LE JAZZ ET L'OCCIDENT

« Why has philosophy so often been content to underrate jazz at best, and at worst, misunderstand it ? » — Adorno)
One answer might be that the eruption of jazz in the 20th century reintroduced values — its orality, imitation, priority of body over symbol, meaning and vocal unity — that the West had been trying to dismiss from the very beginnings of Western philosophy.
Twenty five hundred years later, following a long maturation process inside the Afro-American community, jazz is consecrating aesthetic and ontological themes that are assured global impact through the use of new communication and broadcasting techniques.

Christian Béthune, whose Doctorate is in Philosophy, is currently teaching at Académie de Clermont-Ferrand. A long-time columnist with Jazz Magazine, he has also published many articles in Cahiers du Jazz, Revue d'esthétique, Art Press, Papel do Jazz and Copyright Volume, as well as several books on jazz and rap.

Titulaire d'un doctorat de philosophie et d'une habilitation en art, Christian Béthune a publié de nombreux ouvrages et articles centrés autour du jazz et de la culture afro-américaine. Retraité de l’Éducation nationale, il est aujourd’hui chercheur associé au CIEREC (Université de St-Etienne). Il a notamment publié Adorno et le jazz. Analyse d'un déni esthétique (Klincksieck, 2003), Pour une esthétique du rap (« 50 questions », Klincksieck, 2004) et Le Rap (Autrement, 2003).