What is the Most Popular Form of Jazz Today?

[Hep To The Jive]

As I have spent around 6-7 years of playing this stuff (swing) I have to say that what appeals to people about it in general has little in common with what I find interesting about jazz. I think they like the songs, the old fashioned twee-ness of it and the vibe. I don't think they are terribly interested in the blowing.

*shrugs* it's an overlap of interests.

Personally, I grew a bit tired of this scene (I'm a bit fed up of playing in really noisy bars and swing dance gigs can be a bit dull if you don't dance) and am currently moving towards other things at the moment. But playing so much vintage style jazz has definitely seeped into my playing. Hopefully in a good way - I think it has affected the way I approach my own music, and the group I play in Hot Club of Jupiter has a nice balance of entertainment and musical values I think.

Gigs for swing dancers could be very boring indeed. I played a few, and it's mostly medium tempo swing tunes. I don't get called for them very much, so I guess I have nothing to worry

I do prefer NOLA type over trad swing format, more funky and groovy, and treat guitar more like a banjo, which is somehow comes natural for me.

On the other hand, the blowing aspect... hate me, but I think it's overrated. I played gigs where I haven't played a single solo, and yet I was very excited to play and be a part of the groove machine, especially if there's no drummer. Seeing people going crazy and dance their asses off to my beat is far more exciting than have them sit and stare at my fingers. If you have to play a solo break, just do a chorus or 2 if its a fast tune, and shut up and play rhythm, which is a guitarist most important job to begin with. Horns do it better anyway!

Another aspect of it, there are bands who do things exactly like it's been done 100 years ago, keeping it a museum artifact. I' am not a big fan of that either. Mix it up, take the best elements, like loco rhythm of early jazz, and add something. In my case it's a blues, surf, and rock'nroll influence. I wanna do my own thing, actually I am doing it, just need to record it well. Juxtaposing styles is what I love the best, there is no limit what you can do and be creative.

[christianm77]

Gigs for swing dancers could be very boring indeed. I played a few, and it's mostly medium tempo swing tunes. I don't get called for them very much, so I guess I have nothing to worry

I do prefer NOLA type over trad swing format, more funky and groovy, and treat guitar more like a banjo, which is somehow comes natural for me.

I don't mind the tempos - medium bounce is a great fun when done well! I just felt that most of the dancers were totally on their own trip, which is fair enough. Most of them are lovely people, but not an audience for music, not music lovers, give or take a few who have a closer involvement with it.

Trad jazz is often great when played by people *from* New Orleans. The second line beat is the fundamental heartbeat of much music including modern jazz... When jazz loses its connection to that heartbeat, I kind of lose interest.

The heartbeat can be expressed many ways though - it's in Miles's electric music, for example.

On the other hand, the blowing aspect... hate me, but I think it's overrated. I played gigs where I haven't played a single solo, and yet I was very excited to play and be a part of the groove machine, especially if there's no drummer. Seeing people going crazy and dance their asses off to my beat is far more exciting than have them sit and stare at my fingers. If you have to play a solo break, just do a chorus or 2 if its a fast tune, and shut up and play rhythm, which is a guitarist most important job to begin with. Horns do it better anyway!

I think this is the mindset you have to have to play swing music on the guitar. Good for you, I say.

Ultimately I like variety, lots of different gigs.

Swing guitar gigs are fun for me if I'm not just doing that. For a while that was the only type of gig I was doing, and it drove me up the wall.

Also, I miss comping.

Another aspect of it, there are bands who do things exactly like it's been done 100 years ago, keeping it a museum artifact. I' am not a big fan of that either. Mix it up, take the best elements, like loco rhythm of early jazz, and add something. In my case it's a blues, surf, and rock'nroll influence. I wanna do my own thing, actually I am doing it, just need to record it well. Juxtaposing styles is what I love the best, there is no limit what you can do and be creative.

Anyway - so what they like is not jazz per se, but Archaic Pop Music :-)

Just listening to the Savory collection at the moment. There is of course a fantastic art to the Swing music of the 1930's. I have to say, I can't really bothered to listen to modern bands in the style, because are they as good as Ellington, Prez, Charlie C, Louis, Bechet, Django, Billie etc? No.

Even if you could swing that hard and play so good, you are still in the shadow of what's come before. Even if I did go down that road, it is basically impossible to play swing music with the correct instrumentation and volume level in most playing environments. What the audience want is basically rock and roll with the trappings of the jazz age. Not jazz.

