Occasional Jazz Conjectures

[To be interpreted in a tweed-jacketed, drawn, quartered, and musty, dusty and heavily foot-noted and blustery, professorial drone] 

In our last lecture we looked at archetypes as they pertain to jazz — discovering that humans (or in this case The Musician) have a “preconscious psychic disposition that enables a (man) to react in a human manner.” These potentials for creation are actualized when they enter consciousness as images.

There is a very important distinction between the “unconscious, pre- existent disposition” and the “archetypal image.” The archetype may emerge into consciousness in myriads of variations. To put it another way, there are a very few basic archetypes or patterns which exist at the unconscious level, but there are an infinite variety of specific images which point back to these few patterns. Since these potentials for significance are not under conscious control, we may tend to fear them and deny their existence through repression. Chief among these prevalent (and woefully fearful) potential patterns is that of The Blonde Chick Singer (or in later Gregorian connotations, Dorus Dei).

With roots in the word Bland, from the Latin “blandus” (meaning flattering, persuasive) this pattern is the result of a careless blurring of the Shadow and the Soul, which allows perceived patterns of wholeness and integration to revolve around such surface elements as tall hair, shiny garments, and alluring (deceptively nonthreatening) use of verse and song. Look no further than the unconscious acceptance of June Christy, Helen Merrill, Peggy Lee, Chris Connor, and by subterverted transmogrifieddemonstrapropositionalism — Eydie Gorme.

Curious about the manifestations of preconscious disposition that cause us to surrender to these forces, I’d suggest a trip to any local bôite-hole that offers jazz of the vocal variety — and seek out that which we wish to fear or deny. Class dismissed.