Robbie's little tailpiece in yesterday's MMD, from which I infer that
Ellington wasn't too keen on bop, reminds me that when my children were
toddlers I did my best to get them interested in music making.
One of the misguided perceptions they had was that if they did not care
for a certain piece of music or a certain style of playing then by
definition it must be rubbish. Today my kids have children of their
own, there is a piano in each of their homes and they listen with
appreciation and understanding to music ranging from ragtime to Charlie
Parker and beyond.
I like to think that I had something to do with that.
John Farrell
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