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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 26 Jul 02 - 02:22 AM Jazz IS the pure distilled essence of PLAY.
It is fun. In some ways it is like letting a Muse take possesion of your soul and allowing it to lead you to new discoveries which are to be experienced.... only.... once. Like a sculpture in sand it quickly disintegrates and gives rebirth to a new form.
There are loosely defined rules, but ALL of them, tempo, rhythem, harmony bow in subjugation to the theme and variation in all its myriade of forms....and in their homage to themeALL rules may be broken...nothing is "mechanical."
I believe it is this ellusive changing character of form that creates the fascination to its listeners, and its artists. It is never repetitive or boring.
Sincerely, |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 25 Jul 02 - 10:05 PM Hi, Genie: One of the pleasures for me, of jazz is when they take a song not considered a jazz piece, and really swing it. I have a Jim Hall CD where they do a nice take on the theme to the Flintstones. But, jazz musicians often have the same problems opening up an unlikely song and giving it a jazz feeling as folk musicians do. Too often, they sound like jazz musicians trying to make something that's not comfortably fitted for jazz sound "jazzy." My favorite successful effort of a jazz musician is probably the valve trombone player, Bob Brookmeyer. He did an album titled Traditionalism Revisited, taking old songs like Ja Da and Show Me The Way To Go Home and miraculously transforming them into something that sounded like the recordings he did with Gerry Mulligan. Not surprising in a way because Mulligan had a great feel for simple, swinging melodies in his own compositions. Even Dave Brubeck did a nice version of Camptown Races. :-) Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Genie Date: 25 Jul 02 - 08:52 PM Jerry R, As you say, jazz is as much a feeling as a series of particular chords. And, most traditional folk music at least IS based on three chords. Valid point, but when musicians start modifying chords, the tune often gets modulated, too. That's one of the most striking things, to me, about "jazz" renditions of folk and pop songs or even of classical music pieces. The tune almost always gets rearranged or used as a springboard for improvisations on the theme. I'd agree that if you keep the folky style and just fancy up the chords, it's still folk. (I was kinda jesting about "Home On the Range" and "Wild Mountain Thyme" being jazz if you used different chords.) On the other hand, the feeling/style of a song can also change without changing the chord structure much. I've heard a simple tune such as Gershwin's "Summertime," done as folk, opera (or folk opera), pop, jazz, etc., with little or no modification of the chords, but with changes in tempo, syncopations, vocal style, etc. I don't know what chords Gerswhin specified that song for "Porgy and Bess," but it can sound pretty jazzy without any chords more sophisticated than A minor and E7th. (Of course, if you're playing the sax or trumpet, chords aren't involved, so it's gotta be something else that makes it jazz as opposed to pop or folk.) |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: M.Ted Date: 25 Jul 02 - 04:35 PM As always, in your clear but understated way, Jerry, you've got it right--the "feel" is everything in jazz--Jazz really is the development of rhythmic ideas using a chordal framework that really comes from western classical music, anyone can play the notes, but Before you can really play jazz, you have to have the "feeling"--
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: SlickerBill Date: 25 Jul 02 - 02:33 AM I actually got into jazz by way of fusion back in the '70's. I was listening to a lot of rock, and I met this musician who suggested Chick Corea, Weather Report, and Billy Cobham. Hooked me. Since then my tastes have broadened out as they'll tend to do with age; more bebop, esp. Charlie Parker and Coltrane. The early Louis Armstrong is great. And of course Miles Davis. And one of the best cd's Ive bought in a long time is Cassandra Wilson, "Travelling Miles", though her others are great as well. Great guitar on those albums. sb |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 24 Jul 02 - 09:12 PM As long as I started this thread, I might as well politely offer my disagreement that you can just throw in a few more chords and folk music becomes jazz. To me, jazz is as much a feeling as a series of particular chords. And, most traditional folk music at least IS based on three chords. That doesn't mean that you can't add chords to your own taste. For me, the great appeal of folk music has always been its simplicity. I've heard a lot of string bands try to do jazz and for the most part, they sound like string bands trying to do jazz. A couple of weeks ago, I heard a woman playing a piano accompaniment from sheet music for a black gospel song, and it really sounded weird. She was playing the notes on the page correctly, but it didn't have any feeling to it. I've heard technically proficient guitar players do ragtime piano pieces that could put you to sleep. They got every note right, but the rhythm was stiff.