I like Campilongo's stuff for instance, because there's a postmodern, retro modern, humorous vibe there. I sometimes reference that sort of thing a bit in my trio when I have my tele...

Bringing something new into it is the way forward. Good luck!

That's why I play in the Hot Club of Jupiter.

[christianm77]

TL;DR the vintage Hot Jazz thing doesn't count IMO.

To be honest any type of instrumental listening oriented music that's not heavily funded and socially elevated like 'classical' is a bit of a niche thing.

World fusion stuff seems to quite popular ATM, though.

[Hep To The Jive]

I don't mind the tempos - medium bounce is a great fun when done well! I just felt that most of the dancers were totally on their own trip, which is fair enough. Most of them are lovely people, but not an audience for music, not music lovers, give or take a few who have a closer involvement with it.

Trad jazz is often great when played by people *from* New Orleans. The second line beat is the fundamental heartbeat of much music including modern jazz... When jazz loses its connection to that heartbeat, I kind of lose interest.

The heartbeat can be expressed many ways though - it's in Miles's electric music, for example.



I think this is the mindset you have to have to play swing music on the guitar. Good for you, I say.

Ultimately I like variety, lots of different gigs.

Swing guitar gigs are fun for me if I'm not just doing that. For a while that was the only type of gig I was doing, and it drove me up the wall.

Also, I miss comping.



Anyway - so what they like is not jazz per se, but Archaic Pop Music :-)

Just listening to the Savory collection at the moment. There is of course a fantastic art to the Swing music of the 1930's. I have to say, I can't really bothered to listen to modern bands in the style, because are they as good as Ellington, Prez, Charlie C, Louis, Bechet, Django, Billie etc? No.

Even if you could swing that hard and play so good, you are still in the shadow of what's come before. Even if I did go down that road, it is basically impossible to play swing music with the correct instrumentation and volume level in most playing environments. What the audience want is basically rock and roll with the trappings of the jazz age. Not jazz.

I like Campilongo's stuff for instance, because there's a postmodern, retro modern, humorous vibe there. I sometimes reference that sort of thing a bit in my trio when I have my tele...

Bringing something new into it is the way forward. Good luck!

That's why I play in the Hot Club of Jupiter.

The NOLA second line style, thats what I play the most. You don't have to be from there actually, just feel it. I had people coming to us saying thank you it's nice to hear a real New Orleans band in NYC, how long you guys been playing in NY? I usually start talking so they can hear my accent, oh are you really from there? Yeah well just a bit north of it, St Petersburg, Russia. Everybody in the band is cracking up

I agree though, variety is important to a musician's mental health, I do love old soul jazz, groovy stuff, or blues, that sort of thing. It seems I don't have much talent for more heady types of jazz, i always feel like a fish out of the water when I have to comp for some tune for 10 min, basically just waiting for my turn to solo. I can do it if needed, but can never get excited about doing it.

You got a good thing going with the Jupiter, keep it up! My idea is adding more rocking edge to the music, my buddy who I play with calls it punk Gypsy swing, which is fair enough.

Here's a track we recorded last fall, I really hate my solo, it's pretty bad and not at all how I want it to sound, I tensed up or something... But the overall vibe is exactly what I'm going for, just need to perfect it:

[christianm77]

I like it. It sounds kind of ..... Eastern European .... to me? I like the slapback on the guitar.

[Hep To The Jive]

I like it. It sounds kind of ..... Eastern European .... to me? I like the slapback on the guitar.

Thanks man! haha, yeah, Eastern European, must be the clarinet Slapback was an experiment, sure works for solos, but I made a big mistake putting it on every song, even playing 4 to the beat swing rhythm. Terrible idea!

[Thumpalumpacus]

Going by airplay, elevator jazz, no doubt.

[christianm77]

Thanks man! haha, yeah, Eastern European, must be the clarinet Slapback was an experiment, sure works for solos, but I made a big mistake putting it on every song, even playing 4 to the beat swing rhythm. Terrible idea!

No I think it's cool. When it first came on I thought - oh that's an interesting ensemble sound - sounded quite different - realised it was the slapback. As long as you can use it without it messing with your rhythm, which seems to be the case.

BTW in Douche Ambulance (as I like to call it) there seems ample opportunity for messing around with those opening chords on the D melody note. I may have to write an alternative arrangement bwahahaahaha...

