O-10, great to see you back on the thread. As "second in command" :-) I would like to share a couple general observations about the direction of the thread which relate to some of your recent comments:
I find it interesting how we (I certainly include myself) sometimes tend to read into comments what we want or expect to see in the words of others; this, based on our own biases and expectations. Human nature. Personally, in spite of my own strong opinions, I try to not get too frazzled by commentary that may seem off the mark or even ridiculous to me. I try, with various amounts of success, to use it as an opportunity to challenge, have deeper dialogue and possibly learn something in the process. Sometimes it works; sometimes not.
This thread has existed for some time now and without digging too deeply into the specifics of its history, I think it is fair to say that one of the "controversies" has been the issue of the state of jazz and wether there is relevant new jazz being played/recorded today; or, wether good jazz is simply and only a thing of the past. To me there is no question that that answer is an unequivocal YES, jazz is alive and well. It has evolved as it always will and to try to keep it in the past is not only pointless, but goes counter to the spirit of the music. It merits the ungoing support of the listener. Case in point:
I recently posted a clip by an impressive young piano player. Some liked it some didn't; as expected. No one suggested that this young piano player was the end-all, nor that everyone should run out and buy his recordings instead of those of Peterson, Tatum or whoever. Simply, that here we have yet another example of a promising young player who may and will probably grow into something truly special. Jazz is still here and here to stay. Importanlty, I am glad to see a "softening" of the hard-line stance which was often expressed by the die-hards early in the history of the thread that there is nothing new of value happening today. For me, the constant, pointless, and unwarranted negativity about the state of jazz is tiresome, counterproductive and, ironically, damaging to the health of the music. The greats of this music and their greatness don't need to be protected from the impact of new music that may not comform to our individual idea of the perfect jazz; especially when the complaining is not accompanied by a solid suggestion of a "solution". Imo, it's far more productive to support the kind of environment where creativity is not stifled and simply let the cream rise to the top.
I find it interesting how we (I certainly include myself) sometimes tend to read into comments what we want or expect to see in the words of others; this, based on our own biases and expectations. Human nature. Personally, in spite of my own strong opinions, I try to not get too frazzled by commentary that may seem off the mark or even ridiculous to me. I try, with various amounts of success, to use it as an opportunity to challenge, have deeper dialogue and possibly learn something in the process. Sometimes it works; sometimes not.
This thread has existed for some time now and without digging too deeply into the specifics of its history, I think it is fair to say that one of the "controversies" has been the issue of the state of jazz and wether there is relevant new jazz being played/recorded today; or, wether good jazz is simply and only a thing of the past. To me there is no question that that answer is an unequivocal YES, jazz is alive and well. It has evolved as it always will and to try to keep it in the past is not only pointless, but goes counter to the spirit of the music. It merits the ungoing support of the listener. Case in point:
I recently posted a clip by an impressive young piano player. Some liked it some didn't; as expected. No one suggested that this young piano player was the end-all, nor that everyone should run out and buy his recordings instead of those of Peterson, Tatum or whoever. Simply, that here we have yet another example of a promising young player who may and will probably grow into something truly special. Jazz is still here and here to stay. Importanlty, I am glad to see a "softening" of the hard-line stance which was often expressed by the die-hards early in the history of the thread that there is nothing new of value happening today. For me, the constant, pointless, and unwarranted negativity about the state of jazz is tiresome, counterproductive and, ironically, damaging to the health of the music. The greats of this music and their greatness don't need to be protected from the impact of new music that may not comform to our individual idea of the perfect jazz; especially when the complaining is not accompanied by a solid suggestion of a "solution". Imo, it's far more productive to support the kind of environment where creativity is not stifled and simply let the cream rise to the top.