A LESSON IN MUTUAL ADMIRATION
How does he do that??!! RECENTLY, I WAS WRITING my cousin in Arkansas—recalling an experience I'd had back in college in a jazz studies class. A day or two later, I thought that this story might be an interesting tidbit to share with you, my readers. Read on . . . In that jazz class, there were only about 12 or 15 of us sitting around in a semi-circle—very informal. Peter Lewis, the instructor, was actually the head of the electronic music program there at the University of Iowa School of Music, and I was never quite sure why he was teaching a jazz class. Peter Tod Lewis (click above for more info) Nevertheless, in this class I felt like a fish out of water; 'cuz I certainly wasn't a jazz musician. Lewis, a brilliant intellectual, would encourage the class to discuss esoteric topics, things like "what is 'swing'", the philosophy of improvisation and the concept of "groove." Occasionally, he'd introduce a well-known tune to the class, such as
