Jazz is one of the greatest musics and arts ever created. It's birth and evolution spawned many heroes, different types of jazz, influences, and a music that evolved from rebellion to mainsteam. It is solely responsible for many types of music, musicians, and influences of the past and today. It brings a nostalgic past feeling and image to anyone that hears it and the world would not be the same today without its history.

History

In a brief nutshell, Jazz was first being played from the 1890s and gaining popularity in the 1920s. Eventually evolving to its many different forms and types after the 1920s, becoming America's truly first art, and mainstream music. Eventually fading out in the 1960s and 70s, although still popular the world over today.

It was first played by blacks rejecting the European classical music that was pushed upon them. Improvisation and a swing rhythm are the backbones of jazz that are easily recognizable. It's a music hard to explain, but the moment you hear it, you know that it is undeniably jazz.

Styles

There are many different styles of Jazz from swing, big band, latin jazz, to bebop, to cool jazz, and to its younger brother funk, and its cousin, the blues.

The world has adopted jazz and amazing sounds have been created with jazz and other countries customs creating incredible sounds from bossa nova from Brazil, gypsy sounding jazz from France, and Afro-Cuban jazz from Cuba to name a few.

Heroes

Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Nat King Cole, John Coltrane, Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, etc. etc. The list goes on and on great influences from past to present.

Examples

Miles Davis






John Coltrane- Bebop






Bossa Nova






Afro Cuban






French 'Gypsy' style

A tour






Concluding

Jazz is a music that will never die and will continually evolve. We have jazz to thank, for better or worse, the music of today and tomorrow.

When heard in live setting, it brings back simpler times to masculine men in suits and ties, and feminine women in pleasing dresses. It's also one of the best date options for a man today. If the girl doesn't appreciate it and like in some way, you can bet she probably isn't worth to keep around and worthy enough.

Since I cannot explain the feelings of joy and appreciation I get when I listen to jazz in words, I'll let others in quote.

"Jazz is smooth and cool. Jazz is rage. Jazz flows like water. Jazz never seems to begin or end. Jazz isn't methodical, but jazz isn't messy either. Jazz is a conversation, a give and take. Jazz is the connection and communication between musicians. Jazz is abandon."
Nat Wolff

"Boxing is like jazz. The better it is, the less people appreciate it."
George Foreman

"By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with."
Duke Ellington

"If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know."
Louis Armstrong

Great post!

I play a lot of blues and jazz myself (piano and guitar), and it's a tragedy how few people are truly aware and educated about it. Trying to find bands or like-minded souls to jam with is pretty rough going here in the UK, in my experience.

My own particular love is of New Orleans style jazz and blues. Two awesome artists around currently are Trombone Shorty, and Kermit Ruffins, the latter being a particular favourite.

Enjoy!

I've been getting more and more into Jazz over the last 2 or 3 years. It's quite daunting because there's so much of it...but I love that feeling of discovery. Reminds me of when I was younger and getting into metal.

I'm particularly fond of experimental/fusion stuff though I do love a good piece of vintage cool/modal or whatever.

I recommend people look into the ECM label for more left-field stuff. There's a David Torn record called Cloud About Mercury that has become a firm favourite of mine. It features the rhythm section of the 80s King Crimson lineup (Bruford and Levin), Mark Isham on trumpet, and David Torn's really tasteful, experimental shred guitar. Very un-traditional but musically very satisfying. Other artists worth looking into are Ralph Towner, Eberhard Weber (I've got an album of his, Pendulum, which is all complete solo bass arrangements, very impressive!), and Pat Metheny put out some stuff on there too.

Also really like Weather Report, namely the stuff with Jaco on bass. I play fretless myself and the guy never fails to blow me away. A real pioneer.

Miles Davis is also essential, from the older ones like Steamin' With the Miles Davis Quintet through Tutu which is a very good album IMO.

Here's a stunning Pat Metheny track featuring Jaco on bass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiKt8DxBpeg

Really just sublime.

Quote: (07-14-2015 07:04 AM)UroboricForms Wrote:  

I've been getting more and more into Jazz over the last 2 or 3 years. It's quite daunting because there's so much of it...but I love that feeling of discovery. Reminds me of when I was younger and getting into metal.

I'm particularly fond of experimental/fusion stuff though I do love a good piece of vintage cool/modal or whatever.

I recommend people look into the ECM label for more left-field stuff. There's a David Torn record called Cloud About Mercury that has become a firm favourite of mine. It features the rhythm section of the 80s King Crimson lineup (Bruford and Levin), Mark Isham on trumpet, and David Torn's really tasteful, experimental shred guitar. Very un-traditional but musically very satisfying. Other artists worth looking into are Ralph Towner, Eberhard Weber (I've got an album of his, Pendulum, which is all complete solo bass arrangements, very impressive!), and Pat Metheny put out some stuff on there too.

Also really like Weather Report, namely the stuff with Jaco on bass. I play fretless myself and the guy never fails to blow me away. A real pioneer.

Miles Davis is also essential, from the older ones like Steamin' With the Miles Davis Quintet through Tutu which is a very good album IMO.

Here's a stunning Pat Metheny track featuring Jaco on bass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiKt8DxBpeg

Really just sublime.

Great taste. Pat Metheny is a master of melody and development...this track is beautiful.






Ralph Towner and the ECM label, awesome stuff, listen to how glorious this is






and of course Jaco....genius

Donald Byrd

I know ya'll know about Mr Dizzy Gillespie right?

