Because jazz in the earlier days--the musicians were innovators and they were playing things that wasn't according to the status quo and they appreciated one another and anybody who DID something different they appreciated. Even the ones who weren't playing that, they appreciated them and supported them. Even if they couldn't play it they supported it--they didn't talk about it and all that. You got a case where a lot of successful musicians and some people who say they are musicians are talking against innovators of music. It's very bad to find that musicians want to restrict another musician.
I don't see the artists restricting the artists . I really don't see that. Even in religion I notice the churches--the Catholic Church is getting liberal and changing their rules. Even governments are relaxing their rules & laws. Now a case like that, where all these diehards and at least the people who just held to the status quo are beginning to see that they're going to have to give in--it's imperative that all musicians stop criticizing their brother musicians because they're innovators and they really should be happening & they really should be taking some of the money they're making & putting up some sums & be right there with them listening or helping because they don't have anything to lose. In fact they could invest in them & make themselves some money. Now they're trying to be selfish in an art that you're not supposed to be selfish in. Because you can go all the way back & see that the musicians used to be minstrels--troubadours--they weren't selfish--they were out there playing for people.
Now a lot of people are getting to say that musicians are trying to be politicians or trying to be religious and all of that, but that's not necessarily true. They're only doing what their brother musicians did, through the ages. They gave what they had to give because they were interested in people and they came out and brought something people needed. Just like people need music now.
Even the Army can't get along without it--they got their band, and the Marines got their band and the Navy and the Air Force got their band and everything has its music. They got to have that. Now why can't people just have bands? They're fighting too, just like any soldier--they're fighting a battle to exist every day and their morale gets low too.
So I would say that if governments are going to have bands to keep up the morale of their soldiers and the ones who pay the soldiers are the people, why can't they have bands to keep the morale of the people up? I think they do deserve something because they're paying so much taxes and they're paying the politicians' salary and they're keeping the thing going, so they should not be deprived of music & entertainment. . . they deserve some entertainment just as much as soldiers do. I'm not saying that soldiers should not have it. They need it. If they're going to be in the business of murder incorporated. Because that's really all it is and even a simple child knows that.... I go by feeling and spirit too. I'm not "righteous" but I know that spirits can tune in on other spirits, and these people's spirits are plenty low.
So you come down to the point where you've got to have a better world. Now my contribution is in the music. In the first place, I feel that people have got to know - they got to know what happens as is. Now, they've never really been happy on this planet because they didn't ever have anything to be happy about. So then I show them in the music and give a feeling of happiness so they'll know when they're happy and when they're sad. But I really don't think people know the difference between good & evil and right & wrong on this planet. They simply don't know. . . .
