced. You can touch an instrument, or vinyl, or CD, but you cannot touch the sound itself. That is what makes it so unusual, but so rewarding. How can sounds become a symbol of revolution? It must be through experience; through pain, or perhaps through pleasure. Through all of these, there is a melody-- a chaotic, improvised feeling that even a hundred years later embodies the same defiance and with that: the same hope.

“The dramatic jazz standard represents an American rebellion. It exists to push the limits of what already exists. To experience and feel more than society says that we should.”