Gass discusses ’60s, ’70s songs

From the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement to women’s rights and the counterculture, the ’60s experienced a variety of social and political movements that were often reflected in music. \nPlus, it was good to dance to and “good for your soul,” said IU professor of music Glenn Gass. \nLast Sunday, Gass and local musician Janiece Jaffe put on “Songs of the ‘60s and ‘70s That Changed Our World,” a tribute to the diverse and influential music as a part of ArtsWeek. Since the ArtsWeek theme is “politics and the arts,” the ‘60s and ‘70s era of music, civil rights and Vietnam fall right into this category. \nThe program included a musical performance by Jaffe and some of her fellow musicians. The band included Jaffe, Curtis Cantwell Jackson’s vocals, Dan Sumner on guitar, Dave Bruker on bass and Michael Beck on drums. The band was accompanied by two wind instrumentalists – Tom Clark on saxophone and Pat Harbison on trumpet. \nThe first set of songs included many favorites that are still celebrated today: “Blowing in the Wind,” “War,” “What’s Going On?” and “Imagine.” Jaffe introduced each song and spoke about its influence on the generation that produced them. One of the most familiar songs they performed was “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles. \n“When I was thinking about this, there were thousands of songs I could have chosen, but you can’t leave this one out,” Jaffe said. “Well, you can’t really leave any of The Beatles out.” \nJaffe was not the only one that had trouble staying away from The Beatles. In between sets, Gass spoke about them.\n“When it comes to this era you tend to think there’s The Beatles, and then what else,” Gass said. \nAt one point in his lecture, Gass played a clip of a video of John Lennon performing “Imagine” at Madison Square Garden. This song sparked a question by Gass; “Should music be involved in politics?” \n“That era was immersed in politics,” he said, “on a personal level and on one much bigger than that.” \nThe second set of songs included “Teach Your Children Well,” “Peace Train” and “People Get Ready.” \nJaffe and her sister Vicki Fry both grew up in Bloomington during the ’60s and ’70s. Both sisters distinctly remember attending riots at Dunn Meadow. \n“Why don’t the kids do that today?” Fry said. “You see the increasing gas prices, do something about it.” \nBy the end of the program, Jaffe and her duet partner, Jackson, inspired the whole audience to stand and sing “We Shall Overcome.”