[jazz_guitar] Conclusions
Jim Mings
Hall, the drummer/guitarist.
Subject: Some thoughts on music and ourselves
Why Americans Don't Like Jazz: One Man's opinion - Joe Podorsek
The current market share of Jazz in America is mere 3 percent. That
includes all the great ones like John Coltrane and the terrible ones
like Kenny G (OK, this is just my own opinion). There are many
organizations and individuals like Wynton Marsalis who are tirelessly
trying to revive the genre, but it does not seem to be working. Why
is this? Is there some sort of bad chemistry between the American
culture and Jazz? As ironic as it may be, I happen to believe so.
One day, I was talking to my wife about the TV commercial for eBay
where a chubby lady sings and dances to an appropriated version
of "My Way"? by Frank Sinatra. The lyrics were entirely re-written,
and "My Way"? was transformed into "eBay"?. I told her that they did
a good job in adapting the original song. Then she said: "Ah, that's
why I like it so much!"? She actually did not realize that it was
adapted from Sinatra's song.
My wife and I have always known how differently we listen to music. I
tend to entirely ignore lyrics, while she tends to entirely ignore
music. We are the two opposite ends of the spectrum in this sense,
and it appears that my wife's side is more common. Many of my friends
think that I have a peculiar, or plain bad, taste for music. Whenever
I say I like this song or that song, they look at me like I am crazy.
Then they go on to explain why it is bad, and I realize that they are
referring to the lyrics, not to the music. I then pay attention to
the lyrics for the first time, and realize that they are right. The
opposite happens often too where many of my friends love a particular
song, and I can't understand what's good about it until I pay
attention to the lyrics.
The eBay example is an extreme case where my wife could not recognize
the original once the lyrics were swapped. To her, if you change the
lyrics, it is an entirely different song. It is the other way around
for me; in most cases, I would not notice any change in the lyrics.
The eBay song was an exception; I only noticed it because it is a
famous song used for a TV commercial. I believe my wife's way of
listening to music is typically American, and my way of listening to
music, typically Japanese. If you don't speak English, any songs
written in English are instrumental music. Singers turn into just
another musical instrument.
These days, no matter where you live, you cannot get away from the
dominance of the American music. This means that most non-English
speakers grow up listening to a lot of instrumental music. In Japan,
I would say, it constitutes about half of what people listen to. When
they are listening to Madonna, Michael Jackson, or Britney Spears,
they have very little understanding of what their songs are about. In
this sense, their ears are trained to listen to and enjoy
instrumental music, which explains why Jazz is still so popular in
Japan.
To be able to enjoy instrumental music, you must be able to
appreciate abstract art, and that requires a certain amount of
effort. Just mindlessly drinking wine, for instance, would not make
you a wine connoisseur. Mindlessly looking at colors (which we all do
every day) would not make you a color expert either. Great art
demands much more from the audience than the popular art does. In
this sense, the American ears are getting lazier and lazier. It
wasn't so long ago that most people knew how to play a musical
instrument or two. Now the vast majority of Americans couldn't tell
the difference between a saxophone and a trumpet.
Thanks partially to music videos, music is now a form of visual art.
The American culture is so visually dominant that a piece of music
without visuals cannot command full attention of the audience. For
Americans, music is a background element, a mere side dish to be
served with the main course. If they are forced to listen to a piece
of instrumental music without any visuals, they don't know what to do
with their eyes, much like the way a nervous speaker standing in
front of a large audience struggles to figure out what to do with his
hands. Eventually something visual that has nothing to do with the
music grabs their attention and the music is pushed to the
background.
If you have written your own music, you have probably experienced
this before: You play it for your friends to get their opinions. For
about 10 seconds, everyone is silent. After 20 seconds, their eyes
start to wander around. After 30 seconds, someone says something,
which triggers everyone else to speak up. After 40 seconds, no one is
actually listening to your music.
I grew up sitting in front of the stereo with my father, closing our
eyes, listening only to what came out of the speakers. This would go
on for an hour or two as if we were watching a movie. It wasn't just
me; many of my friends did the same. Who does that anymore? In
today's living rooms, stereos are treated as accessories to
television sets. Visual dominance isn't the only problem. The bigger
problem is the dominance of our thought. Most Americans do not know
what to do with abstraction in general.
To be able to fully appreciate abstraction, you must be able to turn
off your thought, or at least be able to put your thought into the
background. This is not as easy as it might seem. In modern art
museums, most people's minds are dominated by thoughts like: "Even I
could do this."? Or, "Why is this in a museum?"? Or, "This looks like
my bed sheet."? Etc. They are unable to let the abstraction affect
their emotions directly; their experience must be filtered through
interpretations. In a way, this is a defense mechanism. It is a way
to deal with fears like, "If I admit that I don't understand this,
I'll look unsophisticated."? This type of fear fills their minds with
noise, and they become unable to see, hear, or taste.
