tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363783918310948399.post6965047488213207059..comments2023-04-22T13:46:02.469-05:00Comments on kcjazzlark: The Dearth of Swingkcjazzlarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02658066303545306165noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363783918310948399.post-72249623205525181722012-06-15T16:42:48.136-05:002012-06-15T16:42:48.136-05:00Oh my.
I've observed that nobody seems to be ...Oh my.<br /><br />I've observed that nobody seems to be making any money whether or not the music "swings" or not. Might as well play what you feel because the results appear to be the same. We're all just waiting for our turn at Take Five as it is.<br /><br />You're comments about Coltrane are completely irrelevant. Coltrane was a master and he died many years ago. He's not here anymore. People are better off buying one of his amazing recordings than going out to hear bad imitations of him.<br /><br />Mentors- Well I'd love a mentor. Send them my way. I can tell you that most young jazz musicians feel the same way. A wise older musician who invites you into his band and shows you what it means to be a working musician. Unfortunately, I don't see much of that going on. I see older musicians teaching lessons and working as college professors. These are invaluable, but make no mistake, these people are trying to make money off me. I'm pretty sure Art Blakey paid all those storied musicians that played in his band, not the other way around. The established players in Kansas City by neccesity have to try and make their bands as small as possible in order to try and make any money. This doesn't really open up many opportunites for mentorship. Maybe if you play bass or drums.<br /><br />Arrogance? That's rediculous. Young musicians are simply dealing with the realities of the world as they find it. And like all music, most of it isn't that good. Don't worry, we're trying to get better. <br /><br />Besides, who decided that swing is the deciding factor that makes music accessible?unimpressednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363783918310948399.post-17807848769231556482012-06-14T00:29:29.581-05:002012-06-14T00:29:29.581-05:00"With great art, you have to go to it. It doe..."With great art, you have to go to it. It doesn't come to you. Shakespeare doesn't come to you. You have to go to him."--Wynton MarsalisMichaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03035279598000493930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363783918310948399.post-40639774130809612812012-06-13T20:38:00.509-05:002012-06-13T20:38:00.509-05:00Hey inimpressed!
"But I'm pretty sure tha...Hey inimpressed!<br />"But I'm pretty sure that appealing to your taste is probably a bad idea for a young jazz musician, except in securing a gig at the Prairie Jazz Festival. <br /><br />Did you read this statement? "Some of Kansas City’s young musicians venture into originality at the sake of accessibility" <br /><br />Bottom line is arrogance like yours is killing Jazz music in this country. But I'm sure playing for 3 people and a few family members makes your originality all worth while.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363783918310948399.post-85455343858553733822012-06-13T20:30:10.376-05:002012-06-13T20:30:10.376-05:00Dear unimpressed,
It's too bad you "Youn...Dear unimpressed,<br /><br />It's too bad you "Younger" musicians think you can't gravitate to blue hairs and museum culture listeners. Those are the people who ARE listening. After your self gratifying attempts at creating "new" music is done (you cats think you are inventing new and exciting sounds. Miles and Trane were doing it WAY before you cats) try coming back to what jazz or ANY music is all about..to entertain and capture an audience. Wonder which album is more listenable today by museum culture and even young hipsters , Coltrane's :"My Favorite Things" or Coltrane's "Infinity" both are amazing but "My favorite Things" strikes a larger audience than the more complex writing of "Infinity". One thing the "younger" players are doing these days is they have forgotten about the mentor system. Whether they want to embrace "swing" (oh that word) or not, by the time the music goes full swing again, and it will, it always has, let's hope that the mentors in this world aren't all gone or the young ones will still want to pick there brain. Jazz is dying in this country because of arrogance, nothing more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363783918310948399.post-23080614940120717982012-06-13T10:22:49.692-05:002012-06-13T10:22:49.692-05:00I book a lot of jazz (and classical) musicians too...I book a lot of jazz (and classical) musicians too, and have found that both the "older" more established musicians and many of the young musicians are able to play music that the mostly older listeners love. (Students have a hard time securing a spot in the audience sometimes.) I'm sure that musicians adapt their programing to the audience, but fine musicians seem to be able to introduce traditional audiences to new sounds---maybe not a whole program full, but a least a taste of something unusual. There is something to be said for playing some of the great music of the past (jazz standards and the American Songbook in the case of jazz), but I think there is room for creative musicians to play some of their own compositions too (all of which may not last 50 years). Perhaps I'm suggesting a compromise where musicians consider their audience as well as their own artistic aims and the audience members open their ears to understanding new approaches to music.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363783918310948399.post-85532655980218124602012-06-11T12:07:02.868-05:002012-06-11T12:07:02.868-05:00Man you've got some really vanilla taste in ja...Man you've got some really vanilla taste in jazz. Kansas City can never go back and the musicians are left trying to find something new. Sorry if it's not a easy process that involves a few misfires. But I'm pretty sure that appealing to your taste is probably a bad idea for a young jazz musician, except in securing a gig at the Prairie Jazz Festival, if they're trying to create a new audience for themselves that doesn't consist of blue-hairs and advocates of "museum culture" like yourself who wish for the good ole days when people could really swing.unimpressednoreply@blogger.com