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Why most people don't like jazz

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Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#91

Post by wfarr »

birdman wrote: post #25
halostatue wrote: post #19

I grew up playing music (eight years piano, variously oboe, clarinet, and several years vocal). I don't like jazz. I think that a lot of it is self-indulgent noodling. I can appreciate the talent of some of the artists, but I can't get into it. I feel the same about country music and rap: there is artistry there, but I can't stand 90%+ of it and don't want to waste my time listening to it to find the really good stuf…

Agree with the self-indulgent part. It's sophisticated to like jazz so people try to like it. And then they do because one can grow to like anything. From TFA, "... the American ears are getting lazier and lazier." I'll agree with that, but I don't consider it a bad thing. Jazz seems to meander and is only impressive once paid close attention to. I want music to come and hit me; I don't want to have to work for payof…

That's really quite the generalization. Some forms of jazz are very much like that, yes; however, there are many forms of jazz, particularly focusing on those from 1910-1950, which are very structured in form and don't really lend themselves to being "self-indulgent".

It'd be like me saying that all rock is talentless because it's all just a "fuck the man" wall of distortion. Yes, there's some rock music that's like that, but rock is an expansive genre and claiming that all or even the majority of rock is like that would be very naïve.

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#92

Post by [deleted] »

WilliamLP wrote: post #8

I was hoping this article would tell me more about why I don't like jazz. I don't know why! I've tried. I love all forms of classical music. I like rock and pop music. I know the opera repertoire really well and have sung several major tenor roles. But I just can't get to like jazz at all for some reason.

[deleted]

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#93

Post by [deleted] »

WilliamLP wrote: post #8

I was hoping this article would tell me more about why I don't like jazz. I don't know why! I've tried. I love all forms of classical music. I like rock and pop music. I know the opera repertoire really well and have sung several major tenor roles. But I just can't get to like jazz at all for some reason.

[deleted]

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#94

Post by duck »

aristoxenus wrote: post #15
keyist wrote: post #6

An interesting corollary is that jazz musicians tend to not have as striking an image when it comes to their marketing. Compare what you first visualize when you hear the names KISS or Flava Flav versus say Brad Mehldau or Keith Jarrett. EDIT: This is probably due to jazz musicians taking themselves more seriously and wanting to be known more for their music than anything else. If a jazz artist enlisted Dir En Grey's…

Have you noticed how much more sophisticated Lady Gaga's music is than the rest of what's popular these days? Her popularity has nothing to do with that. It's the way she throws in catchy verbal chants and is equally brilliant at visual and personality branding. And she as a great name.

I never thought I would see Lady Gaga and sophisticated in the same sentence.

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#95

Post by abstractbill »

ecoffey wrote: post #44

I thought I was the only one who didn't pay attention to lyrics. My friend and I kinda of resemble that dynamic. He loves some of the shittiest songs (imo) because of interesting lyrical content, where as I totally ignore them. If I like them it's because of how they were sung not because of me diving through looking for "meaning". That's why after all these years Pinback is still one of my favorite bands. Their voic…

I have to concentrate really hard to listen to lyrics, but I find it easy to hear things like musical quotes and samples (e.g. the first time I heard a piece by Steve Reich, I knew immediately that I had already heard it, because I listened to The Orb years before). I always get a kick out of those moments of musical recognition - probably if I could force myself to pay more attention to lyrics, I would see more depth there too.

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#96

Post by araneae »

WilliamLP wrote: post #8

I was hoping this article would tell me more about why I don't like jazz. I don't know why! I've tried. I love all forms of classical music. I like rock and pop music. I know the opera repertoire really well and have sung several major tenor roles. But I just can't get to like jazz at all for some reason.

If you like classical, try Miles Davis's "Sketches of Spain" as a stepping point. There's very little improv in it and to me it sounds more classical than jazz. If you enjoy it, (which I almost guarantee you will) you'll probably be able to appreciate other Miles Davis CDs better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sketches_of_Spain

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#97

Post by araneae »

bryanh wrote: post #34
mortenjorck wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am indeed guilty of neglecting this. So is everyone else, but I guess it stands out to me because I do consider it a worthwhile goal, to sit on the sofa, put on something like Jóhann Jóhannsson's IBM 1401: A Users' Manual , and just listen to the movements the way I would watch a movie. But I never do. I always feel like I have to be doing something while listening to music, simply because it's possible. It's true;…

It seems society has a notion that music alone cannot in and of itself be the only event.

I don't think it really has anything to do with music in particular, but just our attentions spans in general. I mean, right now I'm on HN, texting, IMing, listening to music, watching anime, and coding.

...

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#98

Post by nerme »

bryanh wrote: post #5

Not that I entirely agree with this article, but as a jazz musician, it definitely interests me. I am curious though; when was the last time everyone listened to an entire album while doing nothing else? (no driving, surfing, working, etc...)

The modes of listening to music are always in flux.

Singles are very popular right now. Not a lot of people are listening or even making 70s-style albums that are meant to be listened to in their entirety.

I'm an anomaly. I only listen to music while doing nothing else. I'll add that I don't have a car, and did listen to music while driving. BTW, I feel like you're not really doing much of anything when you're driving, so your ability to actually listen to music is retained.

Unlike coding. I can't listen to music while working, I want to pay too much attention to analyzing the chord progressions, lyrics, etc. :)

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#99

Post by adrianh »

prewett wrote: post #75

The reason why I don't like jazz is that my ears can't find any pattern to it. There's no melody, except at the beginning and end of the piece, so the notes just sound random. So to me the music is largely indistinguishable from noise. Once I discovered that jazz is apparently about the chords it made more sense. (The notes appear to be unimportant as long as everyone is in the same chord)

There are many ways to judge jazz music, but in my opinion, a really good jazz solo works as a standalone melody. As (I think) George Harrison said, the best guitar solos are the ones you can hum along with.

Listen to a solo by Django Reinhardt, for example. His version of "I'll See You In My Dreams" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJxehJ0Tbi0) is absolutely beautiful melodically -- even though pretty much the whole song is improvised, aside from the first seven notes.

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#100

Post by natep »

davi wrote: post #63
ecoffey wrote: post #44

I thought I was the only one who didn't pay attention to lyrics. My friend and I kinda of resemble that dynamic. He loves some of the shittiest songs (imo) because of interesting lyrical content, where as I totally ignore them. If I like them it's because of how they were sung not because of me diving through looking for "meaning". That's why after all these years Pinback is still one of my favorite bands. Their voic…

I also don't really listen to lyrics, largely because it is hard for me. I think I actually have some sort of perceptual incapacity -- I have to really try to understand them, whereas it seems other people hear them very easily. Even when I try, it's hard. I'm smart in other ways, but in this regard I am comparatively deficient. Anybody else on HN share this 'syndrome'? For me, music has always been about structure,…

You're definitely not the only one. I really tried to understand the lyrics to the song linked by your parent post, and couldn't make out a word (also stopped listening after a minute because I couldn't get past the repetitive bass line).
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