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Why most people don't like jazz

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Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#231

Post by microtherion »

thangalin wrote: post #223
talktalk wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dance music is alive and well, it just doesn't sound like jazz anymore. Being a type of music that emphasizes the here and now (that is, the dance floor), why should the music producers use production techniques and instruments of a bygone era? Also, if we're looking at the big picture of "the story of american music", disco very much comes from the same lineage as jazz.

Please don't tell this to the 150+ people who came out to the (Swing) dance I threw with the Dixieland Express. Nor to the scores of dancers that will be attending the Hot Jazz Jubilee in a few weeks. The downfall of jazz as a genre for dancing began with an arbitrary dance tax. It continued with the era of "The Twist", which encouraged people to dance by themselves, and continued on into the disco era, which did mor…

As you point out, people will still dance to danceable jazz (Lindy Hop, etc.; I've danced to Santamaria's version of "Watermelon Man" before I was into jazz).

However, most post-WWII jazz was not composed for danceability, and much of it is not very danceable (Try dancing to "Giant Steps" or "Brilliant Corners").

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#232

Post by blueben »

CodeMage wrote: post #166
nerme wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phil·is·tine (fĭl'ĭ-stēn', fĭ-lĭs'tĭn, -tēn') n. 1. A member of an Aegean people who settled ancient Philistia around the 12th century B.C. 2. a. A smug, ignorant, especially middle-class person who is regarded as being indifferent or antagonistic to artistic and cultural values. b. One who lacks knowledge in a specific area. Dude, there is a WORLD of a difference between a computer application that is made for the p…

Isn't it important to define success conditions before throwing around words like "failure"? Usually it's considered two or more people "fail at conversation" if they don't manage to: 1) understand what others are trying to convey 2) make others understand what they're trying to convey Even given that definition, it's questionable whether the listener or the speaker failed, if the listener does not understand the spe…

Two generations of people understood the conversation of Jazz. So yes, it is reasonable to expect another generation to also participate in that conversation. Unfortunately, that new generation has lost something.

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#233

Post by nerme »

talvisota wrote: post #145
nerme wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phil·is·tine (fĭl'ĭ-stēn', fĭ-lĭs'tĭn, -tēn') n. 1. A member of an Aegean people who settled ancient Philistia around the 12th century B.C. 2. a. A smug, ignorant, especially middle-class person who is regarded as being indifferent or antagonistic to artistic and cultural values. b. One who lacks knowledge in a specific area. Dude, there is a WORLD of a difference between a computer application that is made for the p…

Where did you learn that? To me, art is about experiencing things, not "conversation". Art mostly just sits there to be seen or heard, and it will not care about my saying or thinking. Art may "talk" to me, but I can't talk to art. To your language analogy: what if I invent a language of my own and try to use it anywhere, how much the failure of communication is divided between me and the receivers? Many times "art"…

If you're not making art, you're not taking part in the conversation.

However, you CAN learn the language, and then at least listen in on the conversation.

There is a reason that those paintings are hanging on the walls of museums like MoMA. The artists have engaged with the discourse of contemporary art of their time.

I could spend then next 6 weeks going over art history, but here's a quick example of the kinds of things that motivated artists in the beginning of the 20th century.

Before the advent of the photograph, the only way to capture a scene was by reproducing it by hand, using a number of different media. Once the ability to point a machine at a scene, capture, and print it was available, the working painters of the day had some serious questions to answer. What is being lost by taking a photograph? What is gained? What is the role of a painter? What can a painter do that a photographer can't?

With this context and these questions in mind, reexamine the course of art history in the latter part of the 19th century. You see a movement towards impressionism, the abstract, and expressionism.

Of course, technology is not the only motivator for an artist. There are philosophical trends and political events, that guide and inspire artists to create what they do.

I've found that my studies of the the history of various art forms, be them visual or aural, have greatly improved my understanding of how and why things are the way they are.

There is a lot to be gained by learning new ways of communication. I would push for everyone to not only learn the language, but partake in the conversation. The creation of art is truly a transcendent experience.

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#234

Post by andrewcooke »

ugh wrote: post #16

I have often wondered whether I would be listening to the same music if English were my first language. Probably not. I listen to markedly different stuff depending on language. No lonely songwriters singing English in my collection. Less English rap than German rap. I have always been listening to tons of German rap but have only in recent years started to listen to more American rap (as my ability to understand Eng…

i don't think i've (knowingly) heard any german rap - is there anything you'd particularly recommend?

Re: Why most people don't like jazz

#235

Post by nhemeter »

I live in New Orleans and when locals listen to music here they clap, (on the 2 and 4), dance and move around. I recently attended a festival in Finland, and folks just sat there, the same thing happened in Virginia. No one moved. It was weird. So... come on down to NOLA, dance, clap and pass a good time. By the way, we are having a Trad Jazz Camp for Adults this summer. Check out www.neworleanstradjazzcamp.com
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