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What jazz are you listening to right now?

I don't get jazz. Sounds like children banging on instruments. I know that is my failure, and not that of jazz... I might as well say I like arithmetic, but calculus is just Greek finger painting.

Case in point... I tried to listen to one of the posted clips... horrible to me... so I tried to listen to another... less horrible, but still not something I could call musical.. it wasn't until I went to close the page that I realized that I accidently had like three clips playing at once... which is ironic, because it became less bad the more randomness was added, lol. It's like the uncanny valley.. .when it is "trying" to be music it is horrible... when it isn't even close, it is less untolerable.

I am reminded of a Star Trek Voyager episode where a society never heard of music before, but they were highly advanced in mathamatics. They immediately recognized the mathematical principles of hamonics and such and craved more and more music... to the point they went beyond the range of human hearing and their "music" was various clever mathematical functions. That's jazz.
 
Malintent said:
I don't get jazz. Sounds like children banging on instruments. I know that is my failure, and not that of jazz... I might as well say I like arithmetic, but calculus is just Greek finger painting.

Case in point... I tried to listen to one of the posted clips... horrible to me... so I tried to listen to another... less horrible, but still not something I could call musical.. it wasn't until I went to close the page that I realized that I accidently had like three clips playing at once... which is ironic, because it became less bad the more randomness was added, lol. It's like the uncanny valley.. .when it is "trying" to be music it is horrible... when it isn't even close, it is less untolerable.

I am reminded of a Star Trek Voyager episode where a society never heard of music before, but they were highly advanced in mathamatics. They immediately recognized the mathematical principles of hamonics and such and craved more and more music... to the point they went beyond the range of human hearing and their "music" was various clever mathematical functions. That's jazz.
Click to expand...

In fairness, I've posted some weird stuff lately. Just be careful not to pigeon-hole a highly variable genre with a 100+ year history based on a few clips.

I'm convinced there is a jazz style for every occasion and atmosphere, but the genre gets a bit of a bad rep because it's never really been within the mainstream (save maybe in the 20s and 30s). Just by the nature of it sounding 'different' than popular music most people will immediately dismiss it without a second thought.
 
rousseau said:
Malintent said:
I don't get jazz. Sounds like children banging on instruments. I know that is my failure, and not that of jazz... I might as well say I like arithmetic, but calculus is just Greek finger painting.

Case in point... I tried to listen to one of the posted clips... horrible to me... so I tried to listen to another... less horrible, but still not something I could call musical.. it wasn't until I went to close the page that I realized that I accidently had like three clips playing at once... which is ironic, because it became less bad the more randomness was added, lol. It's like the uncanny valley.. .when it is "trying" to be music it is horrible... when it isn't even close, it is less untolerable.

I am reminded of a Star Trek Voyager episode where a society never heard of music before, but they were highly advanced in mathamatics. They immediately recognized the mathematical principles of hamonics and such and craved more and more music... to the point they went beyond the range of human hearing and their "music" was various clever mathematical functions. That's jazz.
Click to expand...

In fairness, I've posted some weird stuff lately. Just be careful not to pigeon-hole a highly variable genre with a 100+ year history based on a few clips.

I'm convinced there is a jazz style for every occasion and atmosphere, but the genre gets a bit of a bad rep because it's never really been within the mainstream (save maybe in the 20s and 30s). Just by the nature of it sounding 'different' than popular music most people will immediately dismiss it without a second thought.
Click to expand...

There are people who can immediately relate to those late Coltrane tracks, but that's unusual. They're pretty abstract. It took me a long time to understand. Even now I don't listen to them very frequently because they're very demanding - you have to follow the musical arguments to appreciate them and that's not easy.

Here's one accessible kinda late Coltrane track, very dark but poignant, inspired by the Birmingham bombing.

 
Horatio Parker said:
rousseau said:
Malintent said:
I don't get jazz. Sounds like children banging on instruments. I know that is my failure, and not that of jazz... I might as well say I like arithmetic, but calculus is just Greek finger painting.

Case in point... I tried to listen to one of the posted clips... horrible to me... so I tried to listen to another... less horrible, but still not something I could call musical.. it wasn't until I went to close the page that I realized that I accidently had like three clips playing at once... which is ironic, because it became less bad the more randomness was added, lol. It's like the uncanny valley.. .when it is "trying" to be music it is horrible... when it isn't even close, it is less untolerable.

I am reminded of a Star Trek Voyager episode where a society never heard of music before, but they were highly advanced in mathamatics. They immediately recognized the mathematical principles of hamonics and such and craved more and more music... to the point they went beyond the range of human hearing and their "music" was various clever mathematical functions. That's jazz.
Click to expand...

In fairness, I've posted some weird stuff lately. Just be careful not to pigeon-hole a highly variable genre with a 100+ year history based on a few clips.

I'm convinced there is a jazz style for every occasion and atmosphere, but the genre gets a bit of a bad rep because it's never really been within the mainstream (save maybe in the 20s and 30s). Just by the nature of it sounding 'different' than popular music most people will immediately dismiss it without a second thought.
Click to expand...

