A Sugar Ray more musical than the band
Good review in the Times today about a new biography of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. Alex Belth also weighed in over at Bronx Banter.
The Times review mentions how jazz music influenced Robinson’s style in the ring, which I had never heard before.
But it neglects to mention how it was reciprocated.
In his awesome autobiography, Miles, Miles Davis explained how he tried to play his trumpet like Sugar Ray Robinson boxed.
I’ve always thought that was awesome, influence across forms. Long before I ever read Davis’ book or even heard much of his music, my high-school music teacher told me I needed to play less tentatively and more like a linebacker, my position in football. The guy taught me most of what I know about music, but that was by far the best advice he ever gave.
But that was just about playing with confidence, really. The Robinson thing, and the Miles Davis thing, are about style. I touched on this last week in regards to Allen Iverson; some athletes just have some indefinable quality that makes their game feel almost artistic.
What would it sound like if someone could make music like Johan Santana pitches? What if someone could write like Carlos Beltran plays baseball? Does that make any sense?
