[FA Worldmusic] categorically labelled

[Steve Hochman]

Yours and Ian's points are well-taken (and well made).... time to  
just enjoy and share the music we all love, the thing that brought us  
to this list in the first place.

-----------------------------------
Check out my column:
http://www.spinner.com/category/around-the-world/
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On Aug 15, 2007, at 4:07 PM, Evangeline Kim wrote:

> 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
>> _______________________________________________
>> FA-Worldmusic mailing list
>> FA-Worldmusic at folk.org
>> http://www.folkserv.net/mailman/listinfo/fa-worldmusic
> _______________________________________________
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