This is why songs with lyrics in your own language and paintings with
recognizable objects are easier for most people to appreciate. They
give their minds something to do. It is like holding a pen in your
hand when you are speaking in front of a large audience; you become
less nervous because your hands have something to do. Aesthetically,
the paintings of Mark Rothko and those of Monet are quite similar,
but the former is utterly unacceptable for many people even though
they consider the latter to be a master. The difference is that in
Monet's paintings, you can still see things represented in them:
rivers, trees, mountains, houses, and so forth. The audience
interprets these objects, and projects their own beautiful memories
onto the paintings, which makes the whole process much easier. In
Mark Rothko's paintings, there is nothing they can mentally grab on
to. What you see is what you get; there is nothing to interpret. So,
the audience is left without a pen to hold on to.
The same happens to instrumental music. If there are no lyrics, that
is, if there is nothing for the minds to interpret, projecting of any
emotional values becomes rather difficult. As soon as the lyrics
speak of love, sex, racism, evil corporations, loneliness, cops,
etc., all sorts of emotions swell up. Jazz to most people is like a
color on a wall; unless you hung something on it, they don't even
notice it. This rather unfortunate trend in the American culture
seems to be irreversible.
The popularity of Rap music seems to be a clear sign of this trend. I
can appreciate Rap music for what it is, and I see nothing wrong with
it, but it does not promote the full development of musical ears. If
the song has any musical substance, it can be played on a piano alone
(without a singer or any other instruments), and we would still enjoy
it. The lack of musical substance becomes clearly visible if you
would take many of today's popular songs, and play them on a piano
alone. Many of them would utilize hardly more than a few keys.
Perhaps this trend would promote the appreciation of poetry, but it
certainly would not promote the appreciation of music as an abstract
form of art.
If we were to reverse this trend, we would need to make a conscious
effort in promoting the abstract aspect of music. For instance, play
more instrumental music in schools or teach how to play an instrument
instead of how to sing. We could go as far as to teach kids in school
instrumental music only, because their musical exposure outside of
school would be dominated by non-instrumental music anyway. It would
be a good way to balance things out. This problem extends far beyond
the American disinterest for Jazz; it is a problem for music in
general. The dominance of words and visuals in the American culture
has lead people to believe that listening to Rap or watching music
videos is the full extent of what music has to offer. If this goes
on, they'll be missing a huge chunk of what life has to offer. What
do you think? Joe
--------------------------------------------------- 3/1/07
Ron,
What a great piece! Magnificent. Whoever this guy is, he really nails
it and certainly is, as Wayne states "a very good musician" or a lot
more.
I've been aware of the lyric aspect for some time so that's no
surprise to me. Part of the overall problem (as I see it) is the
deliberate dumbing down of our (America's) society in the last four
decades. Deliberate in the sense that we seem to be proud of our
diminishing intellect. It's become hip (or in) to be stupid and we
wear that as a badge of honor. The signs are and have been everywhere
and no one seems to notice or give a damn. I see it as part of a self-
destructive mass impulse which really took root after (and as the
result of) the JFK assassination and which has been increasing in
ever-widening circles ever since. The signs are all there if anyone
wants to see them, from the most innocuous things (that most would
laugh off an nonsense) to all the things that we know are obviously
wrong with this country. It's one of the main reasons that I've been
so down on rock culture and the music and the distortion aspect.
("The cult of ugliness" as Steve Allen called it) Not the Beatles or
Elvis or other reasonably musical, creative and benevolent non-
violent groups/performers but the negative culture that seemed to
flourish from the Stones on and which has reached its low in rap
which is true suicidal music of a suicidal culture. I could go on and
on and probably would if I had a computer with speech recognition.
Typing is too tedious and brain tiring. I would very much urge you to
seek out & read Karl Menninger's "Man Against Himself" published in
1937. It says it all and I've never been the same since reading it
some 5 decades ago. The scary part of it all is that we will probably
never recover from what we've wrought unless there really are
miracles (fat chance) and we have another Renaissance. The
Renaissance dudes had a better chance for the simple reason that they
didn't have the means (or the inherent drive) to blow up the planet.
