So is freedom what jazz is about?

[Jerry NT]

I was watching an older gentleman (when I say older, I myself am 55) playing "Girl From Impanema" when he went to Gbmaj9 instead of Gb9 (Key of F). He said that he liked the sound of it better and that he just didn't like Gb9. (Especially the barre chord version with the 9th picked up on the E string.)

Then I read about chord substitution on another website.

So, then is it the freedom to change things when they sound good that makes jazz?

If so, then I will have to fight against the years of playing it like it is written, thinking that that is the sound it's supposed to have.

 

And what if the song is already complex? How will substitution work there?

Is it something that only time will teach me?

 

 

 

Bear with this older guy as I try to figure it out on my own, with help from you of course.

[Terje]

If you like how something sounds, why not play it like that? Who cares if it was written differently?

A bass player I know saidit like this to me once, andi think that about sums it up, "You can look at the melody and chords as a blue print. You can play whatever you like really".

[Factor]

The only trouble I see with this on-the-spot free interpretation is that when you are playing with others you need to have the same reference point with regards to the harmony/melody.

Of course, writing this out and sharing it with your group is okey, and really neat

Jazz, and all music, needs constant interpretation, adaptation and creativity.

I hope the day never comes when a lead sheet is as explicit as a musical score.

[Joe Merlino]

Jazz, to me, is about the search for the sound. Someone described jazz as "the sound of surprise", which goes along with that idea, because if you're truly searching, you're going to come upon things you didn't expect.

Freedom, then, is a necessary complement, because in order to really search, you need to have the freedom to look in any direction. So for me, freedom is necessary, but it isn't the primary motivator, if that makes sense.

[Jerry NT]

Equating music to something I am familiar with, public speaking. I guess that the lead sheet is like an outline. The outline gives you general facts and figures, but you fill in the details and phrase it in your own words and style. This comes out like a natural conversation that you would have in real life. It allows you to put your own feelings into the talk.

A musical score is more like what is called a manuscript talk. You read the talk. Of course, a good speaker can add accents and emphasis here and there and it sounds as if it were his own words. A good musician can do the same with a score.

It took quite a bit for me to shift from manuscript to extemporaneous in public speaking. I was too afraid of making mistakes. But I guess in music, mistakes actually add humanity to the mix.

[Terje]

Originally posted by Jerry NT But I guess in music, mistakes actually add humanity to the mix.

 

 

Recently did some recordings and you will often notice that your mistakes are what sounds best. Sounds stupid but it's pretty logical actually. They sound fresh!