That last post was far too serious. Now for something a little more light-hearted. I’ve always loved the AFLAC ad with Yogi Berra. When I received this from one of my piano teacher friends, I knew I had to share it. Enjoy!
“YOGI BERRA NOT EXPLAINING WHAT JAZZ ISN’T, OR SOMETHING”
Interviewer: “Can you explain jazz?”
Yogi: “I can’t, but I will. 90% of all jazz is half improvisation. The other half is the part people play while others are playing something they never played with anyone who played that part. So if you play the
wrong part, it’s right. If you play the right part, it might be right if you play it wrong enough. But if you play it too right, it’s wrong.”
Interviewer: “I don’t understand.”
Yogi: “Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can’t understand it. It’s too complicated. That’s what’s so simple about it.”
Interviewer: “Do you understand it?”
Yogi: “No. That’s why I can explain it. If I understood it, I wouldn’t know anything about it.”
Interviewer: “Are there any great jazz player alive today?”
Yogi: “No. All the great jazz players alive today are dead. Except for the ones that are still alive. But so many of them are dead, that the ones that are still alive are dying to be like the ones that are dead. Some would kill for it.”
Interviewer: “What is syncopation?”
Yogi: “That’s when the note that you should hear now happens either before or after you hear it. In jazz, you don’t hear notes when they happen because that would be some other type of music. Other types of music can be jazz, but only if they’re the same as something different from those other kinds.”
Interviewer: “Now I really don’t understand.”
Yogi: “I haven’t taught you enough for you to not understand jazz that well.”
Love it! This is a perfect explaination. I wish I had this info in college. I’m sending it on to Gerry:)