All they had to worry about was plagues and the clap. I've been brow
beating people for a long time (with the predictable reaction) that
this is the end of the world. However, lately, it's been mentioned
(quietly, occasionally) in the media and some of my brow-beatees are
actually coming around and agreeing. If one considers all the
billions who didn't get to see the end I suppose that we should (in a
very perverse way) feel thankful to be granted the spectator-
participant privilege. I, for one am not thankful for that dubious
privilege. Happy trails (but I doubt it...) J --------------- Jim
Odrich's response" 3/1/07 I read your very elegant response to this.
I agree with it completely. The guy nails the core of the problem.
Communication involves resonance between sender and receiver
(Communications 101). The capacity for a listener to respond to any
message (not just music) in a resonant way requires that the
framework for recognizing the emotional and intellectual elements pre-
exist in the neurons of that listener. It already has to be there
before it can recognize and process what is heard in a meaningful
way. You can't trigger something that ain't there to begin with. More
simply, if you haven't listened to a lot of jazz to the point where
the clichés of the various styles have embedded themselves in memory,
you will be left unaffected by great Stan Getz solo. The bereft one
can't possibly become excited by the same eight bars of jazz that
will tickle our senses. There's nothing there for him to recognize
and process! What is needed to tickle our senses about anything is an
organized set of pre-existing data for the elements in a message to
tickle. No data framework, no tickle! A history of listening with a
reasonable degree of concentration is required to embed the data into
our neurons. It's all about the same wires that connect sight with
sound, smell with objects, taste with specific foods, fear with a bad
daddy, and on and on. No data framework, no tickle! As a kid growing
up, you listen to Louie, Benny, Dizzy, Bird until you really start
to "get it." You then want more, so you listen more. You learn to
separate the wonderful from the mediocre. It's the only way "music
appreciation" can happen. The USA of 2007 is inhabited mostly by
passive dummies who have been conditioned to avoid anything that
would force them to pay attention for more than ten seconds, if that.
What else could we expect from them? Rap, for example, is successful
because it taps into the petty angers and resentment of these
mindless boobs. You don't need a lot of concentrated work to
establish a mental framework for hating. You just need experiences
that produce wires connecting people with frustration. You can then
resonate with the message with an excitement inspiring you to kill.
Song lyrics resonate because the boobs, intellectually impoverished
though they may be, can still understand words and connect them to
emotions. No credit to them. The music? Forget about it. Jazz? Can
you get blood from a stone? The dumbing down of America has finally
reached the tragic point of no return. That is a major reason why we
should treasure our friends with similar brainwashes. We can talk to
each other and get it. We can even play music for each other and get
it.
_
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Something is new at Yahoo! Groups. Check out the enhanced email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/kOt0.A/gOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jazz_guitar/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jazz_guitar/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:jazz_guit...@yahoogroups.com
mailto:jazz_guitar-...@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
jazz_guitar...@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Dave Woods
Dave Woods
--------------------------------------------------- 3/1/07
Ron,
_
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/hOt0.A/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
Jim Mings
wrote:
You know what? Practice, and play what gets you off. That's how you
work to reach your own soul. And let's face it, what else is there to
do down here? Some will get it, some won't. The human condition
grinds on.
Dave Woods
Yeah, That's about it. I have a friend, a former student and a very
good young guitarist. He teaches guitar at the College of Charleston
and keeps telling me to wake up and stop playing his grandfather's
music. Get a job in the Industry. All I can say is that what I am doing
and where it is taking me feels more like the real deal than anything
else.
Jim Mings
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Something is new at Yahoo! Groups. Check out the enhanced email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/kOt0.A/gOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
John Amato
Many times I'll practice a piece outside the realm of
jazz or
popular music just because I like the piece. Sometimes
we'll
hear a piece ofmusic that moves us in such a way that
it just
will not leave ... it wants to saty in the room and
make itself
a lodger, a resident of our musical sensibility ...
For example, right now I'm working on Francisco
Tarrega's
"Capricho Arabe" --- it's not jazz, but it's so cool
... it has
such a great rhythmic pulse and melodic emotion ...
it's
also just short enough to learn without becoming a
"classical techque" buster (because my classical chops
stop
at PIMA). Sometimes taking on classical pieces that
are too long
for me get very frustrating due to my lack short
classical skills.
And besides, the pieces is nice and short and
beautiful ... and
as musicians, the world of music is worthy ...
When I used to play solos gigs in the clubs (70s-90s)
I would
every now and then interspere my jazz chord melodies
with a
classical piece like "Maid With the Flaxen Hair," or
the opening
to "Concierto de'Aranjuez"
I've never met an audience unresponsive to this ... in
fat, many
times I'd get comments on the classical pieces instead
of the jazz
stuff ... go figure ...
