Watchtower thoughts on Jazz

by David.L.Henson 8 Replies latest jw friends

  • David.L.Henson
    David.L.Henson

    Women! Don't listen to Jazz!

    "New Orleans jazz has a primitive tom-tom rhythm that does a single woman's peace of mind no good, is one of the insane claims from the Tower about the harmful jazz music.

    The fact is - if you check up the writings of the Tower - the only safe music is the "Kingdom Songs" - and those do kill your brain if you love music:-))

    **** w93 4/15 24 Guard Against Unwholesome Music! ***
    This does not mean that you cannot enjoy music; not all popular music is objectionable. Some youths have also learned to broaden their musical tastes and now enjoy certain classical, folk, light jazz, and other forms of music. The Kingdom Melodies tapes have helped many youths develop a taste for uplifting orchestral music.

    **** g93 3/22 15 How Can I Keep Music in Its Place? ***
    Of course, you still need to be selective. But within the realms of folk, jazz, and, yes, classical music, there is an abundance of wholesome music that you can learn to enjoy. In fact, you may already enjoy such music without realizing it.

    *** g93 10/22 28 Watching the World ***
    Even with their different types of music, the jazz musicians had no difficulty in merging their music with the sutras. "I think improvisation is somehow closely connected to spiritual awakening in religion,

    *** g87 3/8 12 Part 1: 1920-1928 The Roaring Twenties-Lull Before a Storm ***
    Jazz, the United States' contribution to 20th-century music, now came of age. It was a "music that represented a generation's disdain for restraint and respectability.

    *** g87 3/8 12 Part 1: 1920-1928 The Roaring Twenties-Lull Before a Storm ***
    This rejection of long-accepted standards of conduct and values caused author F. Scott Fitzgerald to refer to the 1920's as the Jazz Age. And as jazz rapidly gained worldwide acceptance, so did the pleasure-seeking attitude it represented.

    *** g87 3/22 24 Part 2: 1929-1934 Worldwide Depression and On to War Again ***
    "As abundance ebbed, leaving millions suffering privation, the twenties seemed no more than an unreal interlude or a cruel joke-an immoral jazz age, the era of the golden calf."

    *** g85 9/22 22 Rock Stardom Was Not Enough ***
    Yes, I still love music! I particularly enjoy classical, folk-rock, and some jazz, but I have now become more selective in the kind I listen to.

    *** g82 8/22 29 Watching the World ***
    "Keep off jazz, rock, pop or any other loud music in the interest of your unborn child,"

    *** g75 8/8 29 Watching the World ***
    Jazz on Vatican Radio
    • Things have changed at the Vatican's radio station, inaugurated in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. Today one can tune in the program "Studio A" and hear jazz music in stereo.

    *** g72 5/22 23 Music of the Twentieth Century-How It Affects You ***
    Is jazz your choice? Then you evidently like the syncopation, the "blues" sound, and perhaps you admire the improvisation. But, remember, not everything that is improvised has beauty. How does it affect you?

    *** g72 12/8 8 Making a Success of Singleness ***
    New Orleans jazz has a primitive tom-tom rhythm that does a single woman's peace of mind no good.

    *** yy 130-1 17 The Music and Dancing You Choose ***
    20 At the other end of the musical spectrum from classical compositions we find the syncopated jazz and rock music. Even here one finds some music that is melodic and moderate. But some of it is wild and strident. That is why musicians themselves distinguish between jazz and rock music that is "soft" and that which is "hot," "hard" or "acid." You should be able to tell what kind of conduct the music is promoting-your ear, your mind and heart should tell you. The words or the tone of certain music is sometimes so obvious that people easily associate it with certain types of conduct or kinds of persons.

    *** yb79 124 Canada ***
    "If I have to choose between having my children listening to that sort of thing [jazz] as against some of the elevating and enlightening programs broadcast by the Bible Students, I prefer that some of this other material be taken off the air and that the Bible Students' programs be allowed to remain, even though I may not agree with their religious views.
    *** w83 1/15 8 Modern Trends in Music-Can They Sway You? ***
    Robert Palmer, a jazz critic writing for The New York Times under the heading "Witchery Pervades a Jazz Album," commented about the black jazz group called The Art Ensemble of Chicago, stating: "The Art Ensemble of Chicago's slogan is 'Great Black Music-Ancient to the Future' . . . But there is more than one sort of blackness here. There is . . . the blackness of voodoo spells cast in the dead of night. It isn't exactly a malevolent blackness, but this is not the sort of record one would put on at even the wildest party. . . . It is a phantasmagorical expedition into the heart of darkness." As a disciple of Christ would you want that type of music in your collection?

