[RayChuang88]

You noted:

Crouch was fired from JazzTimes following his controversial article “Putting the White Man in Charge”,[1] in which he asserted that white critics elevate white jazz musicians beyond their abilities.

Mr. Crouch MUST be totally kidding about this. During the height of popularity of jazz in the first half of the 20th Century, two names are always mentioned as the most famous of jazz musicians: Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. No white jazz musician in those days came close to being associated with jazz music as these two I mentioned.

[A_Former_Democrat]

Sounds to me like he’s just a bitter racist old fool who jumps on the “hey, look at me” bandwagon to bitch and moan, knowing it will get him his much-craved publicity

[excopconservative]

Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. No white jazz musician in those days came close to being associated with jazz music as these two I mentioned.

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I have to add in Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang along with Benny Goodman, a parallel jazz style developing in the 20s among white musicians that merged in during the 30s. Also many of the composers of early jazz tunes were Jews. An argument can be made that jazz is a merging of European melodies, Jewish embellishment from Klezmer music, and African rhythms. The interesting thing about the African rhythms is that Africans will clap on one and three while jazz induces clapping on two and four,so the rhythms must have morphed upon reaching America.

I was lucky to have been able to see Louis Armstrong live with his Hot Five in the mid 60s. No doubt he was the father of jazz, but not taking anything away from him, most critics believe jazz had a multi-racial origin.

[kabumpo]

It’s more complicated than that. Crouch actually did write some important jazz criticism. This rant, though, is shocking and disappointing.