Lesson plan
M-Base
The term "M-Base" is a term coined in the 1980s by American musician Steve Coleman to describe a new theory about creative expression. "M-Base-concept" is short for "macro-basic array of structured extemporization", and critics have used this term to categorize this scene's music as a style of jazz. But Coleman stressed "M-Base" doesn't denote a musical style but a way of thinking about creating music. However, Coleman has expressed discomfort with the term “jazz” to describe his music and also says M-Base was intended to be more expansive than describing music alone. M-Base was associated with a loose collective of young African American musicians and other performers active in and around Brooklyn, New York. The M-Base collective included Coleman, Graham Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen, Robin Eubanks, and Greg Osby. However, the musicians of the M-Base movement, which also included dancers and poets, strived for common creative musical languages, so their early recordings show many similarities reflecting their common ideas, the experiences of working together, and their similar cultural background. To label this kind of music, jazz critics have established the word "M-Base" as a jazz style for lack of a better term, distorting its original meaning.
Article summary
The term "M-Base" is a term coined in the 1980s by American musician Steve Coleman to describe a new theory about creative expression. "M-Base-concept" is short for "macro-basic array of structured extemporization", and critics have used this term to categorize this scene's music as a style of jazz. But Coleman stressed "M-Base" doesn't denote a musical style but a way of thinking about creating music. However, Coleman has expressed discomfort with the term “jazz” to describe his music and also says M-Base was intended to be more expansive than describing music alone. M-Base was associated with a loose collective of young African American musicians and other performers active in and around Brooklyn, New York. The M-Base collective included Coleman, Graham Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen, Robin Eubanks, and Greg Osby. However, the musicians of the M-Base movement, which also included dancers and poets, strived for common creative musical languages, so their early recordings show many similarities reflecting their common ideas, the experiences of working together, and their similar cultural background. To label this kind of music, jazz critics have established the word "M-Base" as a jazz style for lack of a better term, distorting its original meaning.
Key claims
- release date: 1987 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- The record states that the release date is "1987". What evidence would count against this claim?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1359553569
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.