[FA Worldmusic] categorically labelled

[Evangeline Kim]

As one of the greatest World Music writers with the NY Times said to me 
once, the term 'World Music' is
"... terse, open-ended and promising..."

Why do some on this North American listserv every 6 months or so try to 
whine about terminology?

Can't we look at amazing achievements re: so many wonderful World Music 
festivals in Chicago, Madison, Albuquerque, Indiana, Los Angeles, New 
York -- ?

Can't we just enjoy  beautiful streaming World Music radio on Afropop, 
RadioIO, KEXP for their tremendous contributions and passionate advocacy for 
World Music?

Can't we appreciate the wonderful growth of WOMEX?

Can't we understand how UK's Ian Anderson and Simon Broughton have helped 
open new worlds of music to even -- America?

Can't we appreciate that National Geographic's Tom Pryor is touting "World 
Music?"

We need to stop complaining about what/why World Music is.. as a very great 
opportunity for all of us who are trying to promote great music, wherever 
the provenance and origin...

Otherwise, we risk this continual  "reductio ad absurdam" casuistry...

Best,
Evangeline


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Harding" <racecar at bitstream.net>
To: <fa-worldmusic at folk.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 5:00 PM
Subject: Re: [FA Worldmusic] categorically labelled


>>> So in the end, if we eliminate labels and categories,
>>> how do we talk about music?
>>
>> Easy: talk about _music_. Rhythm, harmony, melody,
>> instrumentation,
>> arrangement, composition, structure, timbre,
>> functionality, etc.  etc.
>
> Most people don't have the background/knowledge to talk
> about music in these terms.  Many music writers don't even
> use this sort of academic language well, if at all. (maybe
> they don't trust their audience to understand it?)
>
> I look forward to a year where this topic doesn't come up.
>
> Labels/categories suck, but it's a huge part of how people
> communicate.  Whether it be the dualistic "music is either
> good or bad", the geographic category of nation, stylistic
> category of genre, or something that doesn't have a
> literal meaning but a reasonably understood meaning like
> "world music", we categorize to communicate.
>
> -Paul
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