--- Jim Mings <jming...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> --- In jazz_...@yahoogroups.com, "Dave Woods"
> <david_woods@...>
> wrote:
>
> You know what? Practice, and play what gets you
> off. That's how you
> work to reach your own soul. And let's face it,
> what else is there to
> do down here? Some will get it, some won't. The
> human condition
> grinds on.
>
> Dave Woods
>
> Yeah, That's about it. I have a friend, a former
> student and a very
> good young guitarist. He teaches guitar at the
> College of Charleston
> and keeps telling me to wake up and stop playing his
> grandfather's
> music. Get a job in the Industry. All I can say is
> that what I am doing
> and where it is taking me feels more like the real
> deal than anything
> else.
> Jim Mings
>
>
John Amato
Isaiah 55:11
____________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss an email again!
Yahoo! Toolbar alerts you the instant new Mail arrives.
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
See what's inside the new Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/0It09A/bOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
John Amato
Bream in reference to practicing for the
"performance..."
Taken from an interview about his recording for
"Capricho Arabe," a very beautiful piece I happen to
be "practicing." I love what he says about "playing
fast".... "Showing off is for immature souls with
little or nothing meaningful to say."
--------------
Bream,
"Great players have recorded this work many times and
although many think it is difficult to play, it is
not. The scales have to be examined technically before
playing them and they are not meant to be played fast.
Showing off is for immature souls with little or
nothing meaningful to say.
What you hear in a recording cannot be reproduced in a
real musical scenario like a concert for friends or
family. Nobody claps intentions... "I meant to play it
like Segovia but... damn !! It did not work....". This
piece is magical and it needs understanding of each
phrase. Leave nothing to chance. Practice is the
lab..the place where you, the wizard, mixes the
ingredients... take all time in the world and play
slow enough not to allow error to enter your practice.
It is not obligatory to make mistakes."
John Amato
Isaiah 55:11
____________________________________________________________________________________
Need Mail bonding?
Go to the Yahoo! Mail Q&A for great tips from Yahoo! Answers users.
http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396546091
Jim Mings
I just received this a few hours ago. The noted Austrian
accordionist, "Hans Groiner", has figured out what is "wrong"
about "jazz" and "Monk" in particular. Here he demonstrates how to fix
it so that it is more tranquil and less "wrong." Observe his famous
accordion "Edith" in several of the shots. I found this to be most
illuminating.
Jim
YouTube - Hans Groiner: The Music of Thelonius Monk, episode 1_
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51bsCRv6kI0)
Anthony Corman
interest in instrumental music is the fact that, in
days of yore (say, up through the early 1900s), it was
common for ordinary people to play an instrument.
People had to entertain themselves and each other, and
therefore were better able, IMO, to appreciate what's
involved in playing well. Entertainment has gotten
professionalized, options, especially passive options,
have gotten quite compelling, and folks have less of a
basis for appreciating what's really going on when
they hear great playing.
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/4It09A/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
Chris Smart
>You know what? Practice, and play what gets you off. That's how
>you work to reach your own soul. And let's face it, what else is
>there to do down here? Some will get it, some won't. The human
>condition grinds on.
Very well-put!
Chris
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.7/713 - Release Date: 3/7/2007 9:24 AM
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
See what's inside the new Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/0It09A/bOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
Jack Spitznagel
I am going to be chuckling the rest of the day.
-Jack
Jim Mings wrote:
> Hi John,
>
> I just received this a few hours ago. The noted Austrian
> accordionist, "Hans Groiner", has figured out what is "wrong"
> about "jazz" and "Monk" in particular. Here he demonstrates how to fix
> it so that it is more tranquil and less "wrong." Observe his famous
> accordion "Edith" in several of the shots. I found this to be most
> illuminating.
> Jim
>
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/4It09A/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
John Amato
Frank Zappa
--- Jim Mings <jming...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi John,
>
> I just received this a few hours ago. The noted
> Austrian
> accordionist, "Hans Groiner", has figured out what
> is "wrong"
> about "jazz" and "Monk" in particular. Here he
> demonstrates how to fix
> it so that it is more tranquil and less "wrong."
> Observe his famous
> accordion "Edith" in several of the shots. I found
> this to be most
> illuminating.
> Jim
>
> YouTube - Hans Groiner: The Music of Thelonius
> Monk, episode 1_
> (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51bsCRv6kI0)
>
>
>
>
John Amato
Isaiah 55:11
____________________________________________________________________________________
Bored stiff? Loosen up...
Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games.
http://games.yahoo.com/games/front
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/4It09A/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
Jim Mings
It's "smooth jazz"!!
I am going to be chuckling the rest of the day.
