John Dalmas wrote:

>Steve Schwartz wrote:
>
>>Gould is one of those American interwar and postwar musicians - along
>>with Piston, Diamond, Schuman, Sessions, Mennin, Fine, Talma, Hanson,
>>Foss, Blitzstein, Lees, Bergsma, Shapero, and Thomson - too good to lose.
>
>I find this an example of extravagance by association.

I would trade that entire list for keeping Ellington, Armstrong, Goodman,
Gershwin, Coltrane, Davis and Mingus.  And I don't think I am alone in
believing that American accomplishments in jazz out shadow American
"classical" accomplishments during the period by a wide margin.

Gould's very sense of Americanism comes, to a great extent, from his
propulsive use of Jazz rhythms and the sureness of his melodic handling
of them.  While he isn't ever going to be a major composer, there are many
composers who wrote only a few works that have real durability, but without
whom concert life would be poorer.

Stirling Newberry
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