What Happened to jazz?
Swayze
14,705 Posts
Seriously. With the exception of a couple new bands (big bang Im pointing at you). I really don't like any new jazz. Seriously, what happened to jazz?
Comments
Perhaps you are
All depends on who you talk to, what critics/artists/historians you put your faith in.
There are new guys who can still bring talent and something to say to the music, and there are still some giants who still deliver quality recordings and live performance (Randy Weston, Andrew Hill until recently, RIP, to name just a couple).Lots of factors have contributed to the marginalizing of Jazz in the marketplace, as well as it's relevance(or current lack thereof) in the broader American cultural landscape.
I still maintain a weekly Jazz night/happy hour dj gig at a local DC club, and it never really gets old for me because it encompasses so much vital music and endless styles and trends over the years. And I love it because to me Jazz is music that is equal parts familiar and challenging.
I still maintain a weekly Jazz night/happy hour dj gig
I wanna find a place to do this so badly...I'd try to throw some in at our weekly, but it doesnt seem to fit in with mashed potato monkey boogaloo part 2 or fuzz guitars and Polish go go girl type stuff. It needs its own few hours.
Yup. Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Brian Blade, Roy Hargrove & the RH Factor, etc. plus TONS of small talent that plays live and few people have ever heard of. Plus the legends like McCoy Tyner are still out there playing.
What is true is that there aren't as many phenomenal jazz LPs out there anymore, and there are fewer artists pushing boundries and experimenting with new sounds. Too many jazz theory cats out there buggin out on tonal progressions & not enough people out there just playing it by ear.
I wanna find a place to do this so badly...I'd try to throw some in at our weekly, but it doesnt seem to fit in with mashed potato monkey boogaloo part 2 or fuzz guitars and Polish go go girl type stuff. It needs its own few hours.
the solution I proposed that worked was a Wednesday night from 7-10pm. Some nights start at 6pm if they have an event starting at 9pm. This way you can get the straight-from-work-crowd, and the early evening crowd is WAY more open to music that they can vibe to and enjoy without dancing, while dining or socializing. Plus my friends with jobs/families are more likely to attend occasionally as it doesn't START at 10pm. You 35+ dudes and gals know what I mean.
I hardly ever have to deal with any crowd BS, as people are dispatched from the get-go that we do JAZZ tonight, period. And I am always pleased when people tell you how much they love what you are playing or how much they love Herbie Hancock, or Miles, or whatever you are playing, or even when they make requests. Where else can you actually satisfy a request for 'On Green Dolphin Street' or Nat Adderley's 'Work Song'?If you are in the DC area on a Wed nite, stop on in, either me or my partner will be there making the club safe for Jazz at Cafe Saint-Ex, 14th and T NW DC!
"Tom Araya is Our Elvis" is a favorite as well as the How To Raise An Ox stuff. Brutal at times. Mostly unpredictable, and without a care of "who" is listening. Here's their accompaniment with Spaceways, Inc., doing "Theme De Yoyo".
Dude, come on. What music stays the same?
And please clarify, "before" what? "Before" meaning jazz you first got turned onto 3-5-10 years ago? Everyone's frame of reference is unique, so for purpose of discussion, I try to limit it to a reasonably accepted historical context. If you are saying that Jazz in the 60s (which I am assuming you did not hear first hand, few around here did) was different than what grew out of that 60s style and sound into the 70s, I think that kind of goes without saying. However, if you think that it was inherently 'better', well that sparks all kinds of discussion and is certainly of some interest.
A cover of Funkadelic's "Trash A-Go-Go".
this title alone makes it seem essential, and I havent even heard it
Their voyages into the Sun Ra catalog shouldn't be taken lightly either.
finding our forced exposure wholesale customer number and making an order
Indigo Jam Unit
Steve Coleman (still)
Andy Milne
Bob Glasper
Hajime Yoshizawa
Jazztronik...
The talent is out there, but the music in general has been marginalised because it's hard to market to kids. It's seen as old-man music amongst the kids, no? There is not big 50-cent-style money in it, so why should the biggies market it at all? There are no video-friendly images, no lyrics, and so much else that needs to be instantly understandable to get the attention of those with the disposable income.
I think it also has to be seen live to be appreciated properly - this was the case for me and got me playing bass 20 years ago. Fortunately it seems the artists can get by without the endorsement of the biggies now. Props to Gilles Peterson and any Strut DJs spinning Jazz.
True. Heard his Dilla tribute stuff? Killa - and totally in the tradition of the idiom... taking music of the day and dropping it in a jazz stylee
the same thing that happened to hip hop