-Jack
thanks, Jack.
Jim
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Something is new at Yahoo! Groups. Check out the enhanced email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/kOt0.A/gOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
Brad Little
play
slow enough not to allow error to enter your practice.
It is not obligatory to make mistakes."<
Arabe” to which Bream (and John) were referring. Here are the times for
them:
Julian Bream: 5:21
Wolfgang Lendle: 4:21
Sharon Isbin: 6:06
Andres Segovia (RCA, late in his career): 5:09
Narciso Yepes: 4:31
Andres Segovia (probably Decca, mid-career) 5:27
Christopher Parkening: 5:05
Carlos Bonell: 5:00.
Note that there is a minute and 45 seconds between the fastest and the
slowest. I don’t recall ever seeing a print edition with repeats (there
are two different editions on my music stand at the moment, both marked
Andantino), so that probably doesn’t account for the differences.
I’m reminded of an old joke:
Q. How many Juilliard students does it take to change a light bulb?
A. All of them. One to change it, and the rest to tell him/her how it
could have been done faster and louder.
Just my 2¢
Brad
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Something is new at Yahoo! Groups. Check out the enhanced email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/kOt0.A/gOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Brad Little
play
slow enough not to allow error to enter your practice.
It is not obligatory to make mistakes."<
Brad Little
play
slow enough not to allow error to enter your practice.
It is not obligatory to make mistakes."<
Brad Little
play
slow enough not to allow error to enter your practice.
It is not obligatory to make mistakes."<
Brad Little
play
slow enough not to allow error to enter your practice.
It is not obligatory to make mistakes."<
John Amato
Yes, I have a few recordings with differeent artists
all playing different arrangements.
I have to look through my music to see what exact
arrangement I have ... I have a couple of them. Right
now, I'll go with probably the easist.
John Amato
Isaiah 55:11
____________________________________________________________________________________
Don't pick lemons.
See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/4It09A/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
jonasfixe
last part when he puts his foot and almost falls).
Anyway, on the subject of jazz not being as popular as it should, I
just have 2 things to say:
-Jazz started as music to sing and to dance. It was popular then in the
dancing rooms and bars. When it goes away from this 2 characteristics,
it looses popularity. Although this is not necessarily bad, as long as
it survives and keeps evolving...
Joao Pedro
--- In jazz_...@yahoogroups.com, "Jim Mings" <jmings2003@...> wrote:
>
> Hi John,
>
> I just received this a few hours ago. The noted Austrian
> accordionist, "Hans Groiner", has figured out what is "wrong"
> about "jazz" and "Monk" in particular. Here he demonstrates how to
fix
> it so that it is more tranquil and less "wrong." Observe his famous
> accordion "Edith" in several of the shots. I found this to be most
> illuminating.
> Jim
>
> YouTube - Hans Groiner: The Music of Thelonius Monk, episode 1_
> (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51bsCRv6kI0)
>
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/hOt0.A/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
Jim Mings
These are for you:
What I Learned In Jazz Class
These are quotes from students in a college jazz history class. They
are extracted from the essay topic, "What I learned over this
semester in jazz history." These are all genuine responses,
completely unaltered. They are all 18+ year old students; not high
school or middle school age kids. None of them are music students;
they all took this class as a gen. ed. credit and a hopeful "easy
A".
"Free Jazz is an era that I wished I had never learned about.
"Free Jazz. Wow; what a sound it makes. An awful, horrible sound. I
don?t see how that can actually be called a sound. My 5 year old
nephew could pound on the piano and make the same sound! He may even
make a better sound. To be honest, that sound is one big mess.
"With swing, it's kind of up in the air for me. I must say I tried
like hell to keep up with it.
"My favorite jazz has a bluesy, Mexican feel to it.
"Though Jazz started in New Orleans, it traveled all around the
world picking up and dropping off things along the way.
"One thing that confused me was Jelly Roll Morton. Did he play with
the Red Hot Chili Peppers? I didn?t think that they were around back
then.
"Jelly Roll (Morton) bridged the gap between piano and ragtime.
"My grandpa likes it, but I think scat stinks.
"Chick Corea, Dizzie Gillespie, Bix Biderbeck, and the monk created
the first cool group.
"I wished Don Cherry would put his trumpet back in his pocket.
"There is not enough space in my head to fit all that I learned.
"This class taught me about a lot of things that I never knew about.
"Some of the big jazz musicians we learned about were: Lous
Armstrong, Duke, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Cillespic, T. Mark, Ken
Barns, Buddy Baldwin, Jellyroll Mortin, Sydney Bichai, Fats Waller,
Earl Hines, and many many more.
