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05-31-2026 06:28 AM
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Air sculptures, man.
Sub-atomic vibrations which rearrange molecular structure.
Or something…
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Zoot Sims
Lester Young
Erroll Garner
Ed Bickert
They were probably not composers.Last edited by kris; 05-31-2026 at 10:35 AM.
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lol that’s what happened with the Chet Baker/Warne Marsh album (Blues for a Reason). If you listen, it’s obvious they were both just improvising together over some standard changes without stating the melody, but the Penguin Record Guide goes on about Chet’s ‘challenging unfamiliar charts’ or some such nonsense.
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There can be a difference, but it depends on the fuller context of how the words are being used. Sometimes they’re synonyms, a way of saying the same thing with different words. For example, you’re writing an article about a Duke Ellington. To avoid constantly repeating the same word (which is annoying to most readers), sometimes you call him an artist and sometimes you call him a musician.
Sometimes, though, “artist” is used to distinguish between degrees of creativity and originality. So if you’re writing an article comparing Duke Ellington to Kenny G, you might write that they’re both musicians, but Duke is an artist and Kenny G is not.Last edited by John A.; 05-31-2026 at 04:53 PM.
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Is a Lexus just a pretentious Toyota? Just kidding there but last night I played at the opening of a gallery exhibition. The artists used a variety of media and my reactions to them varied but every one of them is an artist. They use their talents to share something with me. I look at anyone who picks up an instrument the same way. Yes, some are Masters and most of us are not, but classifications like artist vs musicians seem more like somthing a culture blog writer would value more than an actual player.
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This a 'closed question' that only invites a yes/no response, but I think you're asking for something more/deeper.
You are asking if there's a subtle difference, and your question implies there's significant overlap between an artist and musician, maybe for example, they are 97% similar and do almost that exact same things. It seems you're asking about maybe 2-3% difference.
Here are my questions for you:
1. Out of curiosity, may I know why you're asking about that 2-3% difference? (What is the benefit of knowing this information?)
2. Once you know this information, what are you going to do?
3. Who else needs to know this information, and what do you hope for them to do?
4. Finally, would you call yourself an artist or a musician?
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Asking because I am not a pro, but wanted to know if identifying as an 'artist' vs. a 'musician' changes how the musician approaches the gig, the logistics/admin, the bandstand, practice routine, etc.
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You complicate things a lot.
It's a bit difficult for me to judge the situation of a musician who is not pro.
These are other problems.
A pro musician signs a contract with a record label, organizes gigs, makes contact with TV, radio, etc.
He often does it all himself.Making a living from playing jazz is a constant job.
Someone who plays only as a hobby has security in the form of another job.
That is my opinion.
In short, for some it is fun, for others it is a difficult profession.
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Artist is used to describe a musician who is accepted by the public as being creatively eminent, while musician is a catch all term. This is regardless of genre. It doesn't matter if they put out original material or not. So Petey Bernstein would be known as a jazz artist, Chris Parks a jazz musician.
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They don’t call me
Originally Posted by kris
Boom ching
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Check out Jonathan Glass. He’s on a first name basis with every server in every jazz club in Manhattan. He used to come and sit at table 47 seat 2 maybe twice a week at the Jazz Standard when I worked there. Super nice guy and does so wild pen and ink drawings of the musicians.
Jonathan Glass Art Studios
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It's subjective. If you feel someone is worth calling an artist then do so. If you don't, don't. You might get a few funny looks but never mind

I've known a few piss artists in my time
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The only reason a musician isn’t an artist is because they are gatekeeping themself. There’s probably a word for it that a psychologist would know.
Kenny G is an artist, Busta Rhymes is an artist. Them polka dot guys with phallic noses are artists.
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Plenty of folks who do these things professionally are not artists. They are craftspeople. Painters on the banks of the Seine who will, in six minutes, paint a likeness of you. Sculptors churning out a dozen of the same copy of a famous sculpture daily for months to fulfill a contract. Novelists who write predictable romance paperbacks. Etc.
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Maybe effective advertising of yourself causes you to be in the world of artists...?
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