Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
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I was thinking on how close we are to the end of the world as we know it: Jazz is pretty much the only music I listen to. I was talking to someone and they said, "Jazz is dead", and I think what he meant is that everything that could be done in the genre of jazz has been done; there is nothing new that can be done. I think this is pretty much true for music, and for art (and for literature, and probably a few more I can't think of). So in addition to all the other signs of this being the final few years of "Earth", perhaps the depletion of the creative activities, in terms of potential new things, is just one more sign.
As someone who used to listen to smooth jazz in younger days, but never actually listened to serious jazz, I have always wanted to get into Jazz. What would be some of the Jazz pieces that you rate personally the greatest ?
I consider, and probably 10s of millions of people, the Miles Davis album "Kind of Blue" to be one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, jazz album of all time! I STILL get goosebumps when I listen to it! Another one I really like is the Herbie Hancock album "Maiden Voyage". Some individual songs to consider are "Stolen Moments" from the Oliver Nelson album "The Blues and the Abstract Truth" and the single track "Maiden Voyage" from the Herbie Hancock album. That should get you going; please let me know what you think.
Thanks fren.
Steely Dan! Yes! As a "bridge" from rock to jazz, you can't do much better than Steely Dan! The full-length version of the song Aja is a great one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG2seugAgnU
Switch genres..
When I really started getting into music as a teen my genres were a mix of classic and hard rock, Spanish pop, and a little american top 40 . All three of those genres have devolved into rubbish I no longer listen to. And even when something comes out that I am inspired by, the artist always ends up failing me.
On the other hand, kpop and jpop keep me alive. Genre fusions, advanced production, actually catchy melodies, great videos, etc. Sure, there is lot of garbage, even from artists I like but I feel everytime I hear a song that is transcendental it was worth past disappointments.
I can imagine in a genre like jazz where it is as much about experimentation as it is tradition, it can feel pretty stagnant because how can you push forward without alienating your core?
So maybe try something else. Prog rock, Indie rap, Vocaloid music, surely there is something out there that will let you know music is alive and well. For me it is K and Jpop, you just have to find yours.
Although jazz may be "dead" in terms of new things to try, there are so many jazz artists I haven't even begun to listen to, and I have so many CDs I have only heard once, that I doubt I'll try venturing into other musical forms, but my son-in-law is a huge K-pop fan, so perhaps I'll give it a listen :)
European jazz is taking off these days, its becoming a blend of classical, dance, free jazz and ambient musics.
Hania Rani, Grandbrothers, Mammal Hands to name a few.
To be fair though, wouldn't this have been the viewed the same for classical music, for rock and roll, etc, as well as abstract art, classical art, etc during their heydays? Then the next new thing comes along, starting the cycle all over again. We are in a creative rut as a society, sure, but we have been in a general stagnation of society as a whole for 2-3 decades, but that's not end of times, that's life in a dying country.
I understand what you mean across all genres. At least we will always have the classics. Currently enjoying the Brown Rice LP by Don Cherry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS8PK53DYGA
I think I'll need to check out some EARLIER Don Cherry :)
I tend to like wilder stuff like the Coltrane stream of jazz: Mccoy Tyner, Pharaoh Sanders, Alice Coltrane and the fusion era with Miles, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc.
I have a McCoy Tyner big band CD I really like! I saw him at the Arcosanti music festival (AZ) in 1977?. I have a few Maha cds. I've only heard snippets of Pharoah Sanders (one where he plays, I think, 3 saxophones at once :) ). Totally unfamiliar with Alice Coltrane.
I currently have no Don Cherry CDs, and have only occasionally heard some of his stuff. My trumpet players are currently limited to Miles, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Donald Byrd, and a little Clifford Brown, Chet Baker, and Maynard Ferguson. There are a few other greats I haven't delved into either. I'll need to look into Don Cherry a little more. Thanks