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"Our subcultural shit-music": Dutch jazz, representation, and cultural politics

Rusch, L.

Publication date 2016 Document Version Final published version

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Citation for published version (APA): Rusch, L. (2016). "Our subcultural shit-music": Dutch jazz, representation, and cultural politics.

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UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:23 Sep 2021 Conclusion&

" " " " Amsterdam,"14H5H1975" " Hey"Jo,"you"old"geezer," …"I"have"to"get"this"off"my"chest."I"think"you’re"a"stupid"prick"for— again—not"having"programmed"our"subcultural"shitHmusic"at"your" archaic"freak"festival."…" " "Your"friend," Willem"Breuker507" " " In"this"thesis,"I"have"examined"ways"in"which"the"American"sociocultural"practice"of"jazz" became"part"of"Dutch"culture,"both"social"and"musically,"and"how"different"members"of" the"cultural"field"(musicians,"educators,"policyHmakers,"and"critics)"have"contributed"to" the"construction"of"Dutch"identity"in"jazz,"also"known"as"Dutch"improvised"music."By" investigating"the"meaning"of"and"politics"behind"“Dutch"jazz"and"improvised"music,”"I" have"demonstrated"that"the"ways"in"we"understand"music"are"deeply"imbedded"in"local," cultural"discourse."These"debates"takes"place"in"a"wide"variety"of"areas,"including"the" everyday"life"within"the"jazz"community"(richtingenstrijd),"the"field"of"education" (workshops"versus"conservatories),"culture"politics"(cultuurspreiding),"the"field"of" criticism"(Jazzwereld,"Down-Beat),"and"on"a"performative"and"musicHstructural"level"(the" Zeeland-Suite)."To"get"insight"the"globalization"of"jazz,"and"processes"of"meaningHmaking" and"identityHformation"through"music,"it"is"therefore"important"to"engage"with"the" people"and"institutions"that"articulate"and"represent"certain"cultural"values."

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 507"Willem"Breuker"to"Jo"Elsendoorn,"who"was"press"director"and"music"programmer"of"the"Holland" Festival"from"1951"to"1977,"Amsterdam,"14"May"1975,"in"Wim"van"Eyle,"Jazz-&-Geïmproviseerde-Muziek," 25."“Hé"Jo,"ouwe"neukert"…"Het"moet"mij"even"van"het"hart,"dat"ik"je"wel"een"enorme"lul"vind,"dat"je"onze" kutHsubcultultuurHshitHmuziek"dit"jaar"weer"niet"hebt"geprogrammeerd"in"je"overjarige"freak"festival."…"Je" vriend,"Willem"Breuker.”"

193" " (R)evolution&& I"propose"a"more"nuanced"reading"of"the"notion"of"improvising"musicians"as"radical"and" revolutionary"rebels."While"improvising"musicians"are"largely—and"rightfully"so— credited"for"creating"an"infrastructure"for"jazz"funding"and"performance"in"the" Netherlands,"the"chapter"on"jazz"education"demonstrates"how"modern"jazz"musicians" also"contributed"to"the"further"establishment"of"jazz"in"the"Netherlands,"most"notably" through"the"institutionalization"of"jazz"education"at"conservatories."While"the"loose"and" open"practice"of"workshops"throughout"the"years"developed"into"the"main"platform"for" teaching"the"more"experimental"forms"of"musicHmaking,"jazz"at"the"conservatory"has" become"an"indispensable"trajectory"for"the"contemporary"professional"jazz"musician."In" fact,"virtually"every"Dutch"jazz"musician"who"entered"the"profession"after"the"midH 1980s"enrolled"in"one"of"the"nation’s"jazz"departments."Moreover,"while"events"such"as" the"Notenkrakersactie,"and"the"performance"of"Breuker’s"“Litany"for"the"14th"of"June," 1966”,"and"the"“takeHover”"of"the"SJN"(see"Chapter"Three)"are"usually"explained"in"terms" of"revolution—not"in"the"least"place"by"musicians"themselves—this"type"of"explanation" can"also"be"understood"as"part"of"the"1960s"rhetoric,"and"consequently"as"a"way"of" distinguishing"themselves"within"the"cultural"debate."This"suggests"that,"while"the" studies"of"Adlington"and"Whitehead,"for"example,"together"with"most"journalistic" writing"tend"to"focus"on"the"experimental"and"the"revolutionary,"a"study"of"the"avantH garde’s"interaction"with"the"more"conservative"voices"in"music"can"give"new"insight"into" musical"change."Indeed,"a"model"that"includes"both"the"revolutionary"as"well"as"the" evolutionary"provides"ways"of"understanding"the"activities"of"the"“avantHgarde”" musicians"themselves"in"a"more"nuanced"way." " The"debates"on"education"lost"its"sharp"edge"at"the"end"of"the"1980s,"coinciding"with"the" emergence"of"a"generation"of"musicians"who"graduated"from"the"freshly"established"jazz" departments"at"the"conservatories."Musicians"such"as"trumpeter"Eric"Vloeimans," deliberately"sought"to"bridge"the"divide"between"jazz"and"improvised"music." Consequently,"today,"as"the"initial"modern"jazz"and"improvising"musicians"are"making" way"for"younger"musicians,"the"implications"of"“jazz”"and"“improvised"music”"are" shifting"from"social"categoriesHHrepresenting"a"certain"set"of"political,"aesthetical"and" musical"viewsHHto"stylistic"ones,"which"represent"different"principles"of"musicHmaking." Seen"in"this"light,"the"Jazz"Orchestra"of"the"Concertgebouw-versus"Performing-Arts-Fund-