    *** w83 1/15 9 Modern Trends in Music-Can They Sway You? ***
    Former nightclub performer Gordon Grant, who once earned his living playing jazz and then rock in Los Angeles, U.S.A., stated: "All the groups that I was associated with were to some degree into spiritism. The opening gambit when you met someone new was 'What's your sign?' They took astrology seriously and your zodiac sign was important." Do you want to be identified with astrology and other demonic practices?

    *** w83 1/15 28 Music Ruled My Life ***
    I developed quite a liking for alcohol and frequently got drunk during my college days. For a while I resisted the temptation to use drugs, but before long I was pressured by my jazz friends into trying marijuana.

    *** w74 5/15 303 The Music You Choose ***
    At the other end of the musical spectrum from classical compositions we find the syncopated jazz and rock music. Even here one finds some music that is melodic and moderate. But much of it is wild and strident. That is why musicians themselves distinguish between jazz and rock music that is "soft" and that which is "hot," "hard" or "acid." You should be able to tell what kind of conduct the music is promoting-your ear, your mind and heart should tell you. The words or the tone of certain music is sometimes so obvious that people easily associate it with certain types of conduct or kinds of persons. The Bible, for example, speaks of the "songs of drinkers" and the "song of a prostitute."

    *** w68 8/1 478 Why Christians Seek to Avoid Loose Conduct ***
    Often there is much eating and drinking, which tend to encourage one to become less discreet. Substitute noisy "jazz" and rock 'n' roll music with 'good music

    *** w60 9/1 515-6 The Age of Rebellion ***
    United States, either hitchhiking or using secondhand cars, going to wild parties . . . , living on very little or nothing, occasionally stealing, and always talking intensely about love, God and salvation, listening ardently to jazz in small crowded joints and availing themselves freely of casual, generous and beautiful girls. . . . The quest for 'immediate experience' means that first place is given to sexual freedom. . . . Like many jazz enthusiasts the Beat Generation may indulge marijuana, morphine and other drugs

    *** w56 5/15 312 Careful Living Helps Avoid Life's Pitfalls ***
    Some merely glorify movie stars and kings of jazz. Others, taught to revel in deeper sins, glorify crime and sex and become intoxicated with these idol practices of this corrupt world. Deadly bait are all such injurious practices

    *** w52 5/15 320 Questions from Readers ***
    Sexually suggestive or passionate dancing to blaring jazz is not for Christians

  • road to nowhere
    road to nowhere

    Audiomachine. Eternal Flame

    The cover on the Epica album is obviously demonized

  • BluesBrother
    BluesBrother

    When I was a teen, The Society was in full force against rock music, they didn’t often mention jazz at that time. All the stuff I liked was “ untheocratic” . Despite being a believing dub, Inever accepted any of that and carried on collecting the music I loved.

    Later on they homed in on “heavy metal”. I loved the heavy rock bands so I ignored them, although I was an elder by then.

    In more recent times their target has been younger teen stuff that I did not like any way so I was not bothered .

    Really, the principle seems to be , if it is popular it must be wrong ... and they criticise it .

    Was it not ever thus? I have read that they said that Paganini was “from the Devil”

    wa

  • joe134cd
    joe134cd

    Smurfs, cabbage patch dolls, going to the gym, have also been targets in the past

  • dropoffyourkeylee
    dropoffyourkeylee

    The bottom line is that anything which people find interesting, fun, or exciting that takes them away from the treadmill of mind-numbing WT activities or outside of the WT circle of cult-friends, will receive negative comments in the literature.

  • Black Sheep
    Black Sheep

    I know a recruited JW who got rid of most of his vinyl collection over three decades ago, then regretted it later.

    I forget whether he burned it or sold it, but I remember that that was a major decision that he thought he had to make at the time and that he didn't offer me a chance to choose any of his collection and told me what he had done after it was gone. I still have all of my vinyl from that era and can still play it. Some of the vinyl that he got rid of was rare thirty years ago.

  • JoenB75
    JoenB75
    thankfully you can find almost any most obscure little demo on youtube.
  • Ultimate Axiom
  • punkofnice
    punkofnice

    Jazz isn't my thing but then neither are 'Kingdom Melodies(tm)'. I don't write articles to say they shouldn't be listened to. But then, I don't stand to gain financially from it.

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