There are people who can immediately relate to those late Coltrane tracks, but that's unusual. They're pretty abstract. It took me a long time to understand. Even now I don't listen to them very frequently because they're very demanding - you have to follow the musical arguments to appreciate them and that's not easy.

Here's one accessible kinda late Coltrane track, very dark but poignant, inspired by the Birmingham bombing.

Click to expand...


I've enjoyed listening to free jazz for no other reason than it does something that most musicians simply do not do: which is go entirely against the grain and produce sounds that are antithetical to a classic pop tune.

In a sense recording free jazz is irrational because almost by definition it's not widely viable, but I think that's the whole point of it being 'free'. It's people making music that's not constrained by popular tastes, and those who are going to get uncomfortable by anything that deviates from the norm.

So from that alone I can appreciate it, but it definitely has it's time and place. I'm not going to throw on late Coltrane when my in-laws come over, but sitting in darkness and listening to Live at the Village Vanguard Again! can be a surreal experience.
 
rousseau said:
Malintent said:
I don't get jazz. Sounds like children banging on instruments. I know that is my failure, and not that of jazz... I might as well say I like arithmetic, but calculus is just Greek finger painting.

Case in point... I tried to listen to one of the posted clips... horrible to me... so I tried to listen to another... less horrible, but still not something I could call musical.. it wasn't until I went to close the page that I realized that I accidently had like three clips playing at once... which is ironic, because it became less bad the more randomness was added, lol. It's like the uncanny valley.. .when it is "trying" to be music it is horrible... when it isn't even close, it is less untolerable.

I am reminded of a Star Trek Voyager episode where a society never heard of music before, but they were highly advanced in mathamatics. They immediately recognized the mathematical principles of hamonics and such and craved more and more music... to the point they went beyond the range of human hearing and their "music" was various clever mathematical functions. That's jazz.
Click to expand...

In fairness, I've posted some weird stuff lately. Just be careful not to pigeon-hole a highly variable genre with a 100+ year history based on a few clips.

I'm convinced there is a jazz style for every occasion and atmosphere, but the genre gets a bit of a bad rep because it's never really been within the mainstream (save maybe in the 20s and 30s). Just by the nature of it sounding 'different' than popular music most people will immediately dismiss it without a second thought.
Click to expand...

I like what I guess is "soft jazz" ?? Sony Stitt Plays Bird comes to mind. Sax, bass, and a woman in a red dress laying on a piano.. I thought you guys were talking about the technical stuff that I just don't get at all.
 
I too have trouble getting into jazz, trad or modern. I guess it's ultimately just a preference thing. I do accept that it's a great genre, arguably much more complex and subtle than many others. I admire jazz musicians and listeners.

Here's an interesting artist. It's not what I would call....full jazz.....but I do think it's awesome:



[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iScSUwSZAuI[/YOUTUBE]




This next one's even better, imo...



[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXzv7P7qGdM[/YOUTUBE]


Interesting guy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_Maalouf

And interesting story about the 'arab trumpet' he uses.

- - - Updated - - -

I love this too. It morphs nicely about halfway through:



[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13OxTRklUos[/YOUTUBE]



And Brubeck's Take 5 cannot be beaten.

And then there's The Crusaders. But are they Jazz-funk?
 
Personally, I had an extended period where I was just as interested in jazz history and theory as I was in the music. It was a genre that I could see a lot of depth in but didn't really have much of an understanding of, so I made a point to gain that understanding.

So these days I still listen to it, but I'm not going as far as 'mythologising' it and acting like a guy that can play the sax well is the next coming. Most often I'll put on different players as mood music depending on situation.. lots of Bill Evans, Coleman Hawkins, Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, and less frequently these days Charlie Parker.

There was a time I listened to a lot of stuff more seriously, as in sitting down with headphones for an hour, but these days I'm pretty much burnt out on music in general, let alone jazz.
 
Malintent said:
rousseau said:
Malintent said:
I don't get jazz. Sounds like children banging on instruments. I know that is my failure, and not that of jazz... I might as well say I like arithmetic, but calculus is just Greek finger painting.

Case in point... I tried to listen to one of the posted clips... horrible to me... so I tried to listen to another... less horrible, but still not something I could call musical.. it wasn't until I went to close the page that I realized that I accidently had like three clips playing at once... which is ironic, because it became less bad the more randomness was added, lol. It's like the uncanny valley.. .when it is "trying" to be music it is horrible... when it isn't even close, it is less untolerable.

I am reminded of a Star Trek Voyager episode where a society never heard of music before, but they were highly advanced in mathamatics. They immediately recognized the mathematical principles of hamonics and such and craved more and more music... to the point they went beyond the range of human hearing and their "music" was various clever mathematical functions. That's jazz.
Click to expand...

In fairness, I've posted some weird stuff lately. Just be careful not to pigeon-hole a highly variable genre with a 100+ year history based on a few clips.