"Coming into class on the first day, I assumed there would be a
boring professor standing in front of the class droning on and on
about jazz. Here's where it started; this is who played it; and here
we are today; blah, blah, blah. I now realize that my assumption
wasn't all that wrong.
"I assumed that jazz had started in the African-American community
only because it fulfilled a multi-cultural course that I was
required to take.
"Jim Crow, in a way, was the first jazz musician.
"Jazz was put into effect by Jim Crow's Law.
"I really enjoyed hearing the big band, Frank Foster's Arrangement.
"I learned in this class that, contrary to my mom?s opinion, Kenny G
is a joke. A really non-funny one.
"I fell in love with that tune, Stablemates. It really hits home.
"Jazz musicians don?t play for women any more.
"I learned that going to jazz concerts gets me in good with the
girlfriend.
"I learned a lot about Be Bop, Swing, Drugs, and Fusion.
"I found new respect for Miles Davis. He was adamant about not using
drugs when everyone else was trying to get him to try some.
"I liked hearing the Original Dixieland (Jazz) Band, and how they
were the original Dixieland band.
"You might want to mention to future classes that jazz brings true
romance to a scene.
"I?m glad I took this class, because I feel more comfortable to talk
about jazz in its awesomeness.
"Drugs caused many artists their careers in many ways.
"Jazz is a style of music that is almost very sober.
"I figured jazz started in the 1960s, but to my surprise, it started
back in the late 18th century.
"Smooth jazz now just plain old angers me.
"A lot of the things that I learned were facts that I never new
about, not only in jazz, but in life as well.
"I got really excited by the tenor sax, soprano sax, baritone sax,
but not so much the alto sax.
I can't believe that blacks had time to invent jazz if they were
hanging out in the whorehouses with Jelly Roll Morton.
A lot of black jazz musicians were very talented, which probably
came from them not having anything else to do.
When blacks and whites finally decided to get together to make jazz,
it was a big hit.?
Lennie Tristano and Lee Konitz were two guys who would sit down and
enjoy cool jazz.
Going to the club gave me jazz sensations.
I hear the hard-bop jazz influence on bands today such as Matchbox
Twenty and Dave Matthews Band.
I'm now going to start this essay on jazz.
James Crow worked to bring the slaves together with the creoles.
Learning jazz has helped me beat my mom at Jeopardy. She had no idea
who a blind pianist from Toledo, OH was for $800.
I learned the definition of supreme technical virtuosity is to play
like Louie Armstrong.
"Charlie Parker was a famous jazz musician who played saxophonists.
Getting 81% (on a test) is all well and good until you see that dumb
guy next to you who picks his nose getting 91%. I then started
studying and coming to class.
I asked the drummer what the names of the names and styles of the
tunes that he played but he didn?t seem to know.
TV has become more jazzy to me now.
Studying jazz has been a coming out party for me.
I loved the vibrational solos of Clifford Brown.
When I think of tradition and instruments, I think of Fiddler of the
Roof.
I learned a lot from the different guest speakers in class, whether
they were an experienced piano player, a director of music at a
major motel, or a guitar player with an oddly placed hankercheif in
his pocket.
Jazz has the technique of classical music, the feeling of blues, and
the hope of children everywhere.
I know what troubles musicians now when I watch and listen to them
play.
My ties to jazz were through Bleeding Gums Murphy, a character on a
TV show called the Simpsons. It comes on at 8pm on Sunday nights.
I was surprised to find out about the different styles of jazz like
hard, be, and post bops.
I thought that jazz was a certain amount of instruments that you
played and was composed for you(,) not believing that it was their
improvisation and the jazz musicians who made up the music on the
spot doing what they wanted to do with the tunes. I know this is
hard to explain but it is true.
When I try to play jazz, I mess around with the instruments pounding
out random notes that were just me making nonsense up and it
sounding like a big pile of crap.
Jazz is more profound when it doesn't help pay the bills.
The first thing I learned in jazz history that happy birthday is the
most played jazz classic. You want to hear happy birthday in swing
BAM! You got it You want to hear happy birthday in classic jazz BAM!
You got it. You want to hear happy birthday in be bop BAM! You go(t)
it. It's great! The second thing I learned is free jazz is where its
at. I think that I could be a free jazz musician cause it all sounds
like a drunk 7 year old jamming down on some notes and making the
sweet sweet music fly. Free jazz was defiantly the best part of the
class but unfortunately you didn't play free jazz enough. My one
suggestion for your next class is that you start out every class
with a 5 minute free jazz intro. Over all and all, I defiantly
learned a lot in jazz history class.
