No one group of people owns any type of music. As the "Music is Important" blogger, I highlight every style of music and bring stories from my interactions with music wherever I go. The strident, 60s jazz thumping of “Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)” soundtrack to the clicking time bomb of anxiety from “The Weatherman (2005)” outline my thoughts today as I had these two movie experiences [plus “Nomadland (2021)” with its period folk rock] this weekend and plenty of music listening with my grown musician sons. Every style of music is unique to a general audience and culture from which it originates and takes hold, obviously, and there are lived experiences around all styles and genres of music for a variety of groups. True. But no one owns a musical style. Once art is “out there”, the artist must let go and let people interact with it in the culture from which they arrive. Some interesting things happen when Koreans work on American pop and Mexicans play hard rock, to name a couple of memorable past musical moments for me. We have music together and the diversity is astounding and joyous. Certain cultures can “claim” music I suppose but it is all of ours now. Calypso, hardcore, Irish folk, obviously culturally relevant for a time within narrow groups, is set free in the diversity of humanity to grow and develop. I love that. Our Memphis radio station WVZM (Visible Radio) plays all Memphis music, all the time. This week I heard again the FreeWorld tune “D-Up” that is older but still a regular set list favorite locally. They came out with a 30+ singers version of diversity and video for bringing Memphis’ flavor to the world. For bringing people together. It is inspiring and I champion FreeWorld and my friend Richard Cushing for valiant efforts - it’s awesome! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiSK7F4xCpQ Enjoy the cultural music of our home city Memphis, Tennessee, with all of its confluence of global style into the birthplace of most American music.#kensteorts
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