Steve Provia (allaboutjazz.com) interviews:
"Just as jazz had played a key role in ending segregation in earlier years, rock performers now took the lead in introducing mainstream society to outside the mainstream conceptions of gender and sexual self-definition. —Ted Gioia"
Ted Gioia is a prolific writer and a good one. Readers probably know him through his books and articles about jazz, but Mr. Gioia is a polymath and writes on a wide range of subjects.
In this interview, he talks about his recently released book, Love Songs: The Hidden History. I'm confident that what he says will inspire many of you to pick up a copy of this fascinating book.
All About Jazz: In your introduction, you link the word "cantare" and the word "incantation." As a reader, I had the sense that your search is not just for a hidden history, but for a hidden linkage between the song and the power of the song.
Ted Gioia: As a music writer, I am forced to deal with songs as a product of the entertainment industry. But for many years, I've been dissatisfied with this narrow way of viewing music. In one of my favorite passages, Aristotle describes the various capabilities of song. He mentions that it refreshes us, strengthens our soul, builds our characters, enlivens the toils of everyday life, and then he mentions – almost as an afterthought – that ...........
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