Loomis,
You stole my post almost word for word. Marsalis is an extremely accomplished technician, and the highest profile player in contemporary jazz. That's not too shabby a resume, right there.
OTOH, his compositional and interpretive work isn't my cup of tea. Forget about "Miles Davis Cool", Marsalis usually just flat out leaves me cold. That, however, is simply a matter of my personal taste (which, oddly, is just like Wynton's - largely stuck in the '50s).
I don't particularly like to listen to Steve Vai, either, but I could practice 24 hours a day for the next 100 years and never touch the guy's technical proficiency. I respect him, even if I don't particularly dig him. Same deal for Wynton.
Marty
You stole my post almost word for word. Marsalis is an extremely accomplished technician, and the highest profile player in contemporary jazz. That's not too shabby a resume, right there.
OTOH, his compositional and interpretive work isn't my cup of tea. Forget about "Miles Davis Cool", Marsalis usually just flat out leaves me cold. That, however, is simply a matter of my personal taste (which, oddly, is just like Wynton's - largely stuck in the '50s).
I don't particularly like to listen to Steve Vai, either, but I could practice 24 hours a day for the next 100 years and never touch the guy's technical proficiency. I respect him, even if I don't particularly dig him. Same deal for Wynton.
Marty