Is jazz dead?

[Peregrinator]

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/11/the-end-of-jazz/309112/

What think you, Lit?

 

[blobfish]

Jizz.

 

[knot_sweet]

Heck no.

There's a great basement jazz bar in Sydney, Soup Plus, been there forever and some nights are standing room only.

 

[blobfish]

Heck no.

There's a great basement jazz bar in Sydney, Soup Plus, been there forever and some nights are standing room only.

Because they hocked the chairs to pay rent?

 

[knot_sweet]

Because they hocked the chairs to pay rent?

Nah, even at top dollar those things'd only get a coupla bucks.

They rely on the of sale hipster drinks, limited lighting and cheap toilet paper to make rent.

 

[RoryN]

Yeah. But it'd be like declaring the city of New Orleans "dead" if the planet Earth was about to be swallowed by the sun.

All American genres of music are on life support. Love keeps them breathing, but they also require artistry, creativity, originality to grow rather than simply survive...pretty much everything ending in a "y" is going extinct.

 

[blobfish]

Nah, even at top dollar those things'd only get a coupla bucks.

They rely on the of sale hipster drinks, limited lighting and cheap toilet paper to make rent.

Hipsters are the life support machines of cultural artifacts.

 

[remy_lebeau8]

It's not dead but its hurting. Same with blues.

 

[Saint Peter]

Fun to play.

A big drag to listen to.

 

[Squibbs]

Yeah. But it'd be like declaring the city of New Orleans "dead" if the planet Earth was about to be swallowed by the sun.

All American genres of music are on life support. Love keeps them breathing, but they also require artistry, creativity, originality to grow rather than simply survive...pretty much everything ending in a "y" is going extinct.

Rory.

 

[blobfish]

Fun to play.

A big drag to listen to.

I don't mind listening for an hour or so, but then I get tired of waiting for the first song to end.

 

[remy_lebeau8]

Least it bred rock and roll.

 

[Peregrinator]

Yeah. But it'd be like declaring the city of New Orleans "dead" if the planet Earth was about to be swallowed by the sun.

All American genres of music are on life support. Love keeps them breathing, but they also require artistry, creativity, originality to grow rather than simply survive...pretty much everything ending in a "y" is going extinct.

See, I kinda thought the same way...but I've recently seen both Sonny Rollins and Buddy Guy live. And they're far from dead, and their performances were both vital and fun and updated. Neither one of them mailed it in. And then there's a few younger acts, like Vincent Rhodes and such. Dianne Reeves is only in her fifties. Hell, Wynton Marsalis was born in 1961.

But what I think the article is saying is that there's basically no new jazz happening. And what made that interesting to me was something I'd been thinking for a while, and asked Sonny about on here a few months ago; it seems like classical jazz has been done, more or less, like there's beauty and entertainment to be found in new jazz recordings, but there's not much new going on, no invention. I can find myself listening to a jazz recording I've never heard and whistling along with the solos. And I'm far from an expert.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

...it just smells funny. I need more structure in my aural.

 

[cjh]

Ever hear of Cassandra Wilson?

The Bad Plus?

Bill Frisell?

And a tip of the hat to Sonny, John Zorn?

The question is far too simple to merit the response it seeks.

 

[remy_lebeau8]

See, I kinda thought the same way...but I've recently seen both Sonny Rollins and Buddy Guy live. And they're far from dead, and their performances were both vital and fun and updated. Neither one of them mailed it in. And then there's a few younger acts, like Vincent Rhodes and such. Dianne Reeves is only in her fifties. Hell, Wynton Marsalis was born in 1961.

But what I think the article is saying is that there's basically no new jazz happening. And what made that interesting to me was something I'd been thinking for a while, and asked Sonny about on here a few months ago; it seems like classical jazz has been done, more or less, like there's beauty and entertainment to be found in new jazz recordings, but there's not much new going on, no invention. I can find myself listening to a jazz recording I've never heard and whistling along with the solos. And I'm far from an expert.

Check out Gary Clark Jr. He's only 28 and really puts heart and soul back in music.

 

[cjh]

Check out Gary Clark Jr. He's only 28 and really puts heart and soul back in music.

Saw him this summer.

Somewhere between SRV and Jimi on the psychedelic blues scale.

Hell on wheels.

 

[remy_lebeau8]

Saw him this summer.

Somewhere between SRV and Jimi on the psychedelic blues scale.

Hell on wheels.

I just heard of him recently.

Anyone who can play a casino wins in my book

 

[cjh]

I just heard of him recently.

Anyone who can play a casino wins in my book

You and John Lennon.

Not bad company.

 

[remy_lebeau8]

You and John Lennon.

Not bad company.

Not at all. Sadly I don't own a casino(yet). I'm torn between that and a sheriton(thre work horse of john lee Hooker). Both sexy guitars. Problem with the casino is no center block, so they feed back somethin fierce.

 

[cjh]

Not at all. Sadly I don't own a casino(yet). I'm torn between that and a sheriton(thre work horse of john lee Hooker). Both sexy guitars. Problem with the casino is no center block, so they feed back somethin fierce.

I'm a shitty player. Started way too late.

That said, I had a great pre-Gibson semi-hollow Korean Gretsch with DeArmonds that was the cat's nuts. A funky semi-335.

Fucked up and sold it.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

Ever hear of Cassandra Wilson?

The Bad Plus?

Bill Frisell?

And a tip of the hat to Sonny, John Zorn?

The question is far too simple to merit the response it seeks.

Totes agree. Esperanza Spaulding still jams. She's part of the "new" vanguard, even three-four albums in.

I think the "scene" of music is getting micro-niched to hell in the struggle to advertise whatever can get shilled for exposure and money, but when you live in the right places, the real scenes for types of music never truly die. If anything, they get shifted around, but they don't die. Most of the joints I used to hit up on a regular basis back in the late 80s and 90s don't exist anymore, but others have taken their place and there's always somewhere to go.

 

[cjh]

Totes agree. Esperanza Spaulding still jams. She's part of the "new" vanguard, even three-four albums in.

I think the "scene" of music is getting micro-niched to hell in the struggle to advertise whatever can get shilled for exposure and money, but when you live in the right places, the real scenes for types of music never truly die. If anything, they get shifted around, but they don't die. Most of the joints I used to hit up on a regular basis back in the late 80s and 90s don't exist anymore, but others have taken their place and there's always somewhere to go.

I subscribe to this in toto.

 

[remy_lebeau8]

Totes agree. Esperanza Spaulding still jams. She's part of the "new" vanguard, even three-four albums in.

I think the "scene" of music is getting micro-niched to hell in the struggle to advertise whatever can get shilled for exposure and money, but when you live in the right places, the real scenes for types of music never truly die. If anything, they get shifted around, but they don't die. Most of the joints I used to hit up on a regular basis back in the late 80s and 90s don't exist anymore, but others have taken their place and there's always somewhere to go.

I agree completly. Shit Detroit is still full of blues and rock clubs. Couldn't say about jazz as that wasn't a big Detroit thing I don't think.

 

[remy_lebeau8]

I'm a shitty player. Started way too late.

That said, I had a great pre-Gibson semi-hollow Korean Gretsch with DeArmonds that was the cat's nuts. A funky semi-335.

Fucked up and sold it.

Same here. My main ax is a strat, but lately its been my acoustic that's brought all the inspiration. Today I came up with this really cool sounding delta blues style rythem. Need to write lyrics.