The Real Book: Citation Needed!

[imbuedblue]

 

Wynton says it's not really jazz if the bass is amplified at all.

 

 

It's thoughts like these trying to define jazz that killed jazz. When jazz became not an evolving set of ideas or attitudes or questions but a particular instrumentation or sonic aesthetic.

[ElectricPuppy]

But... I like Autumn Leaves.

[Goofball Jones]

But... I like Autumn Leaves.

 

Bahahaha!! POSER!

 

 

 

 

I do too....

[girevik]

I'm not smart enough to answer "What killed jazz?" - as long as Brad Mehldau, Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis, and yes, even certain jazz guitarists are still alive and making music, the question means nothing to me.

 

What seems to kill a jazz performance though is this weird reluctance to use one's ears that I sense these days - seems like people don't want to learn jazz lines by ear - they want somebody else to write out exercises/drills for them, write out charts for them, etc. That's where the bitchin about the Real Book really begins - aspiring jazzers learning a tune from a book without listening to a great recording of said tune, then when they solo, it's some canned exercise/lick they learned off something printed on paper.

[Goofball Jones]

Some time ago, the tenor saxophonist Frank Foster was playing a street concert from the Jazzmobile in Harlem. He called for a blues in B-flat. A young tenor player began to play "out" from the first chorus, playing sounds that had no relationship to the harmonic progression or rhythmic setting. Foster stopped him.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

"Just playing what I feel."

 

"Well, feel something in B-flat, mother{censored}er."

[girevik]

"Well, feel something in B-flat, mother{censored}er."

 

[acidolem]

 

What seems to kill a jazz performance though is this weird reluctance to use one's ears that I sense these days - seems like people don't want to learn jazz lines by ear - they want somebody else to write out exercises/drills for them, write out charts for them, etc. That's where the bitchin about the Real Book really begins - aspiring jazzers learning a tune from a book without listening to a great recording of said tune, then when they solo, it's some canned exercise/lick they learned off something printed on paper.

 

 

this is just my observation: The written form of music has changed the process of improvisation.

Human nature - people more often take the easier path and improvisation is a difficult process.

During the classical period - Bach ,Handel, Mozart , Beethoven. all were proficient / brilliant improvisers. I recommend the book "the Bach reader" very insightful as to how necessary this skill (improv)was at that time to survive in the music scene.

of today's mix of killer sight readers and technically superb classical players most can not improvise in the styles that they read.

The Jazz scene on the amateur level seems to be contaminated by a similar syndrome. I've played to many gigs where the soloist plays in the same direction regardless what the trio behind him/her is playing. PRECONCEIVED notes and patterns.

I'm just babbling.

love you guys.

peace

[suitandtieguy]

 

During the classical period - Bach ,Handel, Mozart , Beethoven. all were proficient / brilliant improvisers. I recommend the book "the Bach reader" very insightful as to how necessary this skill (improv)was at that time to survive in the music scene.

 

 

when i realised what was going on with these charts i thought "jesus christ this is like someone telling you what ornaments to use where in a Baroque piece."