Esperanza Spaulding beat Bieber to Best New Artist Grammy a year or so ago.
She's jazz. Deal.
are grammy's being handed out on merit now? isn't it solely industry politics that determine who gets nominated for a grammy, much less who wins one?
i am not dissing esperanza spaulding one bit but she is an attractive, stylish female (not unlike norah jones or diana krall who paved the way before) who can be easily marketed to certain demographics (the strabucks crowd springs to mind)
Isnt the "Starbucks Crowd" as mainstream as you can get?
Astrud Gilberto or Roy Ayers were "vital" and "culturally relevant" and "commercial", but no more so than Spalding or any other cross over jazz artist of today.
In hindsight we give significance and importance to jazz performers of the past.
At the same time we often diminish the significance and importance of today's performers.
Time will tell.
starbucks is about as mainstream as it gets but i think the starbucks crowd probably skews towards the older, white, upper-middle-class demographic that is not exactly on the cutting edge of cultrual relevance, whatever that vague term i have been using means. again, i generally see "starbucks jazz" as exisiting for the purpose of creating a mood that connotes a degree of sophistication and refinement.
Coffee retail leviathan Starbucks is the K-Tel of the new millennium, assembling thematic compilations of songs that span musical genres but never stray far from the middle of the road -- like K-Tel, they cater to a demographic either too lazy or too distracted to enter an actual record store, thereby targeting consumers who prefer their music spoon-fed in lieu of seeking it out themselves. Assembling a dozen tracks from the Verve archives, Hot Java Jazz is essentially a primer for listeners with few or no jazz records in their collections, with a roster that spans from Billie Holiday ("Comes Love") to Nina Simone ("My Baby Just Cares for Me") to Bud Powell ("Dance of the Infidels"). It's hard to quibble with the music itself, but there's something unseemly about the package as a whole. But if you like your music with a corporate stamp and seal of approved, have at it, latt?? lover. http://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-java-jazz-mw0001438332
starbucks is about as mainstream as it gets but i think the starbucks crowd probably skews towards the older, white, upper-middle-class demographic that is not exactly on the cutting edge of cultrual relevance, whatever that vague term i have been using means. again, i generally see "starbucks jazz" as exisiting for the purpose of creating a mood that connotes a degree of sophistication and refinement.
Coffee retail leviathan Starbucks is the K-Tel of the new millennium, assembling thematic compilations of songs that span musical genres but never stray far from the middle of the road -- like K-Tel, they cater to a demographic either too lazy or too distracted to enter an actual record store, thereby targeting consumers who prefer their music spoon-fed in lieu of seeking it out themselves. Assembling a dozen tracks from the Verve archives, Hot Java Jazz is essentially a primer for listeners with few or no jazz records in their collections, with a roster that spans from Billie Holiday ("Comes Love") to Nina Simone ("My Baby Just Cares for Me") to Bud Powell ("Dance of the Infidels"). It's hard to quibble with the music itself, but there's something unseemly about the package as a whole. But if you like your music with a corporate stamp and seal of approved, have at it, latt?? lover. http://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-java-jazz-mw0001438332
Since Starbucks is your example/barometer, are u saying that 35 through 50 year olds are the main drinkers and are hanging out at Starbucks?
U dont see teens drinkin' that shit or using their laptop in there?
Now Its "the Cutting Edge of Cultural relevance?" Now the bar has gone from relevant to extremely relevant....
Does Jazz need a household face to be relevant to current music?
From what I see its still here, whether it selling units or not. Its still woven into the fabric.
U make it sound like its Barbershop Quartet Music, Opera or Jai Alai.
I dont think there's been a Genre in the last 30 years thats not w/out a corporate stamp.
I think these "jazz/rock/hip-hop is dead" arguments are pointless. If there's someone out there making and listening to this music, then it's still alive and relevant.
but to reiterate Harvey's point, I remember reading an interview with Phil Cohran where he said jazz died the moment it stopped trying to make people dance and became about admiring the technical prowess of guys like Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie. I'd say there's some truth to that, the same way opera and European classical music died a small death when they became sit down affairs, and when respecting the past became more important than the present. There's something appropriate about Phil Cohran's children having a NOLA-style brass band now, bringing it full circle in a way.
on the new jazz front, I think one of the best consequences of the whole afrobeat revival thing has been that a lot of groups have gone for a groove-oriented approach to jazz that maybe has been out of vogue since the 70s. I could be talking out of my ass on this one, and maybe there have been people making stuff like this all along, but the impression I get is that groups like NOMO and The Heliocentrics have gone back to a time when you could at least nod your head to some jazz recordings. Or maybe it's that a number of groups that started off as afrobeat (or Fela cover) bands have gone on to incorporate more jazz elements, I guess there's a fuzzy line between those two genres.
NOMO sometimes gets people to clap and sing along!
Heliocentrics - this is from their new album, which I haven't heard, but their album with Mulatu Astatke is great
here in Brazil there's a lot musicians following a similar path, Kiko Dinucci being one of the main ones
Met?? Met?? is one project of his:
they played in downtown S??o Paulo during a festival a few weeks ago and a friend told me it was packed and the crowd was singing along to all the songs, I'd say that's a sign of relevance.