But, that's just my opinion... Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Genie Date: 24 Jul 02 - 08:06 PM Dan, ("Hey -- take any folk song -- throw in a few major seventh chords, maybe a ninth if it sounds good -- sing it in a breathy kinda voice -- you got jazz.") I'm with you. I did this, kinda tongue in cheek, a few years ago with "Wild Mountain Thyme" (using major and minor 7ths, a 9th, and a minor 6th) and told the audience it was "Irish jazz." They loved it. *G* When I read threads about "three-chord songs" I often cringe at some of the songs that are suggested as being such. I use at least 9 chords in "Home On The Range," including a minor 6th, 3 7ths, and 2 minor 7ths. It's still not what I'd call jazz, but it sure makes for more interesting background and harmony than 3 chords would.
To paraphrase Linda Richman, Genie
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: RangerSteve Date: 24 Jul 02 - 06:55 PM Count me in as a jazz fan, mostly stuff from the 20's and early 30's. Some occasional big band music too. I especially like James P. Johnson - his "Yamikraw" (I probably spelled that wrong) deserves the same fame as "Rhapsody in Blue", as does the rest of his symphonic jazz. I'm also a Raymond Scott fan, although there seems to be some argument as to whether or not his music is really jazz. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Bull Am Date: 24 Jul 02 - 04:14 PM I think that Dan's point is excellent because when one take a good look at the roots and origins of jazz music, it really is just a developed strain of folk music. I simply adore jazz, and although I tend to stick to the 20s, 30s, and 40s, I have a profound respect and amazement for the degree of sheer musical literacy and expertise the genre requires in all (or even most) of its forms. I've posted a message before that hailed Armstrong as one of the most influential performers of the century, and I stand by my conviction that he is one of the first jazz stars, but also one of the first blues/folk champions. Also, I'm absolutely in love with the music and the singing style of Fats Waller...He had a way of tickling the keyboard that sets him in another realm, and I highly recommend any recordings that you can get your hands on. Also, I think that the genre's songwriters were absolutely unparallelled in their genius. Of course, there are greats like Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Ellington, etc...But also the lesser known contributors: Eubey Blake, John Lewis, Errol Gardner, etc. Jazz is a genre that will stay close to my heart for all of my days. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: GUEST,GUEST Date: 23 Jul 02 - 10:10 PM Peter Schikele once said, "All musics are created equal." "Jazz" and "folk" are really just labels that the music industry has us use. And when you come right down to it, jazz and folk have at least one common ancestor, the blues. The bluegrass people already know this -- people like Bela Fleck are doing jazzy kindsa things with banjos and it sounds great. Hey -- take any folk song -- throw in a few major seventh chords, maybe a ninth if it sounds good -- sing it in a breathy kinda voice -- you got jazz. ;-p By the way, you folk guitarists should check out the book "All Blues for Jazz Guitar" which covers the concept of "fat chords," a whole different way of playing folk.... dan |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Peter Kasin Date: 23 Jul 02 - 02:40 AM Real appreciation for the pure genius Parker and of bop happened, for me, when I listened to the track "Ko Ko." Absolute, unadulterated genius. It may take a few listenings before it kicks in, but when it does.... MikeofNorthumbria, I agree with you on the "feet" portion of that quote. There is a whole body of work that is not meant to be danced to, but to be listened to as intently as any great concerto or operatic work. