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.
All the world's a stage and we are merely players . . . . .
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