Sambanzo is another project he's involved in, has a bit of a Peter King vibe to it:
Bixiga 70 is one of the local afrobeat outfits that popped up recently, this is them doing a Pedro Santos song from Krishnanda:
I had a copy on eBay recently that ended at $20 with no bids, but I ended up selling it elsewhere. It's not particularly known or in demand so it normally doesn't sell for much.
Love that Dadisi Komolafe. Here's a few that come to mind that haven't been mentioned:
I like what Harvey was saying about Jazz originating as communal experience where the line between performer and audience was blurred/ did not exist. This holds true for any musical form (Cape Breton fiddling) who's identity is woven into in the day to day fabric and rituals of a culture. This still happens today I'm sure, but not in my hood.
listening to Harold Land - Xocia's Dance (Muse 1982) right now and reminded of this thread. great LP, Harold had an amazing tone. so much good jazz in the 80's and I don't own nearly enough
pat martino - the return
charles earland - pleasant afternoon
linda ronstadt and nelson riddle
embryo- karnataka college of percussion and charlie mariano
monica linges- floating
johny thomas and lifefroce - 3000 worlds
sonny sharrock - ask the ages
houston person - suspicions
red rodeny - 3 R's
jimmy ponder - mean streets, no bridges
ricky ford- shorter ideas
horace silver - the ones on silveto
Comments
Isnt the "Starbucks Crowd" as mainstream as you can get?
And isnt that still "Cultural Relevance"?
Astrud Gilberto or Roy Ayers were "vital" and "culturally relevant" and "commercial", but no more so than Spalding or any other cross over jazz artist of today.
In hindsight we give significance and importance to jazz performers of the past.
At the same time we often diminish the significance and importance of today's performers.
Time will tell.
The op wanted us to list spiritual jazz lps from post '79 that are as great as pre'79 lps.
Since Starbucks is your example/barometer, are u saying that 35 through 50 year olds are the main drinkers and are hanging out at Starbucks?
U dont see teens drinkin' that shit or using their laptop in there?
Now Its "the Cutting Edge of Cultural relevance?" Now the bar has gone from relevant to extremely relevant....
Does Jazz need a household face to be relevant to current music?
From what I see its still here, whether it selling units or not. Its still woven into the fabric.
U make it sound like its Barbershop Quartet Music, Opera or Jai Alai.
I dont think there's been a Genre in the last 30 years thats not w/out a corporate stamp.
That's correct, thanks my man
but to reiterate Harvey's point, I remember reading an interview with Phil Cohran where he said jazz died the moment it stopped trying to make people dance and became about admiring the technical prowess of guys like Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie. I'd say there's some truth to that, the same way opera and European classical music died a small death when they became sit down affairs, and when respecting the past became more important than the present. There's something appropriate about Phil Cohran's children having a NOLA-style brass band now, bringing it full circle in a way.
on the new jazz front, I think one of the best consequences of the whole afrobeat revival thing has been that a lot of groups have gone for a groove-oriented approach to jazz that maybe has been out of vogue since the 70s. I could be talking out of my ass on this one, and maybe there have been people making stuff like this all along, but the impression I get is that groups like NOMO and The Heliocentrics have gone back to a time when you could at least nod your head to some jazz recordings. Or maybe it's that a number of groups that started off as afrobeat (or Fela cover) bands have gone on to incorporate more jazz elements, I guess there's a fuzzy line between those two genres.
NOMO sometimes gets people to clap and sing along!
Heliocentrics - this is from their new album, which I haven't heard, but their album with Mulatu Astatke is great
here in Brazil there's a lot musicians following a similar path, Kiko Dinucci being one of the main ones
Met?? Met?? is one project of his:
they played in downtown S??o Paulo during a festival a few weeks ago and a friend told me it was packed and the crowd was singing along to all the songs, I'd say that's a sign of relevance.
Sambanzo is another project he's involved in, has a bit of a Peter King vibe to it:
Bixiga 70 is one of the local afrobeat outfits that popped up recently, this is them doing a Pedro Santos song from Krishnanda:
I had a copy on eBay recently that ended at $20 with no bids, but I ended up selling it elsewhere. It's not particularly known or in demand so it normally doesn't sell for much.
I could listen to Piazzola all day.
But this one
might count as spiritual jazz.
I like what Harvey was saying about Jazz originating as communal experience where the line between performer and audience was blurred/ did not exist. This holds true for any musical form (Cape Breton fiddling) who's identity is woven into in the day to day fabric and rituals of a culture. This still happens today I'm sure, but not in my hood.
charles earland - pleasant afternoon
linda ronstadt and nelson riddle
embryo- karnataka college of percussion and charlie mariano
monica linges- floating
johny thomas and lifefroce - 3000 worlds
sonny sharrock - ask the ages
houston person - suspicions
red rodeny - 3 R's
jimmy ponder - mean streets, no bridges
ricky ford- shorter ideas
horace silver - the ones on silveto
just noticed my copy was printed in 83 but it was released in June of 79....