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Genie Date: 23 Jul 02 - 02:02 AM Mike of N., In case anyone misunderstood your post, "Puttin' On The Ritz" is Berlin, not Gershwin. ("I Got Rhythm" is G.G.) Y'know, folks, the thing that makes it hard for me--and maybe some of the rest of you--to state categorically whether I like "jazz" or not is that it's such a BROAD category! I watched the whole 10-hour Ken Burns documentary on "Jazz" and realized that I lot of it (blues, dixieland, swing, jive, R&B, and some improv., etc.) I tend to like--almost any "jazz" that has a strong beat and you can dance to--, but that some of it (e.g., most be-bop and what I call "elevator jazz") leaves me cold or bored. I guess I like it if it moves me through its rhythm (like Brubeck's "Time Out") and/or the emotional content (like Miles Davis's "Sketches Of Spain"). But if it just seems to ramble all over the place and be rather amorphous, it just turns into background noise for me. To each her own, I guess. Genie |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 22 Jul 02 - 05:25 PM Wow!!! My wife and I went away for four days up to Burlington Vermont, (and stuck our toes over the boarder into Canada. When we left there were 3 responss to this thread... I get back and there are 43! I usually like to respond to messages that are posted, but 40 is just too big a list for me. Most of all, I am pleased (and a little surprised) at how many folkies love jazz) I'm not as surprised that people like the old New Orleans, early blues. traditional jazz mixes. That seems very natural to me. Same with singers like Billie Holliday and Hoagy Carmichael. It all flows together for me. I see fewer people mentioning more "modern" (which is now somewhat old-fashioned, being almost old-fashioned musicians like Mulligan, Brubeck, Coltrane, Monk. After all, we ARE folkies. I haven't seen a single mention of any musician (maybe I've overlooked one) who wasn't recording at least thirty years ago. No mention of people like Roy Hargrove, Josh Redman, Cyrus Chestnut and some of the new "Young Lions." There's an interesting CD of Dave Brubeck, playing with some of the current jazz musicians in their twenties.
Just to respond to some folks who have posted on this thread..
Gioc: You mention several of my favorites... Charlie Mungus, Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk and Ella Fitzgerald. I love the Ella and Louis duet stuff, too. My favorite jazz vocalist is a toss up between Ella and Carmen MacRae. Most of the time, I respond more to Carmen because she often recorded with a small combo, which suits my ears better than an orchestra with strings. But, I love Ella, nonetheless.
Mudlark: I knowwww what you like! Mulligan and Desmond.. remember when they were unlike anything we ever heard. Now, some of those modern recordings are almost fifty years old. We must be even older than that. :-)
C-Flat: I knowww what you like, too... There was a time when I was in college when someone came in my room and looked at my modest collection of l.p.s (which cost $3.98) over here. After flipping through them, he said, "You like guitar, I see..." I had Barney Kessell, Sal Salvadore, Tal Farlow, Jimmy Raney, George Van Epps and even lesser known jazz guitar albums... Lou Monte? (on Blue Note.) I wanted to be a jazz guitarist until I realized that it would take work, and I wouldn't sound good unless I have other musicians to play with. George Van Epps was one of my real favorites because he finger-picked a seven string guitar with the seventh string being a deep bass. He was self-contained. If you haven't heard anything by him, I may have to remedy that situation.
Rick: Thanks for the site! Hey, if I ever get the Messengers up to Canada, we will definitely stop over for breakfast... :-)
Art: And I DEFINITELY know what you like. For most of my life, until I ran across Mudlark, you were the only person I could share my love of jazz with, and we overlap almost completely on the music we love... Thanks for sharing it with me all these years.
Kaleaa: Yes, I love the smattering of recordings that combine early jazz, blues and gospel... To hear someone belting out "Come Over Here" with la tuba in the background really gives me a kick. Frankie, one of my friends in the Gospel Messengers, explained the difference between gospel and juke joint music. In gospel you can jump up and down, but don't move your hips sideways... that's what you do in a juke joint. The difference between Holy and Secular music is all in the hips. :-)
Gargoyle: No surprise to see your list... it's all stuff that Art and I have exchanged, over the years.
Genie: A great list of songs for nursing homes... although I've found that many people in nursing homes think that those vintage songs are too new. I always get a kick out of that... I've gone back to Bicycle Built For Two and And The Band Played On, when that happens.
