Interesting reading, Alex. Thanks for alerting us to it.
I have a different take on it, I think, but I could be wrong!
Ok, the age thing is something that bugs me. A long time ago, I was bugged when I was young whipper-snapper who thought he was real good (I THOUGHT I was real good - actually had a lot to learn). Now, I'm bugged because I get young whipper-snappers who think I should be ingorned because there's some "snow appearing on my roof."
I met Wynton Marsailis when he was 19. I was on Maynard's band and we were playing at the Atlantic City Jazz Festival. Art Blakey was going on ahead of us. A 19 year old Wynton was just tearing it up. I was astonished. I hung around to meet him and think him for sharing. Certainly Wynton qualified for the "wunderkind" that Mr. Morris war referring to. However, I was glad to hear and learn from this young man.
I don't see a cause for a "sky is falling" panic that he is referring to. Sure there may be some extrordinarily young musicians getting these coveted gigs. That's fine! I don't think we should EVER reject the gifts of the young! Herseth himself was pretty young when he got the CSO gig. Clifford Brown and Charlie Parker were doing amazing things when they were really young. Cool!
What bothered me just a little bit was the fact that Morris put the notion of "some flowers bloom in spring and other bloom int he fall," off to the end of his tirade almost as an afterthought.
While I would argue strongly that we shouldn't reject the gifts of the young, I would argue even more strongly that we shouldn't reject the growth of the seasoned! Old dogs CAN learn new tricks! Don't kid yourself! The idea that a seasoned, or dare I say it, an OLDER musician should not be expected to be innovative or vital is flat out wrong, IMHO.
When one looks at the current CD's out there, there would appear to be an obesssion with youth, to the exclusion of experience. That is troubling, but no need for "the sky is falling." Those who qualified as seasoned have the life's experiences to realize that you keep on chuggin' if you believe in what you are doing, never yeilding to discouragement.
I would argue that the cause for the "sky is falling" freak out Mr. Morris is alluding to should not be brought on by the fact that some very young people are achieving geat success early on. The concern, IMHO, is the glut of highly qualified players who are available for a dwindling number of openings.
I wonder if My. Morris' article would have a differnt tone if, instead of an orchestra hiring a young wunderkind, they hired a player, in his 60's who had never played in an orchestra in his/her life and then decided to just dedicate himself/herself to learning the literature and then got the gig. Things to make you go, "hmmmmm..." Granted, it is more likely that the audition committee would almsot immediately dismiss a candidate in the finals at the point, but it might happen.
Reminds me of an old joke: " Three trumpeters walked by a bar one day...
.
.
.
It could happen!"
OK, I'll shut up.
Peace from a noveau geezer.