Hip hop and pop are fine, going out for fame and bling bling. Jazz
has been around for a while, is out of style, but can really sing.
Jazz musicians sing and play music because they can?t contain their
passions. Their music starts in the soul radiates out in every
direction.
Jazz is a very dynamic kind of music. Loud and Soft.
Swing makes you want to get up and dance and free jazz just makes
you want to get up.
If any kind of music can calm a hectic day, its cool jazz. If you
feel like going out and dancing, however there is ragtime.
In conclusion, jazz is music.
Jazz has come from the fields of New Orleans to my 2pm class, and
beyond.
Unlike other forms of music, jazz is listened to by old people as
well as us.
I learned what intros and outros were in this class. Now I look for
them when I go searching for good music.
I went to do my (jazz) listening report at the house of blues.
Jazz has taught me a lot about the Civil War, World War I, and World
War II.
I thought of jazz as a thing of the past, something old African
American men listened to on old record players while sitting on
their front porches smoking cigars.
Steve Turre has taught me that sea shells should be left on the
ground instead of his mouth.
Over the course of the semester my knowledge of jazz has gone from
nothing to practically nothing.
Even though I probably won't listen to jazz after this semester, it
has given me a greater appreciation of movies.
My favorite person to study was Sonny Rollins. He knew that he had
to throw his saxaphone off the bridge when he heard how good Charlie
Parker was.
Jazz to me was the shoo opps. from groups in streets downtown in the
olden, golden days.
Happy birthday That song is just amazing to me.
My all-time favorite jazz artist to listen to was Buddy Baldwin, AKA
the jazz king. I think I'm going to go out and buy a couple of his
CDs
I was surprised to find musicians with such odd names such as Vilage
Von Guard.
Jazz is not as popular with all of the adolescence going around.
I like jazz more in books than on cds.
I remember coming into class with no facts but a whole plate of
bullshit to dish out.
I found myself learning about Blues, Early Jazz, Dixieland, Swing,
Be Bop, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, Free Jazz, Third
Stream, Japanese, Post Bop, Fusion, Smooth, Modern Jazz, and the
list goes on.
Call and Respond is where one musician plays and the other one tries
too hard to figure out what he's doing.
The people in Dixie Land originated jazz music.
Jazz is now a part of me from 2pm-3:15pm every Tuesday and Thursday.
Jazz started in the fields where they used hand-me-down instruments
and wore hand-me-down clothes.
If Wynton Marsalis said jazz was dead in the 1970?s, what was he
playing at the time?
Weather Report was the final big band back in the day.
My girlfriend and I both agreed the next morning that jazz-club food
was something we could've done without.
Jazz agitates me.
I like jazz, but I need something else besides rhythm, melody, and
harmony.
I had no clue that so many (musicians) used drugs. Thinking about
that, there is no doubt that they are living the life I dream of.
They are spending money on things that they don't really need or
even want.?'
''I noticed that there weren't many jazz women in our textbook until
I looked to see that the author was a guy. All guys are sexist,
women bashers, who don?t ever give us our credit.?''
'The part I most enjoyed was studying and appreciating slavery.
Its hard to imagine where Winton Marsalis gets his ideas from.
I?d like to see midgets getting bribed in every jazz club. Not just
with Birdland. I'm of course talking about the jazz club, not
Charlie Parker.
We?ve had our share of good times and bad times over the semester.
By bad times, I mean my tests.
Count Bassie WAS the swing era
This class increased my intelligence with aptitude.
Duke Ellington had the ability to turn jazz compositions into pure
magic.
Swing died in World War II when the soloists took over.
I could go on and on about jazz, but I won't.
Tony Williams was my favorite drummer because his group, Lifetime,
is the same name as my favorite channel that I watch.
How do the musicians know what to play when their eyes were closed
the whole time? And what was with the piano player talking while he
played his solos. His musician friends must have been thought he was
crazy.
I technically wasn't in your class but I was happy to be along for
the ride.
I was in jazz band in high school but we didn't play jazz music.
Dizzie Gillespie was the one who jammed on the drums.
I thought doing our listening report would be a painful sort of
torture.
I was bummed out at the beginning of the semester because I thought
Louis Armstrong was going to be one of the guest lecturers.
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Great things are happening at Yahoo! Groups. See the new email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/lOt0.A/hOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
Jim Mings
These are for you:
"Jazz musicians don't play for women any more. (;-)?)
"I asked the drummer what the names of the names and styles of the
"Jazz has the technique of classical music, the feeling of blues, and
"If Wynton Marsalis said jazz was dead in the 1970's, what was he
playing at the time?" (perfect!)