194" " NL"case"demonstrates"how"this"richtingenstrijd,-as"a"historically"and"geographically" located"discourse,"continues"to"play"a"role"as"an"ideologicallyHloaded"narrational"device" that"is"part"of"a"discursive"frame"of"reference"against"which"individual"musicians"and" groups"are"values"and"positioned."Therefore,"the-richtingenstrijd-narrative"can"be" considered,"in"the"words"of"Tony"Whyton,"as"“a"valuable"tool"for"both"constructing"and" deconstructing"the"jazz"tradition,"demonstrating"how"narratives"police"iconic" representation"to"reinforce"dominant"ideologies.”508"Moreover,"as"I"have"shown"in"my" analysis"of"the"richtingenstrijd-narrative,"or"the"esthetical"and"sociopolitical"divide" between"the"established"modern"jazz"and"improvised"music,"these"debates"not"only" shaped"the"further"institutionalization"of"jazz"in"the"Netherlands"but"also"created"a"local" frame"of"reference"against"which"Dutch"jazz"continues"to"be"judged"and"valued."Seen"in" this"way"“jazz”"and"“improvised"music”"have"developed"from"social"categories"into" musical"genres."

Ensemble&culture& In"this"thesis"I"have"also"tried"to"show"reasons"for"including"jazz"into"the"Western"art" musicHdominated"historiography"of"postHwar"changes"in"Dutch"concert"life."Jazz"and" improvised"music"(by"means"of"improvisation,"and"its"musical"organisation)"contributed" actively"to"the"development"of"an"extensive"infrastructure"of"institutions"and"the"creation" of"(governmental)"recognition"of"music"practices"other"than"the"dominant"Western"art" tradition."Under"the"umbrella"of"jazz"and"improvised"music,"Dutch"musicians"succeeded" in"transforming"the"cultural"landscape."Musically,"by"introducing"jazz"idioms"into"the" repertoire"of"a"variety"of"Dutch"artists;"culturally,"by"contributing"to"the"acceptance"of" experimental"and"contemporary"art"forms;"and"politically,"by"fighting"themselves"into" the"systems"of"public"funding"and"formal"education." Initiatives"from"the"cultural"field,"in"return,"directed"the"musical"and"organisational" development"of"jazz"and"improvised"music"in"the"Netherlands."Musicians"such"as"Misha" Mengelberg,"Willem"Breuker,"and"Willem"van"Manen"collaborated"with"other" contemporary"artists"in"an"attempt"to"improve"the"position"of"the"arts."They"not"only" offered"a"musical"alternative"to"the"symphony"orchestras"in"the"form"of"mediumHsized" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 508"Tony"Whyton,"Jazz-Icons:-Heroes,-Myths-and-the-Jazz-Tradition-(Cambridge:"Cambridge"University"Press," 2010),"152."

