Ah Horseman...I was at Grammar School in Aylesbury from 1965!!
Dad used to play Acker Bilk.....but my favourite jazz is from the 1920s era King Oliver, Jabbo Smith etc.
Printable View
As a musician I started life into the hard rock/progressive rock end of the stick (Rush, Genesis, ELP, Motorhead, Black Sabbath etc . . ) On first being introduced to jazz I did not like it at all, but as I opened my head up to new sounds and textures jazz grow on me (slowly).
Like anything that's difficult or unusual it takes effort from the listener to see what its all about. Most punters just don't want to take the time or have the emotional interest to develop into this area of music. I for one, when I was younger, thought it was cool to be seen liking music that was way off the norm and so I persevered.
Jazz really came alive for me when I started to actually play it. As a drummer it was so much more liberating than any other music form that I'd tried (and I've tried most genres over the years). The main pulse of the music was moved from the drummer to the bass player, leaving the drummer to be far more creative in his playing and interaction with the main solo instruments. Rock or pop etc. by comparison reduces the drummer to little more than a glorified metronome. (Though as a youth I did like the power of this simplicity – especially played loud).
I would highly recommend anyone with the slightest desire to crack this genre to start with Miles Davis - A kind of blue. Very gentle, relaxing music that will not tax or offend the ear too much!! Also Bill Evens if you prefer a piano trio sound. Next move onto John Coltrane – Blue Train, and take it as far as you want to go.
Like any genre there are some truly scary sounds to be had from the hard-core brigade (John Coltrane's latter period or Antony Braxton etc), but to make a sweeping statement like this, that all jazz is horrible, just conveys an immature outlook (and I assume an element of infantile, deliberate, cage rattling). Don't worry you may one day grow out of it and your certainly not alone on this type of idea on this very forum!!
I fully understand that few ever see any of this or care. Their take on music is to reduce it to little more than audio wallpaper as a backing for a sing along or a dance pulse (also as a main social stimulus to meet a partner).
Like good food or fine wine, one’s tastes can mature with age and develop into a more developed state (if your prepared to make the effort).
Jazz music for me is just such an entity.:Razz
HI All
More Horrible noise for your enjoyment 10 till midnight tonight.
CFM 102.5
Cheers
Dave
Jazz of course! But I must confess I strayed once or twice into pop and blues tonight, sometimes do for the sake of tunes I really like that no one else will play. I think sometimes if there are a few interesting chords or rythmns it is jazz-like enough to play. And Sax players here need to hear King Curtis!
I do hope it is wide enough to appeal to listeners and doesn't stray so far that jazz afficianados are put off.
I know you can't please everyone, I just try to play a slice of tunes from all styles and avoid cheesiness if at all poss.
I will go back thru suggestions here, any more please put them down.
Thanks
D
rich, I had to read your words twice. Are you sure it was "jazz" you were refering to as drivel? That is so just not you!
I had a fabulous night of jazz this week. While one of our fellow orgers rocked to the metalic sounds of some "Sad" band here in this beautiful city, I enjoyed the music of a delightful group in our local establishment for evening gathering.
On an entirely different musical front, I was part of Edinburgh's welcome to Abba Mania yesterday. It was fine, but I might be converting toward the jazz side of things.
This thread started by one brave chap lambasting the meanderings of Jazz, it's now the jazz appreciation club, what a highjack. It's hard to get a handle on the thing, but I think this sums it up.
Whats the difference between a blue's guitarist, and a jazz guitarist,,,,well a blue's guitarist plays three cords to three hundred people, and-------------
On another note, of sorts, has anyone had much experience listening to Zydeco music? It's not a Brazilian footballer; it's one of the most boring, repetitive forms of music I've ever heard. Went to hear a gadge called CJ Chenier (his dad was the King of Zydeco) at the Edinburgh jazz festival this year and EVERY song was a variant of the same 12-bar-blues formula.
Back to the jazz... I advise checking out some of the more interesting contemporary young jazz performers today, who hail from Sweden. A lot of them came over to Scotland a few months ago to join up with our own jazzers, and I was very impressed by all of them, in particular female drummer, Martina Almgren. Check her out on myspace, if you can.
So if too many people disagree its a hijack! not the first poster being in the minority? I usually do keep my thoughts to myself unless pushed, statements like "jazz is ....." need answering simply because so many people think jazz is just the off the wall stuff they don't like, when in reality lots of jazz is very accessible, they do like jazz already and will like more.
i personally love jazz.
patricia barber is fantasmigorical.
yeah one more time....fantasmigorical.