Recently, as a Jazz Festival volunteer, I was sitting at the information table when a middle-age gentleman with a bit of an accent that I couldn't identify asked me where all the dancing was. I explained that most of ballroom venues had dance floors off to the side of the stage and that they were usually used by a dozen or so couples depending on the appropriateness of the music. But where are the "big" dancing going on, he persisted. When I picked up the program to see if I could answer his question he humphed with a "You don't know, do you?"
Later he came back to ask if I liked Jazz. I began to reach for my program when I realized this was more of a personal question and truthfully I had to admit that I prefer my jazz in small pieces, that two hours is about as large a piece as I really enjoy. He then went on to explain the reason for his question. He assumed by my apparent age that I had grown up in the rock & roll era, an era that rejected their parents music which was swing and jazz. So why was I now working at the Jazz Festival. I didn't know whether or not to tell him that if I weren't volunteering, I probably wouldn't pay good money to attend the Fest. And, in fact, my music of choice was not rock & roll but country and popularized folk (a la Kingston Trio, Limelighters, etc.). Carolyn joined our conversation but the gentleman seemed no more satisfied with our answers than he had been about the dancing.
His assumptions have me wondering though. Do we really imprint a certain type of music when we're young and continue through life liking that sort of music or do we change as we grow up and encounter various music types? What is it that influences our taste and preferences? And just why was I sitting there listening to music I wouldn't have paid to hear?
I think it’s an interesting assumption that one would reject their parent’s music. I remember listening to music my mom and dad selected on summer vacations which included the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. To this day, I have a great affection for that music and it probably shapes the music I enjoy today. While I’m sure my parents would have a difficult time finding similarities between their surfer rock and my punk rock leanings, I can see how there are some comparisons that can be drawn.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that there must be some inborn internal musical preference. You don’t automatically adopt all of the music contemporary with your youth. Of all the bands that KROQ (the alternative rock station in the LA area) played as Steve and I were growing up, I probably only like 30% or so. My brother grew up in the same house, listening to the same music as I did. While his tastes are similar to mine, they are not the same, and a few of his favorite bands really annoy me (and probably vise versa).
I have very narrow musical preferences and am extremely picky (shocking, I know) while Steve listens to everything from classic rock like Led Zepplin to rapper Kanye West. He will listen to almost anything. Seeing direct parallels between these preferences and our respective personalities, I suspect that while musical preference is influenced by the era in which you grow up, there are some innate tastes that shape which music speaks to you.