195" " ensembles—resulting"in"what"became"known"as"the"Dutch"ensemble"culture—but"also" demanded"governmental"recognition"in"the"form"of"funding"and"subsidies."Motivated"by" the"desire"for"renewal"and"radical"sociocultural"change,"these"musicians"showed"great" skills"in"terms"of"selfHorganization,"initially"as"part"of"the"contemporary"music"union" BEVEM,"and"later"by"jazzHspecific"initiatives"such"as"the"SJIN,"BIM"and"the"Bimhuis," added"with"the"initiation"of"independent"labels"of"ICP"and"BVHaast,"among"others." " The"increased"interest"in"preHcomposed"material"within"Dutch"improvised"music" ensembles,"however,"also"demonstrates"how"the"translation"of"socioHpolitical"ideologies" into"musical"ideas"of"collective"decisionHmaking"and"playing"free"of"preconception"in" larger"musical"groups"to"a"certain"extent"failed."This"is"exemplified"by"the"ICP,"which"over" the"years"developed"into"a"more"or"less"fixed"group"of"musicians"who"played"repertoireH based"projects,"such"as"the"Herbie"Nichols/Thelonious"Monk"Project"in"1986."While" conducted"improvisation"is"still"part"of"their"performances"to"this"day,"free"improvisation" is"now"reserved"for"exclusively"smaller"settings,"most"notably"the"BenninkHMengelberg" duo."Although"artistic"life"in"the"Netherlands"was"defined"by"a"growing" interconnectedness,"both"socially"and"musically,"between"different"genres,"it"has"not" resulted"into"the"desired"eclectic"music"practice."As"both"Rubinoff"and"cultural"historian" Roel"Pots"have"observed,"Dutch"musical"life"has"become"fragmented,"more"or"less" isolating"early"music"and"contemporary"music"into"their"own"networks,"venues,"concert" series"and"festivals.509"Likewise,"the"field"of"jazz"and"improvised"music"in"the"Netherlands" nowadays"has"its"own"educational"programs,"venues"(Bimhuis),"festivals"(North"Sea"Jazz" Festival)"and"institutions"(Dutch"Jazz"Archive)."

The&politics&of&Dutch&jazz,&the&politics&of&provocation&

Media"are"a"valuable"source"of"studying"the"implicit"value"systems"that"inform"musical" practices"as"shown"in"the"chapters"on"the"reception"of"Dutch"jazz"from"a"Dutch"and"an" American"perspective"(in"respectively"Chapter"Four"and"Five)"demonstrate"how"written." Functioning"as"an"important"platform"to"discuss,"disseminate"and"reflect"on"cultural" change,"jazz"magazines"in"the"1960s"and"1970s"played"a"formative"role,"not"only"in" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 509"Rubinoff,""Cracking"the"Dutch"Early"Music"Movement,”"19"and"Pots,"Cultuur,"koningen-en-democraten," 557H8."

196" " defining"the"history"of"Dutch"jazz"but"also"in"shaping"its"significance"in"Dutch"cultural" life."In"line"with"an"increasing"interest"in"jazz"outside"the"United"States,"Dutch" journalists"during"the"1970s"occasionally"attempted"to"rethink"jazz"in"terms"of"a"specific" Dutch"identity."However,"as"the"study"of"the"reception"of"nonHAmerican"jazz"in"Down- Beat"has"shown,"the"American"jazz"narrative"remained"dominant"in"the"understanding" of"jazz."The"study"of"the"interconnectedness"between"jazz"and"written"media" demonstrates"how"the"mediatization"of"jazz"both"conditions"and"generates"shared"value" systems"and"consequently"contributes"to"the"identification"of"musical"communities."" " Improvising"musicians"were"the"first"jazz"musicians"in"the"Netherlands"to"actively"use" the"media"to"promote"their"work"and"to"realize"their"own"sociocultural"agenda’s."They" challenged"existing"boundaries"in"terms"of"discipline,"genre"and"musical"organization," while"at"the"same"time"using"media"and"politics"to"establish"their"music"as"a"distinctive" art"form."Responding"creatively"to"changes"in"the"Dutch"socioHpolitical"landscape" enacted"in"music,"language"and"behavior,"the"improvising"musicians"the"created"an" image"of"an"egalitarian"social"order,"cosmopolitan"yet"firmly"rooted"in"a"Dutch"tradition." This"dynamic"style,"consonant"with"improvising"musicians’"ideologies"of"“collectivity”"as" an"ideal"pattern"of"aesthetic"and"social"organization,"allowed"improvising"musicians"to" play"a"role"in"the"stereotypic"reproduction"of"Dutch"values"during"a"period"of"pervasive" economic"political"change."Their"deliberate,"but"by"no"means"consistent,"rejection"of"the" label"“jazz”"demonstrated"the"improving"musicians’"awareness"of"the"social"connotations" of"classification"(i.e.,"jazz"as"light"entertainment)"and"showed"their"ability"to"make"use"of" these"terms."Furthermore,"it"articulated"the"artists’"desire"to"identify"with"the"present"and" the"things"to"come."In"this"context,"the"improvising"musicians’"deliberate"rejection"of" American"models"of"jazz"should"be"understood"first"and"foremost"as"a"political"act,"as"a" way"of"creating"an"identity"of"their"own." " The"playful"but"deliberate"politics"behind"“Dutch"improvised"music”"and"the"clever"use" of"media"is"perhaps"best"explained"through"a"1975"letter"by"Breuker"to"Holland" Festival’s"music"programmer"Jo"Elsendoorn,"in"which"he"complained"of"(again)"not" having"been"programmed"at"that"year’s"festival."In"the"letter,"Breuker"presents"his"own" work"provocatively"as"“subcultural"shitHmusic,”"deliberately"playing"with"the"image"of" his"music"(low"art)"and"of"the"festival"(high"art)."Apart"from"twisting"the"facts—between"