Bill D: Thanks for the link. When I click the blue clicky it says that the message is dead, but I can still pull up lists. I just got a two CD set of old black gospel and spirituals from 78's from venerable records, and while it's hardly "easy listening" it's fascinating stuff.
Thanks to everyone else who chipped in. Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: MikeofNorthumbria Date: 22 Jul 02 - 07:55 AM Hi Jerry!
Quite a few of the hard-core folkies I know are keen jazzers. Many others are not (a few can't bear the stuff). I can't recall any other factor that correlates with this division - but then taste in music is such a very personal thing.
For me, a remark Humphrey Lyttleton made in a radio interview gets pretty close to explaining the unique appeal of this kind of music. Humph said "Jazz is the only kind of music which appeals simultaneously to the head, the heart, and the feet." I would't agree entirely - try dancing to an Ornette Coleman record - but I see what he's getting at.
For me, there are no clear frontiers between "folk" and "jazz". Last Saturday night, I was at a ceilidh held to celebrate the 25th birthday of Hexham Morris men. The band (Peeping Tom) finished the evening with a Circassian Circle, danced to "I Got Rythym" and "Puttin' on the Ritz". It worked beautifully - I'm sure George Gershwin would have been pleased (though Fred Astaire might not have approved of some of the stepping). Wassail! |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: KingBrilliant Date: 22 Jul 02 - 07:31 AM Someone told me that it would take me two years before I could really appreciate Jazz - so although I had enjoyed the CD he had lent me, I couldn't possibly have been enjoying it right. That's the side of jazz that gets right on my tights, so to speak. I like a bit of mellow good-time sunny-day jazz though (if I may be allowed to do so). KRis |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Mooh Date: 22 Jul 02 - 07:09 AM There were interesting workshop/performances at Home County Folk Festival yesterday (London Ontario Canada) which featured alot of jazz and blues. Players/singers included Mose Scarlet, Curly Boy Stubbs, Ken Whiteley, Jackie Washington, Georgette Fry, and others (sorry, I'm doing this from memory). Some jazz and blues standards played with the same instrumentation as folkies and bluegrassers would use, and it works very well. I guess good music is good music regardless of instrumentation. Gotta say that Whiteley's mandolin playing was spot on. The drift of tunes from genre to genre can be quite revealing. All music is derivative, most is more closely related than the industry would have us believe, and the folk process works equally well in non-"folk" musics. Anyway, to me at least, it's not so much how music is played but how it's heard. Lots of folk (and folkies) can play with great ability in other styles, but tend to hear in their preferred style. There's lots of fun to be had when the styles are stretched. Think I'll listen to something different today. Peace, Mooh. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Peter Kasin Date: 22 Jul 02 - 03:46 AM Mudlark, hang onto that one! |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Bill D Date: 21 Jul 02 - 08:04 PM hmmm, McGrath...most streaming files are Real Audio...unless you have some setting turned off, it should work....*shrug*...(at least there are downloadable ones in the pages) |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: GUEST,rob Date: 21 Jul 02 - 07:13 PM I love jazz too. I think what draws me the most to it (and also to alot of folk and bluegrass) is the improvisation. Not only is it impressive to me that people can improvise in music together so well, but i find it very easy to get caught up in a peice that is improvised. I start to feel what the artist is feeling and my energy levels will, during the course of a jazz cd or song, match those of the music. I will often put on some upbeat jazz when i am trying to finish a term paper or put on slower, more mellow stuff when i come back from a workout to help slow me down. For me Jazz and folk music together comprise the music of life, because in a sense, it is alive. No other kind of music touches me like they do. -rob |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 21 Jul 02 - 05:48 PM Looks a brilliant site - but for some reason I can never get the streaming sound files on the site to work for me. Very frustrating. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Bill D Date: 21 Jul 02 - 11:22 AM did you miss this link a few days ago? Red Hot Jazz is there, along with others.....and everything you'd ever want to know about old records.... |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: GUEST,vl Date: 21 Jul 02 - 10:44 AM There are great songs and tunes from every era but around 1955 to circa '64 were really great,IMO. Miles Davis, Coltrane, McCoy Tyner,Monk, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans and a bunch of others turned out some of their best stuff during this period. Also love Bix, Jellyroll Morton, Lang, Venuti, Frankie Trumbauer and them from that period and Lester Young on the Kansas City Six recordings and the early stuff he did with Billie Holiday (his two choruses on her Man I Love are about as good as it gets). vl |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Benjamin Date: 21 Jul 02 - 02:28 AM I'm not a huge jazz fan. Still, out is West Virgina a couple years ago I got hear an increadible pianist named Bross Townsend. He's blind and appearently even lost some feeling in his hands, which makes what I heard even more amazing. I had the chance to meet him a couple times the next day. He and his wife are very sweet people. Anyone interested in Jazz (or not) should really look into him. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Genie Date: 21 Jul 02 - 01:46 AM Since I sing and play (guitar) for a lot of retirement residences and senior centers, there's a lot of demand for the popular & jazz standards from the '20s, '30s, '40s, etc. I don't mind at all, since there are so many great songs to choose from. I love Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Ruth Brown, I've had to broaden my guitar skills (especially expanding my arsenal of chords) as I started branching out from folk and country/western. I think one reason I like doing jazz standards is that my voice is suited to that kind of music as well as or better than to traditional folk (though I didn't think so when I first started out). Glad to hear there are other "folkies" who appreciate jazz in its various forms, too. Genie |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 20 Jul 02 - 01:06 PM My tastes are in tune with Giac and Thieme
Ahmad Jamal Bill Evans Clare Fischer Theolonious Monk John Coltrane
Dave Brubeck Quartet George Gershwin
Sincerely, |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: GUEST,Leadfingers Date: 20 Jul 02 - 12:24 PM The first Folk Club I Joined was the Hermitage Zazz and Folk Song Club in Hitchin.Louis Killen ran the Folk club and the first Guest I saw there was Red Sullivan (of Troubadour fame)Up to that point I was a serious clarinet and sax man with a strong leaning towards Jonny Dodds and Sidney Bechet.I now play guitar and banjo and mandolin and still like to sit in at Jazz sessions on Whistle. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: fat B****rd Date: 20 Jul 02 - 12:11 PM Yeah Man !! Hot 5s and 7s, Kansas City style, Basie, Ellington, Parker et al, Charles Lloyd, Lee Morgan, Bill Evans.........the list is endless for me, sadly unlike the lives of so many greats including my particular favourite Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: GUEST,Sonja Date: 20 Jul 02 - 04:11 AM I love trad Jazz, especially the old jazz standards of the 20s through early 50s. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Kaleea Date: 20 Jul 02 - 02:43 AM Yes, I do love Jazz, & many styles of Jazz, especially the very early Jazz music. I listened to Jazz records--in addition to the Beatles & all the top 40's on the local teen station when I was a kid, & never knew other kids who listened to Jazz--except for the boy from France who was my pen pal (through a teen magazine, of course!). The older I get, the more I love the early Jazz greats such as Duke, Count, Louis, the many singers & instrumentalists who committed their lives to traveling in old busses from town to town performing & often having to sleep in the bus or train station, for no hotel they played in would permit them to sleep there. And I love to hear rare recordings of the music from which both Jazz & Bluegrass/Gospel sprang from, and how the music wandered about & was influenced by various ethnic populations in cities or the wailing sound of the deep south which both Bluegrass & Blues came from. Which takes us back to where we are, as good Bluegrass instrumentalists play improvised variations on a theme with solid rhythm backup, and is, to me, side by side with Jazz. Jazz has more horns and syncopation, but is very much the same as Bluegrass. And I am just as comfortable performing one as the other--vocal &/or instrumental. I was playing rhythm guitar (& thumping out the walking bass lines with my thumb) in a ceoli band several years back, when I realized that the ragtime music of Tin Pan Alley care directly from what we were playing! It is a natural thing that we lovers of "traditional" music would love the Art form invented right here in the USA-- the traditional music of America (still being passed down from generation to generation) wich we call Jazz! |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Mudlark Date: 19 Jul 02 - 09:56 PM Chantyranger...I have the original 10-in Fantasy recording of Baker's Songs...one of those transparent neon blue jobs. Played it thin as a kid. Great range of songs, too...Funny Valentine, But Not for Me, I Get Along Without you Very Well. Sexy, wistful....but not as heartbreaking as his rendition of Blame it On My Youth from the Let's Get Lost soundtrack. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Art Thieme Date: 19 Jul 02 - 09:55 PM The man himself, LESTER YOUNG's sax----especially playin' duets with NAT COLE---piano. The film BIRD. The film ROUND MIDNIGHT. Dexter Gordon's nomintion for an Academy Award in that one should've won him the statue. Monk, Chet, Bird Parker, Mulligan, Teagarden, Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing Lounge live LP--Chicago, The jazz score from the film I Want To Live so many other musicians, LPs etc. Joe Venuti, Stuff Smith, Red Rodney-trumpet) duet jazz with Ira Sullivan on sax after putting down his trumpet and learning sax seemingly over night !!) And so much more... Art Thieme
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: mack/misophist Date: 19 Jul 02 - 09:25 PM Yes, please. Do you think the problem could be that the jazz sound is so diverse that, while the generic answer is always yes, the specific answer may often be no? |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 19 Jul 02 - 08:50 PM Jazz, mmmmh Great! |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: GUEST,Tix Retter Date: 19 Jul 02 - 08:19 PM The following is a quote by G. Gershwin and is taken from William G Hyland's book 'The Song is Ended'.
"Jazz I regard as an American folk-music - not the only one but a very powerful one which is probably in the
'In class wars, it is the side that wins who kills most.'
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Peter Kasin Date: 19 Jul 02 - 07:30 PM Yes, I'm a big fan of jazz. I listen to alot of bop and hard bop - Parker, Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Kinny Dorham, early Lee Morgan. Favorite jazz singers - Billie Holiday, Anita O'Day, and my favorite lovemaking CD - "My Funny Valentine:Chet Baker Sings For lovers." I also listen to John Coltrane in his various stages of development. Among the new crop of musicians? Joe Lovano is very good - haven't kept up with the latest performers, though. Always open to recommendations. Chanteyranger
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 19 Jul 02 - 07:10 PM New Orleans and such like, yes indeed. I get confused by most things that stray too far from that.
Basically what I like is Jazz that feels like it's folkmusic rather than art music, and for dancing rather than listening to. Which is the way I feel about instrumental music generally.
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: C-flat Date: 19 Jul 02 - 07:07 PM Wow Rick! I guess I wasn't here either when you were jamming this down everyones throat. Fantastic site!!! |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: greg stephens Date: 19 Jul 02 - 07:00 PM I learned incredible amounts from Venuti/Lang.Any folkie guitarist should have a listen to Eddie Lang just to hear how a perfect accompanist works.Mind you it nearly made me give up. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Rick Fielding Date: 19 Jul 02 - 06:52 PM Jerry, jerry, jerry! I guess you weren't here when I was trying to jam THISRedhot Jazz down everyone's throat. What an amazing site it is. Listen to the very first multi-tracked recording. (No it isn't Les Paul, it's Sidney Bechet playing six instruments in the thirties) Feeling down? I just listen to Bix play "Singin' the Blues" over and over again. There is so much here, that even though I've been listening and reading for two years I've only scratched the surface. Enjoy. Rick P.S. As I mentioned in the other thread, we're still enjoyin' The Gospel Messengers for breakfast.....starting to hum and tap along. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Mudlark Date: 19 Jul 02 - 03:16 PM Hi Fogie....I don't knock Kenny G at all--just don't think of his music as jazz (altho IMO its not as rich or complex as, say, Coltrane or Monk), any more than I think of Billy Joel as folk music. I'm all for musicians making real music, whether I happen to like it or not. