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Letters to the Editor

Ongoing debate over jazz and hip hop  

To my mind, the differences between hip hop and jazz are greater than the similarities (“Hip Hop 1942 digs deeper, links jazz and hip hop,” Bay State Banner, Aug. 9, 2012).

Yes, they both have improvisation, but so do many kinds of music.  In jazz, musicians attempt to master an instrument and create melodic, harmonic and rhythmic improvisations. In hip hop the rapper’s improvisation is primarily verbal, not melodic and not harmonic.

Occasionally a rapper will put rhythm first, thinking more like a great drummer than a poet (old school hip hop excelled at this). Still, at its core, the essence of rap and hip-hop is spontaneous wordplay, performed over a steady rhythm.

That rhythm could be a funk, rock, Latin or even a jazz rhythm. The essence is verbal inventiveness and not the complex combination of rhythmic, melodic and harmonic invention found in jazz.


Rob P
Via email

 

Roxcomp needs change

It saddens me deeply to read this article (“Employees question quality of care at Rox health center,” Bay State Banner, Aug. 2, 2012).

I worked at Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center for nearly four years.

Yes, Roxcomp needs drastic change to stay functioning but the fact is dedicated medical personnel go to work every day and take care of patients with care and compassion.

Roxcomp has very loyal employees and patients who have been coming to the center for generations and think of the place as home.  


L. Brito
Via email

 

History lesson on Dr. Still

What a great article (“Pioneering black doctor championed equal rights,” Bay State Banner, Aug. 9, 2012).

I always knew there was a member of the Still family who graduated from Harvard Medical School, but I did not know that he made Boston his home. My uncle and surrogate father Joseph Still, who migrated to Boston from New Jersey, often spoke of Dr. James H. Still.

In fact, we were raised using many of his herbal healing techniques which were passed down through the generations. It was so great to learn about the contributions of his son, Dr. James H Still, especially since I was born and raised in Boston.

As a result of your article, I found more in-depth information on what was happening during that time. Thanks for a wonderful lesson in history!


Bren Atchison
Via  email