197" " 1966"and"1981—Breuker"was"involved"as"a"musician"and"composer"in"at"least"five" Holland"Festival"productions"he"was"not"afraid"to"use"provocation"as"a"tactic"to"gain" more"recognition"for"his"work.510"Indeed,"Breuker"not"only"sent"the"provocative"letter"to" Elsendoorn,"who"was"actually"a"good"friend"of"him,"but"also"to"daily"newspapers," causing"somewhat"of"a"stir."It"was"a"successful"tactic;"the"Holland"Festival"only"two" years"later"programmed"De-Knop,"an"adaptation"of"a"oneHact"play"by"author"Harry" Mulish,"written"by"Breuker"together"with"alto"violinist,"author,"and"director"Lodewijk"de" Boer."The"event"not"only"raises"the"question"of"the"power"of"provocation,"but"the"fact" that"it"proved"successful"is"much"revealing"about"the"time"and"place"in"which"it"took" place."A"casual"survey"among"friends"and"colleagues"active"in"the"cultural"field"(policyH makers,"musicians,"festival"organizers,"and"alike)"quickly"learns"that"this"type"of" offensive"rhetoric"towards"programmers"and"policyHmakers"nowadays"would"not"be" appreciated,"let"alone"rewarded"with"funding"or"a"concert." " Altogether,"then,"this"thesis"demonstrates"the"intricate"liaisons"between"the"arts,"media" representation"and"politics,"and"the"emergence"of"the"idea—at"least—of"a"jazz"that"was" distinctively"Dutch."By"doing"so,"I"aim"to"reconsider"and"adjust"the"notion"of"Dutch"jazz" in"a"field"of"historiography"that"has"been"dominated"by"anecdotal"writing."In"a"broad" sense,"then,"I"suggest"a"way"of"viewing"jazz"as"part"of"a"local"(music)"culture"that"is"not" only"informed"by"international"developments"within"the"practice"of"jazz,"but"which"also" interacts"with"the"local"socioHpolitical"infrastructures"and"the"discussions"organized" around"them."

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 510"Notwithstanding"his"complaint"to"Holland"Festival"director"Elsendoorn,"his"“subcultural"shitHmusic”" had"become"more"accepted"and"programmed"than"was"wise"for"him"to"admit."These"productions"included" a"guest"performance"with"Boy’s"Big"Band"(1966);"the"participation"in"and"adaption"of"Louis"Andriessen’s" Spektakel"(1970);"the"performance"of"Breuker’s"composition"Inserzione"by"a"brass"band"from"Beek"en" Donk,"conducted"by"Heinz"Friesen"(1971);"the"premiere"of"Kaïn-en-Abel,"a"music"theatre"piece" commissioned"by"the"Holland"Festival"written"by"Breuker"together"with"Lodewijk"de"Boer"(1972);"the" performance"of"De"Boer"and"Breuker’s"music"theatre"piece"De-Knop,"(1977);"a"program"with"Maarten"Bon" and"Reinbert"de"Leeuw"on"piano"and"Willem"Breuker"on"tenor"saxophone,"which"included"works"by"Louis" Andriessen"(Séries;-Ittrospezione-III),"Cornelis"Schuyt"(Trois-Pièces-pour-deux-pianos),"Olivier"Messiaen" (Visions-de-l’Amen),"Bon"(Boréal,-versie-voor-twee-piano’s)"and"Breuker"(Aah-Jonge-Eéj)"(1981)."

198" "