Electric, vital, intense, charismatic—Leonard Bernstein was all of these things. He enlightened us and inspired us. His passion for music and for humanity came through in all of his work, whether it was directing the New York Philharmonic, his work as a classical composer, teaching and sharing the joy of music, or writing for Broadway. Bernstein is New York, and New York is Leonard Bernstein.
It’s noon on May 26. As I write this, the northwest corner of 77 St. and West End Ave. is being christened 'Miles Davis Way.' It's a fitting birthday tribute to an icon of all music—a man who always found his own way and in the process opened doors for all musicians. Miles was always at the forefront. In his early 20s, he played and recorded with the genius of modern music—Charlie Parker, who was like J.S. Bach. Parker, like Bach, understood everything that came before him and flung open the doors for every improvising jazz musician who followed.
So, what does Fred Astaire have to do with jazz? From my point of view, rhythm and dance are always central to the feeling of jazz. Rudolf Nureyev said, 'Astaire was not just the best ballroom dancer, or tap dancer, he was simply the greatest, most imaginative, dancer of our time.'
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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