I recently got into jazz but I don’t know about contemporary bands or musicians, I was listening to some stuff from the Edinburgh jazz festival on youtube, then somehow ended up listening to old American civil war songs. Then yesterday I watched a documentary on the European jazz scene after the war and back to its origins. I was shocked that there was the same connection, jazz apparently originates from when civil war army marching music [derived from British army marching bands] blended with Irish folk music [oh Suzanna etc], then the black folks used the instruments and music from that to eventually create jazz.
Anyways I saw another program; ‘American folk‘, and some of the jazz people were playing with seasick Steve, it wasn’t that different to jazz, so I assume American folk these days draws from that.
So what bands should I look out for? I like pure jazz mostly but also that blend with American folk?
They are old school though, I was more looking for contemporary jazz. Though I do like original jazz but that’s going way back and I don’t know much about it. Pure jazz is kinda what I am looking for generally, so thanks I’ll look into Coltrane.
…I dont like anything too chaotic btw, the more melow jazz is just mesmerising
Your ever watch Cowboy Bebop? They use a lot of Jazz music in that show.
This is the song they use in the opening theme. It’s cal “Tank!” don’t know who it’s by.
Or in Samurai Champloo a man by that went by the acronym of his name “Nujabes” pass away a few years ago, he made alot of music for that and on his own, it’s a mix of Jazz and Hip Hop styles.
I have to concur with Pezer. While not a huge Miles Davis fan, I think the best way to gain context for contemporary jazz is to listen to Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Davis. Davis came out of the bebop scene and was part of the transition from that style to the more contemporary style you’d hear from present-day players. And Davis always had the bitchenest bands. The one time I saw him live, he had maybe the best jazz band I ever heard with him.
By the time Davis was done with his near-dominance of jazz styles (maybe around 1980), jazz began to splinter off in many directions. You might want to check out Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders (who played with Coltrane) and any band that’s got Jaco Pastorius or Stanley Clarke playing bass - that’s a very large number of bands and musicians - but those last two bassists in particular can be kind of a guide to the present. Dizzy Gillespie is another guy who stuck around so long that he transcended many styles.
I’m with Pezer and Faust. Coltrane is like a drug. You can never get enough Coltrane. Though you can get a similar high from Pharaoh Sanders, Alice Coltrane, etc. And sometimes the spirit of a thing moves to a different genre. I’d argue that you can pick up where these guys left off, even today. Check out Shape of Broad Minds, St. Germain, Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison is the great-nephew of the late Alice Coltrane, whose husband was John Coltrane. He is also the cousin of musician Ravi Coltrane." (wiki), etc.etc.. I’d take this stuff over Wynton Marsalis any day (he’s amazing of course - just not my thing). I saw Miles Davis play not long before he died - he was riffing on Michael Jackson and Grace Jones. So much for “purism”.
Back to jazz jazz - lately I can’t get enough of Kenny Burrell.
More about jazz. I am but a doltish young 'un, and I would love to hear what an old timer has to say about jazz.
Regarding the trascendance of styles from jazz, I agree 100%. Next to heavy metal (which is always a bit dogmatic) and electronic music (at the other end of the modern spectrum, though more dogmatic than one would expect from the vast range of potentiality it has), jazz has been the true outlet for modern musical creativity and so has been extremely maleable. Like in this piece from Sugar Cane Harris.
Thanks for all your suggestions, I’ll check them out and I expect I’ll get some links on you tube to some other good stuff! I listened to some Coltrane last night and yea that’s the kind of jazz I am thinking of.
Anyone know about the current link from jazz to American folk? ~ seasick steve + a load of jazz musicians featured in Edinburgh jazz festival? Jazz at the barbican ~ I think that’s the name of the show I watched, anyhow now I just remembered that I’ll go check it out.
I haven’t enjoyed any other variations as yet, especially anything from the 70’s [oh except some funk, I assume that comes from jazz].
Unlike most music, the range and depth makes jazz quite hard to get a grip on for a newbe.
Kenny Burrell; just listening now, sounds great! Nice n slow jaaazzzzzzzzz
challenge;
Find me a better bit of sax than this [this is not jazz though];
that’s mostly clarinet [very nice though], I guess there are many kinds of brilliant and mesmerizing. youtube is bad, it reduces the quality and you really need to hear good music on a good stereo/speakers with a full frequancy range.
Oh ok, but its smaller and its sound is nearer to a clarinet [or is that you tube?], I am a newb so lets keep to a sax as the thing that bends around and gets bigger at the end.
Wow that sound like I am describing an ugly penis.
so lets have some real sax! to beat the video I posted.
Some soprano saxes are curved. Most people think it’s easier to play a straight one. Also, Coltrane’s sound was both big and often plaintiff. A very difficult sound to duplicate (I play some tenor sax). Some of the timbre is the bad audio, but maybe not as much as you think. I’ll find a clip of Coltrane’s most familiar piece. Maybe not his best. If you like a more “standard” sound, try Sonny Rollins.
I’m fine with the sound, I like clarinets anyhow. Its just that I was asking for a ‘sax sound’ but I guess in jazz nothing is that straight forwards. I thought there may be some classic jazz sax out there ~ of the kind I mentioned tis all.
Thanks, I’ll listen to some sonny.
btw have you any of your own work ~ just out of interest.