I'm convinced there is a jazz style for every occasion and atmosphere, but the genre gets a bit of a bad rep because it's never really been within the mainstream (save maybe in the 20s and 30s). Just by the nature of it sounding 'different' than popular music most people will immediately dismiss it without a second thought.
Click to expand...

I like what I guess is "soft jazz" ?? Sony Stitt Plays Bird comes to mind. Sax, bass, and a woman in a red dress laying on a piano.. I thought you guys were talking about the technical stuff that I just don't get at all.
Click to expand...

Stitt plays Bird is definitely not soft jazz. I'd call it hard bop.
 
In that case then......

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUBRqAJbLWU&list=PLLrxQfAoOkCWrxwirRYwYbxErz7cZ1Tx_[/YOUTUBE]
 
rousseau said:


Wonder if there's a requirement for modern jazz to be pensive and intellectual and not fun at all?
Click to expand...


Often. I haven't been to Europe in a few years, but the seriousness was more pronounced there. Probably because it was immediately identified as serious concert music there, whereas on this side of the Atlantic, north or south, there's more of a connection to entertainment.

- - - Updated - - -

rousseau said:
Horatio Parker said:
There are people who can immediately relate to those late Coltrane tracks, but that's unusual. They're pretty abstract. It took me a long time to understand. Even now I don't listen to them very frequently because they're very demanding - you have to follow the musical arguments to appreciate them and that's not easy.

Here's one accessible kinda late Coltrane track, very dark but poignant, inspired by the Birmingham bombing.

Click to expand...


I've enjoyed listening to free jazz for no other reason than it does something that most musicians simply do not do: which is go entirely against the grain and produce sounds that are antithetical to a classic pop tune.

In a sense recording free jazz is irrational because almost by definition it's not widely viable, but I think that's the whole point of it being 'free'. It's people making music that's not constrained by popular tastes, and those who are going to get uncomfortable by anything that deviates from the norm.

So from that alone I can appreciate it, but it definitely has it's time and place. I'm not going to throw on late Coltrane when my in-laws come over, but sitting in darkness and listening to Live at the Village Vanguard Again! can be a surreal experience.
Click to expand...


Jazz didn't start this; it reflects the influence of contemporary classical music.
 
Horatio Parker said:
Malintent said:
I like what I guess is "soft jazz" ?? Sony Stitt Plays Bird comes to mind. Sax, bass, and a woman in a red dress laying on a piano.. I thought you guys were talking about the technical stuff that I just don't get at all.
Click to expand...

Stitt plays Bird is definitely not soft jazz. I'd call it hard bop.
Click to expand...

see.. I have no idea what I am talking about... I can't even speak the language. That's it... music is like a language... I can speak and understand quite a bit of it. Jazz is like learning Chinese, to me.
 
Malintent said:
Horatio Parker said:
Malintent said:
I like what I guess is "soft jazz" ?? Sony Stitt Plays Bird comes to mind. Sax, bass, and a woman in a red dress laying on a piano.. I thought you guys were talking about the technical stuff that I just don't get at all.
Click to expand...

Stitt plays Bird is definitely not soft jazz. I'd call it hard bop.
Click to expand...

see.. I have no idea what I am talking about... I can't even speak the language. That's it... music is like a language... I can speak and understand quite a bit of it. Jazz is like learning Chinese, to me.
Click to expand...

Those terms really are from jazz criticism, but they're useful. Sounds to me like an appreciation course would do a lot for you. 'cuz Stitt plays Bird is pretty hardcore.
 
Malintent said:
Horatio Parker said:
Malintent said:
I like what I guess is "soft jazz" ?? Sony Stitt Plays Bird comes to mind. Sax, bass, and a woman in a red dress laying on a piano.. I thought you guys were talking about the technical stuff that I just don't get at all.
Click to expand...

Stitt plays Bird is definitely not soft jazz. I'd call it hard bop.
Click to expand...

see.. I have no idea what I am talking about... I can't even speak the language. That's it... music is like a language... I can speak and understand quite a bit of it. Jazz is like learning Chinese, to me.
Click to expand...

I've never heard the term 'soft' jazz before, but I have heard the term 'smooth' jazz, like this:



In terms of what purists would consider 'real' jazz, it's basically anything in a category outside of the above. But really any listener would need to do some reading to learn the various styles and classifications. Because like I mentioned, the genre has a huge history without many simple distinctions. It'd be like trying to talk of a universal and ubiquitous 'classical' music.. yea, if you've never actually studied the scale of the genre, of course you won't understand all the subtleties in it.

But most generally it's history goes something like this: rag-time/band/new-orleans -> Louis Armstrong etc / 20s Jazz -> Swing Jazz / Coleman Hawkins / Lester Young / Duke Ellington -> 'Modern' Jazz.. cool, bop, hard bop, free etc.. and after that point the genre started declining which culminated to the industry today which is just a mish-mash of whatever.
 
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