|
Jazz Appreciation
I can ask the question I am going to ask in a few different ways, being careful not to upset people, but this is the one I chose, so be easy on me :-)
I am a relatively new jazz listener, 3 to 4 years, making it an effort to listen to it for its improvisational aspects. The general impression I had prior to getting into it was, Jazz is sophisticated and complex. What I listened to, did not sound complex and I could enjoy a good chunk of it. It was along the lines of, if it sounds good to me, it is good!! But my more serious jazz-fan friends and to some extent some of the discussions in this board scare me a bit into thinking there is really more complexity to it in terms of appreciation.
The reviews of jazz albums I read also contribute to it since I can't quite relate to the subtle aspects being taken apart and analyzed. That tells me there are more layers of onions to be peeled. Another issue, especially with my friends, is this whole discussion of 'what is Jazz?'. I once told one of them 'Hey, I really liked Nina Simone's Missisippi Gaddamn' and his reaction was 'Oh, that is more big band stuff' and you should listen to this and this for true jazz. I thought he was really nuts ( though good intentioned ), but again, this complexity thing comes into picture. Along the same lines, the slate mag tearing apart Wynton M. makes it sound like it takes a lot to figure out and enjoy true jazz.
OK, all this to come to my main question. Is Jazz really complex to listen and enjoy? I once audited a course in college on 'Western classical music appreciation'. That was really good and helped me appreciate classical music better. I would consider Classical music to be complex enough to require such a thing to get more out of it. In a similar manner, I was introduced to Indian classical music and that took even more orientation from a good friend of mine to really get into it. That I found to be complex but immensely enjoyable treasure with their countless ragas and pitch-bending microtones etc.
In fact, that is where I was hooked on to their improvisonal way of playing their music which led me to Jazz. Do I need such a tutorial in a structured fashion to really distinguish between good jazz and the rest and to overall enjoyment of jazz beyond the surface level 'if it sounds good, it is ok'.
|
Linear Mode
