Top Most Exciting Things About Jazz

Khaled Ahmad · July-14th-2004, 01:10 PM

Well, since we had the annoying thread, how about some good things about the music huh?!

1. The rhythm section- almost unmatched by any style of "mainstream" music. The drummers are so exciting, which is funny considering that on the most annoying things about jazz thread, the drumming was one of the options! As far as the bassists are concerened, before I got into jazz, I almost never even heard the bass! Now I feel like something is missing when I listen to a lot of rock and pop music, and its really the lack of any decent bass playing.

2. The way the artists play each tune differently, every time- You definitely have to be into jazz to like this kind of playing. A song that Coltrane plays, is going to sound different when Pat Martino plays it, and not just because they play different instruments, but its because they put in their personal touches to the song that makes each man's version of a song "equal." I think "Impressions" by Coltrane is one of the best songs I ever heard, but that doesn't mean I think he plays it better then Martino. Hell, there are so many version of that song just done by Coltrane himself that its impossible to pick one over the other. What I'm trying to say is each artists puts so much energy and personality into their songs, thats its impossible to say "x is better then x" because the music has nothing to do with who can play the fastest or anything involved with technique.

Tom K · July-15th-2004, 09:07 AM

The way it gets under my skin and makes my pulse rate go up - and also the way it intrigues me: How the heck do they do it?

timoleon · July-15th-2004, 10:08 AM

the ability to give out so many different sounds which creat a whole galaxy of feelings and various moods you can travel into.
and all that without using so pompous style or fighting to make it obvious.
just smooth and gently-with a blow in the heat of the night

Steve Reynolds · July-15th-2004, 11:41 AM

from live perforamances from one man alone - my # 1 jazz hero - Joe Maneri - who for those who don't know released his first recordings after the age of 65 - the *great* Joe Maneri

1) Papa Joe "getting up" from the stool an ambling over to the piano

2) After the Round Man plays an exceptionally instense saxophone solo, he rests his head to the side and his son comes over to cjheck to makes sure he's alright

3) Seeing Joe on the sidewalk for the first time while crossing Norfolk Street

4) Hearing how the DC performance affected Rita when she *heard* and saw the great man for the first time

5) Hearing Joe yell to Mat that "THIS GUY BUYS OUR RECORDS!"

6) The greeting at Joe's first NYC appearance with his quartet on that amazing night - when he looked up expecting a few (I guess) and seeing a full room - "It's nice to be here - It's AMAZING to be here"

7) That incredible, moving hour of music concluded by a duo which I think was "Body and Soul" with Joe on piano and Mat on violin - I think a few besides me cryed with joy

8) Joe's entrance to the basement at the knit when stppped by the door person - "I'm IN the Band"

9) After one improvisation, Joe is resting in his chair while the others finsih - and then he says that "Duke Ellington just called and asked me to play "Sophisticated Lady" " - and then he played it, of course, like no one else has, can or ever will be able to

10) Having my wife meet and hear Joe live and seeing him smile and give as much love to an audience as any musician I have ever known

I understand he is now not breathing well on his own but no matter how much time he has left, I hope he is well in his heart and I hope he is still smiling

Get Ready to Receive Yourself

Frisco · July-15th-2004, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Reynolds

from live perforamances from one man alone - my # 1 jazz hero - Joe Maneri - who for those who don't know released his first recordings after the age of 65 - the *great* Joe Maneri

I understand he is now not breathing well on his own but no matter how much time he has left, I hope he is well in his heart and I hope he is still smiling

Get Ready to Receive Yourself

Oh my god! I just saw Joe down in Athens, Ga. Somebody told me that he was carrying oxygen. But I saw him at the restaurant without air, and he performed fabulously withour air. I didn;t know it was so serious. He scheduled to play at Tonic in August!!

Steve Reynolds · July-15th-2004, 12:20 PM

with a quartet, Pat?

when?

not that I know that I'll be able to make it - but I will try (and try for Dennis too)

Frisco · July-15th-2004, 12:32 PM

Saturday August 14, 8pm at Tonic
a group called Anti-Social Music plays Joe Maneri Chamber Works
plus Joe Maneri Trio w/Mat and Randy Peterson.

That's the night before Mark Dresser's Farewell Concert.

And yes, I'm not sure about the "most exciting" things in jazz
but one of the nicest things in jazz has to be Joe's smile and
really his whole personality.

Steve Reynolds · July-15th-2004, 12:34 PM

where is Mark Dresser *going*?

Frisco · July-15th-2004, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Reynolds

where is Mark Dresser *going*?

From what I heard on another thread here, Mark is taking over the vacancy that his former teacher Bertram Turetzky is leaving in San Diego.

Jazz-in-Aust · July-17th-2004, 07:34 AM

I love the sheer virtuosity that is needed from jazz musicians to play the music. In pop and rock, it is not needed as much, but in jazz you have to be the master of your instrument and your music to be able to create great music.

but the one thing i love about jazz is...

the variety of sounds and feelings you can get from jazz. This music makes you shout and stomp your feet, but at the same time, it can make you feel the blues in a way that you had never felt it before. Jazz is the language of the emotions

Pete C · July-18th-2004, 11:30 PM

The chicks.

bluenoter · July-19th-2004, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Reynolds

from live perforamances from one man alone - my # 1 jazz hero - Joe Maneri - who for those who don't know released his first recordings after the age of 65 - the *great* Joe Maneri . . .

4) Hearing how the DC performance affected Rita when she *heard* and saw the great man for the first time

I understand he is now not breathing well on his own but no matter how much time he has left, I hope he is well in his heart and I hope he is still smiling

Sergio Zamora · July-19th-2004, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete C

The chicks.

Pete C · July-19th-2004, 08:02 AM

Sergio, you beat me to it. That was going to be my defense if I was accused of sexism.

Sand · July-19th-2004, 10:22 AM

The Thing?

GodSpeliZed · July-19th-2004, 03:19 PM

1 - Finding out new exciting and intriguing musicians, or new exciting and intriguing things about known musicians.........

2 - All the good sensations music provide to me.........

(.... the less obvious thing that came in my mind, after a strong reflection..........

)

3 - All the times I find out something that makes me stop and wonder "What is that?"

crawjo · July-21st-2004, 12:58 AM

The first time I ever heard Cecil Taylor. Rick Kick Shaw. It was as if a door had been opened to me, and a whole world of music, of which I was previously unaware, was just waiting for me to discover it.

GodSpeliZed · July-21st-2004, 03:44 PM

This is not an exciting thing, but something very nice, imo:

Last night, I was reading, waiting for a concert by Dave Douglas on radio. He introduced a new composition with a little anecdote. Douglas said that he was teaching to a boy, 7 years old, a piece of Monk on the piano. The boy learned the first two bars, then he started repeating them. Douglas said that the two bars sounded very good, technically, but, unfortunately, quite repetitive. So, after some time, he began to write this composition (I don't remember the name of Monk's piece, maybe it could be 'Blue Monk'....), tryin' to go out of that repetition. I liked the way Douglas stated this (it's the first time I hear him speaking.....), so that's what.