a throw of the dice

What does it say about the hallowed tradition of Western concert music when it would more readily welcome the chance throwing of dice as a legitimate path to musical decision making than accept the blues-based improvisations of African-American jazz musicians (and post-jazz innovators who were guilty by association, like Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and the AACM)?
- The Soul and the System, Why Improvisation?

Mr. West and Mr. Cent may indeed be assholes, but they're symbolic assholes who remind us that American Darwinism has produced a species of Negro Male who can now exploit his fetishized vernacular aura as profitably as multinational corporations can the minerals in your whole damn ancestral homeland.
- Greg Tate, "In Praise of Assholes"

I reckon my continuing indifference to [Maria] Schneider's highly refined art is subliminal. She doesn't set off the gag reflex that I have long had to highly orchestrated classical music, but that's what I suspect is lurking, somewhere near the chronic level of an allergen. Clearly, jazz fans who also like euroclassical simply adore her
- Tom Hull, Jazz Prospecting (CG #14, Part 13)
(I actually think it is the opposite: orchestral thrills, quite possibly for people who have difficulty with classical orchestras)

Further, back in the day, the music never seemed to get started until 10 or 11 p.m. or even later, with the real action getting under way long after midnight. It was great for musicians, who would often show up in the wee, small hours after their gigs at other clubs were finished, but not very welcoming for anyone who had to be in an office at 9 a.m. or filing a story on a morning deadline.
- Will Friedwald, "Smalls Redux"