"Why Americans Don’t Like Jazz"

Flamencology said:
Point-by-point, I disagree with nearly his entire argument.
Click to expand...

On the contrary, many (not all) of his points are valid.

Ah, but what would I know, being American, growing up in a home full of a wide variety of music and generations of musicians?
 
I tend to disagree with most of the authors points as well.

But, I listen to music as a whole, not just the instrumentation. A lot of people don't.

Sent from my LG-LS720 using Tapatalk
 
Tig said:
On the contrary, many (not all) of his points are valid.

Ah, but what would I know, being American, growing up in a home full of a wide variety of music and generations of musicians?
Click to expand...

Some of it is partially valid, for sure. Part of the problem is that this was written 11 years ago.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
That's a pretty shitty article. But if a person's sole exposure to jazz is what they hear in elevators, then they're doing it wrong.
Click to expand...

Yep. The range of jazz and jazz sub-genres varies extensively, but most FM dial, pop based Americans have vary limited exposure or more likely, narrowed horizons. I'm okay with that.
 
I appreciate the talent that many jazz musicians possess, but it's just not for me. It's not a matter of being lazy in my musical choices, It's about knowing what styles of music i like and which styles i don't.
 
"Jazz" is a very wide reaching label that means different things to different people.

My wife thinks that many Jason Mraz songs sound "Jazzy" I think it's because most pop music doesn't use 9th chords or vocal scatting.

Wynton Marsalis would probably bristle at someone describing Kenny G or Michael Buble' as "jazz".


I can really appreciate fusion like Guthrie Govan, blusier end of jazz like you hear in Chicago, or even some of the smooth jazz crossover stuff like David Pack or something like Sting or Jeff Beck, but for me, I sometimes lose the narative, particularly when the format is too structured (now it's time for the piano solo, now the sax, now the bass player gets a few bars, back to the guitarist. :annoyed: ) I think most Americans are vocal driven (hence the stories in country or pop music despite the underlying music being so interchangeable.
 
“Jazz is musical wanking! If you want to wank, use that thing in your hand, not your sax!”
-- Jimmy Rabbitte (from The Commitments)
 
His article should be titled "Why Americans Don't Like Instrumental Jazz". While I don't necessarily disagree with the premise that instrumental jazz, particularly bebop, is less accessible to the general population, his argument seems like an over-simplification of the relationship between jazz and American society to me. He completely leaves jazz with vocals out of the discussion. He also ignores the fact that there are many different styles of jazz, too. Big band and swing, Gypsy jazz may be viewed very differently by the general population than hard bop.
 
Deep Eddy said:
His article should be titled "Why Americans Don't Like Instrumental Jazz". While I don't necessarily disagree with the premise that instrumental jazz, particularly bebop, is less accessible to the general population, his argument seems like an over-simplification of the relationship between jazz and American society to me. He completely leaves jazz with vocals out of the discussion. He also ignores the fact that there are many different styles of jazz, too. Big band and swing, Gypsy jazz may be viewed very differently by the general population than hard bop.
Click to expand...

I don't think it really makes a difference one way or another; it's not as though any of it is selling records, except for a handful of singers.
 
YuckyJazz.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top