爵士风情

本部电影是描写黑人音乐家的故事，通篇几乎都是黑人，白人几乎没有参与。而且导演也是黑人，黑人拍黑人演，还有最著名的黑人演员丹泽尔·华盛顿，全世界的不分肤色的人们都会看。让我想起了Beyond的经典曲目《光辉岁月》，“可否不分肤色的界限，愿这土地里不分你我高低。”“缤纷色彩闪出的美丽，是因它没有分开每种色彩。”

对爵士乐不是很了解，是专属黑人音乐吗？不能这么说，音乐不应该分种族肤色，音乐是相通的。大概爵士乐玩得最好的多是黑人吧，就像NBA篮球明星大多是黑人一样。

向每一位真正的音乐人致敬。

In Spike Lee’s film piece “Mo’ Better Blues” about a Jazz musician’s personal life story as well as according struggles on finding balances between his own love life and his musical ambition/career, various violent filming scenes are being involved towards the near-end of the specific movie, and at the somewhat comforting ending of the piece, Indigo agrees to take Bleek back into her life, which is apparently perceived by many as both a heart-warming yet controversial decision made by the character herself. However, it needs to be understood that the actual motive behind Indigo’s seemingly quick/blunt choice would be something way more than simply out of sympathy/empathy or pity for Bleek, but rather instead, should be perceived/considered to be about an individual’s own willingness and open-mindedness of offering/granting second chances to another human being (especially their loved ones) in this oftentimes overly complicated world, and ultimately, tying back to the main topic, about “A Love Supreme”.

Instead of discussing/talking about/dwelling with the specific topic of whether Indigo should take Bleek back into her very own life or allow him in there once again, let’s go on to switch gears and reverse the actual question altogether, and instead try to focus on the different aspects/obstacles being shown and presented there which would actually prevent Indigo from making up her mind to finally choose to come down with the particular decision of forgiving Bleek’s past and previous mistakes and thus ultimately re-accepting as well as re-connecting with him. In the film, there is a particular scene which shows Bleek admitting himself as being overly selfish/self-centered as a person all along in life, no matter if it is with him dealing with his own lovelife/romantic relationships, or, with him putting his own absolute very hardest efforts into promoting his musical occupation as a whole there. Being fully aware of this specific personality side coming from Bleek himself, Indigo has the total right with her to choose to completely cut off/bring an end to this specific toxic relationship right on the spot, especially also with her recently just finding out/discovering the fact that Bleek has been constantly visiting/dating another woman (being Clarke) on and off and has been wearing different “masks” in order to live a satisfying double life. As the specific action of “cheating” itself is indeed usually being considered a big deal in terms of romantic relationships and would oftentimes severely sabotage/damage the general quality of the relationship itself, alongside with actual results in heavy diminishments of the overall self-esteem and personal sense of dignity level (mental wise) on the counterpart, it would be quite easy to relate to as well as understand all those anger which Indigo may have well felt, since Bleek has already clearly/obviously crossed the line and broke the golden fairness rule as well as the valuable presence of mutual trust. So if all that is so, why would Indigo still want to allow such a grown-up man who apparently hurt her so much as for previously before in the past back again into her very own life? And not only did she actually forgive and re-accepted him, they even went on to further marry each other, formed/founded a whole family together with each other that way, and she then eventually gave birth to his child, or their kid. It would be totally impossible to realize and understand the actual mental dynamics behind Indigo’s ultimate decision of letting Bleek back, without delving into the interconnected relationship between the apparent situation of Bleek’s Jazz musician career and his own goals/ambitions which he would set for himself, and how these aspects would without a question or doubt hugely/strongly affect not only Bleek personally, but also almost everyone else around him in one way or another that way, especially Indigo, who appears to be inside Bleek’s closest relationship circle, and is probably also among/on the list of one of the most important people who has ever came across his path or ever existed in his life that way, or as what Bleek would claim to be.

Indigo clearly realizes and recognizes Bleek’s apparent struggles with elevating his own musical achievements to something greater and more marvelous as compared with previously before, as she is not only clearly aware of exactly how extra super important Jazz music as an art form is to Bleek, which can be seen in the specific scene where Bleek proudly says out loud something like “Jazz is my top priority in life, everything else would be considered secondary”, but also does she recognize and understand that, as Jazz being such an important uplifting support as well as playing such a hugely important role in Bleek’s life, and not only as a simple financial tool in order to pay off money, but more importantly, being used as an considerable/thoughtful/artful way of both mental as well as spiritual healing/curing/medicinal escape/expression/relief process. It would thus become rather obvious and clear to be able to see from there, that music, or more specifically, Bleek’s general Jazz music performances being presented as a certain way of living/lifestyle, certainly cannot be easily replaced by any random stuff out there, not even by something called love, because it would simply just be considered and perceived to be irreplaceable like that by all terms or means, at least in Bleek’s own personal perspective/mindset there, so to speak. So what if that sort of almost life-savior/drug-dose like mental/spiritual dopamine/heroin/marijuana would be completely cut off its actual supply accesses being available to him previously all the time there, all of a sudden that way out of nowhere by some uncontrollable outside forces, like what is basically been going on as well as being presented and shown in the latter half of the film itself? As the audiences could tell, due to the happening of the unexpected violent dispute between Bleek’s childhood friend (who apparently is also his own manager), Giant, and the Mafia thugs, and due to Bleek himself voluntarily emerging/stepping into the situation in order to save and help his long-time companion/friend there, the actual result is that Bleek’s own lips has been beaten by those mafia thugs to be busted open, which plastic surgery cannot even fix up, and that ultimately caused Bleek to give up/forfeit his Jazz dream which he has almost always been so desperately trying to make true/make reality of. It is indeed a tragic part of the whole entire plot, no question about that, but what would be considered and perceived to be most important after all, would be what actually follows up and comes after.

As Bleek happens to lose his ultimate spiritual/financial/mental support in life that way, as well as when his hopes, wishes, and expectations for future musical elevations which he insists to carry along with him altogether fades out of sight in a blink of an eye’s moment due to the happening and taking place of that specific incident, it is then being revealed to us that Indigo has not fully abandoned him yet, and is still somewhat caring for him and his general life situation. That is because, being a mature grown up woman as well as a city girl living in the Big Apple herself, Indigo is indeed aware of the fact that the real life/real world is a place that is oftentimes being filled with unspeakable hardships and unimaginary cruelties, and when out-of-control accidents like that happen (or one could also argue that in another sense, things like that could also be perceived and seen as being already prearranged and predetermined, mysteriously somehow, and is something which could surely be identified as being purely fate or destiny all on its own in that context), the ultimate one and only most powerful solution as well as most effective cure for that, after all, would indeed mostly likely come down to that particular simple four-letter word/term, the everlastingly eternal theme of the whole entire human existence which is being constantly brought up and glorified throughout the span of history and since the creation of time itself - “love’, and in this specific case, “true love” or “A Love Supreme”.