"I had no clue that so many (musicians) used drugs. Thinking about
that, there is no doubt that they are living the life I dream of.
They are spending money on things that they don't really need or
even want." (been there, done that)
Rod Ellard
I didn't take that class but, from my personal experience over the years, this point is quite clearly wrong:
"I learned that going to jazz concerts gets me in good with the
girlfriend."
---------------------------------
All new Yahoo! Mail -
---------------------------------
Get a sneak peak at messages with a handy reading pane.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Something is new at Yahoo! Groups. Check out the enhanced email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/kOt0.A/gOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
JVeg...@aol.com
of my mid-term multiple choice questions is:
Lemott F.J. Morton is more popularly known as:
A. Cinnamon Roll
B. Jelly Roll
C. Tootsie Roll
D. None of the above
You'd be surprised at how many students get it wrong; or then again, maybe
not...
Cheers,
JV
Juan Vega
<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free
email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at
http://www.aol.com.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/4It09A/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
igOr
can I have your permission to use it in my Jazz Appreciation class?
thanks,
igOr
<http://igorogogo.com>
<http://www.myspace.com/ogogoigor>
--- In jazz_...@yahoogroups.com, JVegaTrio@... wrote:
>
> I teach a lower-division jazz history class at a major L.A.
university. One
> of my mid-term multiple choice questions is:
>
> Lemott F.J. Morton is more popularly known as:
> A. Cinnamon Roll
> B. Jelly Roll
> C. Tootsie Roll
> D. None of the above
>
> You'd be surprised at how many students get it wrong; or then
again, maybe
> not...
>
> Cheers,
> JV
>
> Juan Vega
>
> <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now
offers free
> email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at
> http://www.aol.com.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Great things are happening at Yahoo! Groups. See the new email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/lOt0.A/hOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
JVeg...@aol.com
By all means, feel free, maybe your results will vary... BTW, where do you
teach?
Cheers,
JV
Juan Vega
<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free
email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at
http://www.aol.com.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/hOt0.A/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
igOr
>
> By all means, feel free, maybe your results will vary... BTW,
where do you
> teach?
>
> Cheers,
> JV
>
thanks JV..
I'm in LA Harbor College and Cerritos College..
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Alisdair MacRae-Birch
confuse it with Tootsie Roll or Cinnamon Roll! :-)
(and probably wouldn't forget!)
--- In jazz_...@yahoogroups.com, JVegaTrio@... wrote:
>
> I teach a lower-division jazz history class at a major L.A.
university. One
> of my mid-term multiple choice questions is:
>
> Lemott F.J. Morton is more popularly known as:
> A. Cinnamon Roll
> B. Jelly Roll
> C. Tootsie Roll
> D. None of the above
>
> You'd be surprised at how many students get it wrong; or then again,
maybe
> not...
Chris Smart
>I teach a lower-division jazz history class at a major L.A.
>university. One
>of my mid-term multiple choice questions is:
>
Louis Armstrong was:
a. a trumpeter
b. an astronaut who walked on the moon,
C. none of the above
:)
Chris
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.10/720 - Release Date: 3/12/2007 7:19 PM
Jack Spitznagel
I have added a 4th selection to Chris' question (a weak distractor in
edu-speak)
Louis Armstrong was:
a. a trumpeter
b. an astronaut who walked on the moon
c. the mayor of New Orleans in the late 1950's
d. none of the above
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
See what's inside the new Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/0It09A/bOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM
John Amato
with the Satch's guitarist, Larry Lucie, who I
understand is still alive & in his late 90s living in
a nursing home in L.I., N.Y.
--- Chris Smart <chr...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> At 03:19 PM 3/10/2007, you wrote:
>
> >I teach a lower-division jazz history class at a
> major L.A.
> >university. One
> >of my mid-term multiple choice questions is:
> >
> Louis Armstrong was:
> a. a trumpeter
> b. an astronaut who walked on the moon,
> C. none of the above
>
> :)
> Chris
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this outgoing message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.10/720 -
> Release Date: 3/12/2007 7:19 PM
>
>
>
John Amato
Isaiah 55:11
____________________________________________________________________________________
Be a PS3 game guru.
Get your game face on with the latest PS3 news and previews at Yahoo! Games.
http://videogames.yahoo.com/platform?platform=120121
will_halligan
>
> ... talking about Louie Armstrong. In '75 I studied
> with the Satch's guitarist, Larry Lucie, who I
> understand is still alive & in his late 90s living in
> a nursing home in L.I., N.Y.
Lucky you! He is 97 I believe.
Cheers,
Will
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
See what's inside the new Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/0It09A/bOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM