Classical Crossovers

The issue of classical artists crossing over into the jazz realm has been hotly contested by music critics and aficionados. Classical musicians such as violinist Nigel Kennedy, vocalist Renee Fleming and bassoonist (yes, bassoon) Daniel Smith are some of the names today that have released jazz albums. All of these musicians are well-known and respected artists in their field and chose to explore a different style of music than what made them successful. These albums can be fun for fans of the artists to hear different styles and I’m sure the performers have a blast trying out new means of expression.

However, if an established, well-known classical musician suddenly decides they want to venture away from their comfort zone and create a jazz album, suspicions arise. Are these crossover albums being made for the sole reason of making more money and, if so, doesn’t this signify a complete lack of artistic integrity?

For some reason, these two questions always seem to be intertwined. Of course these albums are being made to make money. An artist’s talent is his product and any way he can get people to buy his product is fine by me. But just because they’re out to make money, does not mean there is no artistry behind the music. These people are some of the top artists in their field, and if they can interpret one type of music well, why not another?

A lot of people don’t listen to classical music, or jazz for that matter, because they feel that it’s inaccessible and they have to know something about it in order to enjoy listening to it. For this reason, I think there is always value in artist expanding their repertoire into other genres. If Nigel Kennedy’s jazz album encourages a listener to buy a recording of a Beethoven Violin Concerto, I think that’s fantastic. That’s not going to happen every time, but musicians need to appeal to as large an audience as they can. If a die-hard jazz fan doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to buy the album. Everyone has different tastes in music and I think that it is helpful to the progression of creativity in music that performers and listeners alike be exposed to as many different kinds of music as possible.