[Drumbler]

If you go to any jazz festival you will find that the most popular jazz today is "not jazz".

In fact you will be hard pressed to find any jazz being played except "not jazz".

So "not jazz" is the most popular nowadays.

[AlsoRan]

If you go to any jazz festival you will find that the most popular jazz today is "not jazz".

In fact you will be hard pressed to find any jazz being played except "not jazz".

So "not jazz" is the most popular nowadays.

Drumbler! You are ruining the mood!

[RonD]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned these guys.
At almost 9 million views, I'd say they're kinda popular.

[Stevebol]

^^^
Pretty good for college music.

[christianm77]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned these guys.
At almost 9 million views, I'd say they're kinda popular.

Yeah they are popular aren't they.

Don't see the appeal myself, but they are all great players.

[christianm77]

There's all this kind of stuff now:

Is it jazz? No, I don't think so. But it is certainly influencend by jazz and appeals to people who like complicated music with a rhythm/groove sensibility and soloing.

And it looks to the future, which makes me perk up my ears a bit in a time where most music seems to be imitating the past.

The hip hop/neo soul/jazz fusion stuff is big ATM, Kendrick, Flying Lotus and the musicians including Thundercat, and of course Kamasi Washington associated with that scene.

Personally, Kamasi's music I don't find terribly interesting, but I like Thundercat's stuff.

[christianm77]

And this sounds like fucking Yes or some shit like that :-)

[Hep To The Jive]

And this sounds like fucking Yes or some shit like that :-)

It must be very cold on that stage

Well, I shouldn't really like it, I was never a fan of 'progressiveness" in music, but I do like it! Actually like it plenty, both videos are great. Go figure, I'm confused now hahaha

[mr. beaumont]

Personally, Kamasi's music I don't find terribly interesting, but I like Thundercat's stuff.

Thundercat rules. I really like Kamasi''s "epic."

Kendrick's seriously overrated, imho. Pimp a butterfly is a bloated piece of junk.

[Hep To The Jive]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned these guys.
At almost 9 million views, I'd say they're kinda popular.

Something about their music, I dunno, holds me back, or something. Is it too 'college'? Given their name, one line comes to mind from a classic movie: "Are you gonna bark all day little doggy, or are you gonna bite?''

[mr. beaumont]

Something about their music, I dunno, holds me back, or something. Is it too 'college'? Given their name, one line comes to mind from a classic movie: "Are you gonna bark all day little doggy, or are you gonna bite?''

When it's good, it's good. But a lot of the time it sounds like funk that you can't dance to, which sucks.

[Papawooly]

Here's some local bands. And a little plug for myself too

WOW!!

I don't know which I admire most
1) The Thimble-finger percussionist
2) Wastub bass!!
3) Bullhorn vocals

So much fun/talent pure joy, thanks for sharing, and I loved the great eye-contact with the vocalist on your solo...

[Hep To The Jive]

WOW!!

I don't know which I admire most
1) The Thimble-finger percussionist
2) Wastub bass!!
3) Bullhorn vocals

So much fun/talent pure joy, thanks for sharing, and I loved the great eye-contact with the vocalist on your solo...

Thanks, I'm the guitarist in the bullhorn video btw, just to make sure you not thinking I'm Vinnie Raniolo hahaha

[Stevebol]

With all the different types of Jazz types that are out there, which one do you think is the most popular and please give an example of an artist, past or present, that plays this style.

I am guessing Smooth Jazz probably has the most listeners and audience.

'Pop' music has become the dumping ground of the educated but like George Micheal said- sometimes the clothes do not make the man.
I can't give you a straight answer as to the most popular form of jazz. Pop music doesn't exist anymore. Does jazz?

[AlsoRan]

'Pop' music has become the dumping ground of the educated but like George Micheal said- sometimes the clothes do not make the man.
I can't give you a straight answer as to the most popular form of jazz. Pop music doesn't exist anymore. Does jazz?

You have got me wondering just what is Pop music, these days?

[Hep To The Jive]

You have got me wondering just what is Pop music, these days?

That's easy. Go check Billboard top 100, listen to the tracks, and you shall find

[christianm77]

It must be very cold on that stage

Well, I shouldn't really like it, I was never a fan of 'progressiveness" in music, but I do like it! Actually like it plenty, both videos are great. Go figure, I'm confused now hahaha

Me too bro