The most original art music of America is Jazz. But Jazz is a category that contains many genres, or, if you prefer, subgenres. It reminds me, in a certain sense, of how people refer to the Bible. A collection of books compiled over several centuries in two languages, and many different literary genres, is often referred to as “a book.” People say, “According to the Bible,” which, as others have observed, is like saying “According to the county library…” So what is Jazz?
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