Jazz for aficionados
Since "Bitches Brew" came out in 1970, there is no way you can call jazz after that "new jazz". If so, there is a ton of new jazz that I like. We haven't had enough female vocals; here are two for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzPJJLXnBcQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpQ_pWev24w I like the piano on this as well as the vocal; who played this type of piano exclusively? |
Wow, what a flurry of activity. The best part is it brought out o-10, glad to see you here buddy. pjw, there was one important step for Miles you missed, "Birth of the Cool" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRjjqFogPGI&list=PLED9CF5CAEE7AD60A&index=2 Miles seemed to be like a plant, he had to continue growing or else he felt he was dead. Actually the PBS Nature program last week on Butterflies suggested a better simile. He metamorphosed through multiple rebirths in style, just as pjw outlined. I remember attending a Miles concert in the mid-’70s. When we entered the auditorium the curtain was open and the stage was lined with speakers and electronics. When the musicians entered everyone "plugged in". Well, maybe not the drummer and percussionists, their instruments were already mic’ed. I can’t say now but it was likely 7 or 8 in the band, and they were loud! The concert was long enough to have an intermission and by the break at least half the audience walked out. That was not the Miles they knew -- and loved. Because he remains one of my favorite musicians (but yes, I don’t enjoy EVERYTHING he did) I’ve read a few books and interviews on and with him. My sense is he despised the fact that jazz musicians such as himself achieved limited popularity and financial reward compared to many rock musicians which he considered to be without much talent. So his restless musical mind drove him to explore new "electronic" expressions, but he also admittedly sought to reach a wider audience. From my reading that was a very conscious move. For the record, I enjoy "Bitches Brew", but a few albums later he lost me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbCt-iXIXlQ The exception was this single example, obviously a reversion to the more melodic Miles - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23VCyohcUxg Apparently near the end he did revisit some of his "classic" numbers. Was that the nostalgia of aging? I don’t have any recordings from that period. Otherwise, can we simply admit we don’t all hold the same tastes and preferences and just post what we enjoy to share with others to judge for themselves? That is how I read o-10s concept in beginning this anyway. |
**** Since "Bitches Brew" came out in 1970, there is no way you can call jazz after that "new jazz". If so, there is a ton of new jazz that I like. **** Not my criterion (dividing line). I would prefer to call it simply jazz. Your comment makes my point. Why attach those divisive labels to it which come with preconceived notions and biases? It does the music a disservice. Of course there is a ton of jazz to like after BB. There still is. Nice Salvant clips. I haven’t always liked her that much, but she sounds great here. Thanks for the clips. I like the piano player too. His bio is a great testament to the scope and depth of many of today’s young players and shatters a lot of the preconceived notions and biases that some of the “old jazz” hardliners hang on to. Check it out: http://www.aarondiehl.com/aaron-diehl-bio In answer to your question: Well, if you go to the very source of that style (stride), it would have to be James P. Johnson or Willie “The Lion” Smith, but most associate Fats Waller with the style. |