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Ebbie Date: 19 Jul 02 - 03:02 PM I know very little about jazz itself- although I've always liked Dixieland. The other night at music, the father of one of the musicians played some standards for us on the piano like Easy to Love, Darktown Strutters Ball and some others. He is very good and it was a joy to listen to. What seemed so remarkable was how supple and strong his hands are, and he is, I imagine, in his upper 70s. For years he played in the Dean Bushnell orchestra in the Denver area. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: C-flat Date: 19 Jul 02 - 02:52 PM Hi Jerry, As you know I'm a big "hot-club" fan, mostly because of Djangos' guitar playing. As a guitar player I do tend to be drawn to music/musicians where the guitar features heavily. I'm not a great fan of "modern" jazz, I prefer to be able to tap my foot and "join-in" the melody. I once had the chance to visit Ronnie Scotts' jazz club in London and was looking forward to seeing some great musicians in an intimate environment, but instead I was treated to some technically great musicians who seemed to be each playing a different piece of music at the same time. They started together and they finished together, so they clearly understood it, but it left me unmoved. As for "big-band" jazz, whilst I don't listen to it at home, I occasionally go to listen in to a local group of musicians while they rehearse on Sunday mornings. It's very powerful and quite educational to watch the band leader pull together this large ensemble into a cohesive unit. I've played a fair bit of jazz guitar, either with a gypsy-jazz trio or as a dep' for the big band, and found it an extremely sharp learning curve which I've been able to take with me into other areas of music. So, in answer to your question, YES, count me in! |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: fogie Date: 19 Jul 02 - 12:55 PM Nnnniiice! I try to listen in to the jazz progs Sat evening Radio3 and the Saturday showcases around 11pm after Andy Kershaw. The more I hear the more it fascinates, but I like the early stuff best. Don't knock Kenny G -I wish I could play like him, He's got a lovely sense of mild Klezmer Funk, and his tunes are nice, It takes all kinds- many rooms in the house etc. |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Mudlark Date: 19 Jul 02 - 12:41 PM Ahhhh....thanks for this thread, Jerry! Just seeing all these great names makes me happy. Any kind of guitar--jazz, classical, folk--has a special place in my heart, but oh, those sexy, smoky, late-night sax sounds...how empty life would be without them! That Turintine Ballads album is so good I can't seem to wrestle it out of the CD player.
One thing I like about good jazz (I agree, Kenny G...not) is that is can be both foreground--and background, when necessary. When I'm listening to folk, it demands my entire attention, I listen to every word, every nuance. But some mellow jazz in the background is perfect for other occupations, like writing, and is even very conducive to convivial conversation. Too many favorites to name in the jazz genre, but Mulligan and Desmond spring instantly to mind...Dexter Gordon, Bill Evans...don't get me started! |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Mark Clark Date: 19 Jul 02 - 11:46 AM I'm a big jazz fan too, especially bebop. The more new age things get, the faster I'm outta there. I like the older jazz too, gimmie Bix or Sidney or "The quintet" and you'll have to chase me off. - Mark |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: M.Ted Date: 19 Jul 02 - 11:35 AM Count me in--I've been listening a lot to Django lately, also Barney Kessel, Joe Pass-- wish I could find some Billy Bauer stuff to listen to--love the other instruments, too, from Bud Powell and Lennie Tristano to James P. Johnson--anyway, Jazz is folk music too-- |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: BanjoRay Date: 19 Jul 02 - 09:57 AM My first three years of playing the banjo were in a trad jazz session in a pub, and occasional sitting in with the band. While heavily into Old Time string bands now, my latest CD is by Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang - sublime stuff. Cheers |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 19 Jul 02 - 09:49 AM I like jazz if the instrumentation is string-oriented. Play it using guitars, violins, mandolins and banjos and I'm a rapt audience. Pull out a lot of horns and keyboards and I'm outa there. I much prefer acoustic otientation, but will listen to a good electric guitarist. Bruce |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: Steve Parkes Date: 19 Jul 02 - 09:33 AM Don't love it, but I like it. Very much. Steve |
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Subject: RE: Jazz, anyone? From: rich-joy Date: 19 Jul 02 - 09:26 AM Abso-bloody-lutely, Jerry!!!!!!! (has a fair following Down Under too ...) Cheers! R-J |
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