gunther schuller: journey into jazz - Boston Modern Orchestra Project

journey into jazz
By nat hentoff
n This is the story of Eddy Jackson — a boy who learned about jazz.
When he was still quite small, Eddy Jackson had strong musical tastes. When his father
sang, Eddy moaned. When his mother sang, Eddy howled.
By the time he was five, Eddy had his own trumpet. at six, he was given a phonograph
that was as small and sturdy as he. and at seven, a transistor radio was added to fill a bit
more of Eddy’s huge hunger for music.
n Suddenly, one day Eddy scotch-taped a bold sign on the door of his room: Do noT EnTER
— MuSic iS BEinG MaDE.
n The door was then closed. from that day on, the sign appeared and remained in place
from three to six every afternoon. from behind the door, Eddy’s parents could hear the
trumpet, or the phonograph, or the radio.
and usually, all three at once.
The loudest by far was the trumpet.
Soon Eddy had a real trumpet and a real teacher whose tastes in music were as strong as
Eddy’s. Eddy’s parents began to hear scales. first simple scales that soared slowly and
floated back down again, sometimes stumbling on the way.
15
text