Surprised no one made a post like this until now. I love jazz.


Thanks for mentioning Frank Sinatra. A lot of people would misclassify him and even more don't know about the Sicilian American influence on jazz.

Jazz used to be a big part of my life. Miles Davis and John Coltrane were and still are huge influences on me, especially Kind of Blue and A Love Supreme. I've listened to almost everything they ever recorded.

I also play guitar and I taught myself by learning to improvise on jazz standards.

Here's a track by a remarkable guitarist named Sonny Sharrock. He's not known to the casual fan but he was a singular talent. He played with a kind of ferocious visceral intensity. This is my favourite Sonny Sharrock track. It features Pharoah Saunders and Elvin Jones, both noted for their work with John Coltrane.






Here's one by guitarist Kenny Burrell exuding effortless 60s cool.






And I like Pat Metheny as much as the rest of you guys. This is him playing How Insensitive by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Exquisitely lyrical and melancholy. It's my favourite Metheny performance.

I'm quite pleased to see a post about jazz on this forum. I've grown very interested in jazz the past couple years (mostly swing and hard bop, but I listen to pretty much everything but the avant-garde stuff) and am learning to play the tenor sax. If there is any kind of music really by men for men it's definitely jazz.

This is one of my favorite songs of all time.

Quote: (07-14-2015 12:47 AM)AldoKelevra Wrote:  

If the girl doesn't appreciate it and like in some way, you can bet she probably isn't worth to keep around and worthy enough.

Truer words have never been said. I don't think I could even be attracted to a girl who didn't at least enjoy a bit of jazz music. I don't think I would vibe with her. It's a certain mindset that comes along with an appreciation of jazz music. It's like kindred spirits. You're on a certain wavelength. And those that can't enjoy it are probably not people I'd vibe with. Same with a girl who had no interest in visual art. It's not that easy to find younger women that are into jazz. The fans seem to be old or at least older.

@Robert JS

I'm a huge fan of Metheny as well. I think he may be my fav jazz artist of all time. There these two songs mentally transport me to another dimension.











The latter one is like passionate sex to me. The slow and sensual buildup to an explosive climax. And man, that signature sound of his guitar. All you need to hear is one note and you know who is playing it.

Is anyone else a fan of 70s era fusion? A few years ago I discovered a long defunct band called Caldera that has become one of my favorite groups from that era:

Been listening to a bit of jazz lately

Although it's not related to performers of jazz as such, you guys might be interested to hear that jazz was subversive under the Iron Curtain, in former Czechoslovakia.

Geoffrey Robertson, in his book The Justice Game, talks about it. You can find the relevant excerpt here: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inq...6229629306

Quote:Quote:

I have never much liked jazz - you keep thinking it will turn into a tune, and it doesn't. But it had been banned by Stalin and condemned as "decadent" by the Nazis. What, I asked Havel, is its subversive secret? He gave his trademark grin and invited me to an "official" jazz concert organised by the government after it disbanded the Jazz Society, in order to show it was not afraid of music. We sat through hours of sclerotic Russian "big bands" (old men in suits playing Glenn Miller) until after midnight, when thousands of young people turned up in the cavernous Lucerna Theatre to hear Herbie Hancock and Mike Westbrook, and to laugh about the stupidity of the police. "You see now why totalitarians distrust jazz," said Havel. "Because it's music you can talk under."

I just saw Henry Threadgill last night at the Village Vanguard. Posting this early in the morning because I was out with a girl all night after the show. Took her to the show and she dug it.

I like avant garde jazz. Henry is a master, regarded as one of the top living jazz saxophone players. A true composer and master of the genre. Buy his records and check him out if they make it to your town.

I'm also a huge fan of Jazz/Fusion influenced metal. I know some guys here are into the heavier side of things. A lot of the stuff like this that I'm into is heavily based in death metal, which isn't for everyone, but there is a lot of more accessible stuff out there too. For example:







This track absolutely blows me away.

Quote: (07-16-2015 05:42 AM)Vaun Wrote:  

I just saw Henry Threadgill last night at the Village Vanguard. Posting this early in the morning because I was out with a girl all night after the show. Took her to the show and she dug it.

I like avant garde jazz. Henry is a master, regarded as one of the top living jazz saxophone players. A true composer and master of the genre. Buy his records and check him out if they make it to your town.

Just listened. That was fucking incredible. Thank you.

Had the honor of seeing Wynton Marsalis play once though it was classical music.

I admire and greatly respect the talent of Jazz musicians. Beyond elevator music though, I don't really care for it.

Quote: (07-16-2015 05:42 AM)Vaun Wrote:  

I just saw Henry Threadgill last night at the Village Vanguard. Posting this early in the morning because I was out with a girl all night after the show. Took her to the show and she dug it.

I like avant garde jazz. Henry is a master, regarded as one of the top living jazz saxophone players. A true composer and master of the genre. Buy his records and check him out if they make it to your town.

Damn. That was excellent.

Quote: (07-16-2015 06:08 AM)UroboricForms Wrote:  

I'm also a huge fan of Jazz/Fusion influenced metal. I know some guys here are into the heavier side of things. A lot of the stuff like this that I'm into is heavily based in death metal, which isn't for everyone, but there is a lot of more accessible stuff out there too. For example:

This track absolutely blows me away.

Like wise.

On the theme of fusion.