Poll- if you had to pick one style?....

[Stevebol]

Couple years ago I took a workshop and the instructor actually told me I had to choose between swing and bop.

[christianm77]

Couple years ago I took a workshop and the instructor actually told me I had to choose between swing and bop.

Really? Who was the instructor?

I play bebop on the maccaferri. I'm hoping no-one will notice, and at the moment everyone seems to think it's swing ;-)

On the other hand maybe I'm really playing swing and I just think it's bebop.

Oh well, best not to worry. So long as the phone keeps ringing. *stares intently at phone* Come on, stupid phone.

[pkirk]

Ha! I was going to accuse you of causing the potential confusion, but looks like you created your username 6 months before me, so I won't. Glancing though your past posts I don't see anything you've said I'd disagree with. I haven't seen evidence of anyone confusing us, but someone does that should be easy to correct. Nothin wrong with having different viewpoints.

I don't have a problem with anything you say either, I was just using the opportunity to point out we are different people.

Part of what prompted me to say that we have different viewpoints is that from my perspective, popularity or entertainment are issues that have no sway on how I play
or what I listen to. I realize they are important issues, especially to people trying to make a living at it, but they don't form any part of my musical identity, and whether or not somebody does doesn't affect my reaction to their music.

[KirkP]

Part of what prompted me to say that we have different viewpoints is that from my perspective, popularity or entertainment are issues that have no sway on how I play or what I listen to. I realize they are important issues, especially to people trying to make a living at it, but they don't form any part of my musical identity, and whether or not somebody does doesn't affect my reaction to their music.

I was just addressing the point someone made about why jazz isn't very popular these days. I've heard people blame the audience or the venues. Fortunately I just play for fun not income, so I play what I love.

[snoskier63]

I would select All of the Above... and more!

If I was limited to one style I would surely go crazy and would move on to something else.

[HighSpeedSpoon]

... I play bebop on the maccaferri. ...

What is a "maccaferri" please? -- Thanks.

[christianm77]

What is a "maccaferri" please? -- Thanks.

Tada!

Maccaferri is I think UK specific, most other places call them Selmers or Selmer-Maccaferri's (Sel-mac)

Selmer guitar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[HighSpeedSpoon]

Thanks!

[Stevebol]

I can't decide between swing and fusion.

[md54]

I was just addressing the point someone made about why jazz isn't very popular these days. I've heard people blame the audience or the venues. Fortunately I just play for fun not income, so I play what I love.

Jazz is dead. The audience? The venues? Nah.....the disease started with Ornett Coleman and Coltrane. The patient is now dead from over exposure to Harmonic Rhythmic Chaos Syndrome propagated by a million Ornett Coleman and Coltrane wannabes.

We left the audiences behind 30 years ago.

[christianm77]

Jazz is dead. The audience? The venues? Nah.....the disease started with Ornett Coleman and Coltrane. The patient is now dead from over exposure to Harmonic Rhythmic Chaos Syndrome propagated by a million Ornett Coleman and Coltrane wannabes.

We left the audiences behind 30 years ago.

Depends on where you are. In London there's a good audience for music of all kinds. It may well be different elsewhere. If jazz is dead, it's because the music built on this tradition has become too diverse to be brought under one umbrella. Saying 'come to hear me play some jazz' is like saying, 'come and hear some music!'

There's lots of people out there who love Ornette but would really not dig Sidney Bechet, as much as vice versa. I think both camps are silly especially as those two players to my ears have a huge amount in common, but I probably would go to a gig advertised as 'hey come and hear some music!'

(Obviously if it was Kenny G that would be false advertising.)

The most important thing, to paraphrase Kurt Rosenwinkel - make sure your music doesn't suck. Don't play what you think the audience wants to hear, don't pull your punches and play with conviction. Remember that you can't please everyone.

[md54]

25 people in an upstairs pub room located in a couple of the worlds major cities is not an audience. Most pro jazz musicians are broke and living hand to mouth. Been like that for years. Academics hipsters have taken the music and ruined it.

[Frank67]

Gypsy

[christianm77]

Actually - which might surprise some people who know my posts - it's post bop for me - by which I mean really anything from Blue Note right up to the modern New York way of playing standards (Kurt, Moreno, Heckselman etc) not sure if that's the general interpretation

I think I like this because it allows freedom to borrow freely from everything - swing, bop, modal, free, fusion - while not losing a sense of the structure of jazz based on standards, blues etc.

But I think to play post bop well, you have to have studied a broad spectrum of different eras of jazz. You have to a handle on bop and more modern approaches. That's a fertile area of common practice, and I feel where my playing is most 'me'.

As a player, I love this, but I'm not sure audiences are that interested!

[Thumpalumpacus]

OK, so enough votes to see the trends. Anyone else surprised to see Swing right up there and Bebop way down? Most surprising for me is that no-one picked Modal, given that Modal Jazz is so popular with casual listeners, and fun to play.

Anyone have any ideas about why Modal is the only zero thus far? I thought that the crossover contingent from Rock and Blues world would have found Modal Jazz to be a comfortable platform for the Jazz novice more familiar with improvising in single keys.

Or is it just that Modal Jazz is often simply a part of Hard Bop, Cool and Post Bop (Even jazz/funk/rock fusion)?

A rock player who has strong blues and evident jazz influences, I chose fusion, because it seemed to me to be the genre on offer closest to my musical heart. I like modal jazz, but to be honest, I like limitations oftentimes, because they present a challenge of their own that isn't so present for me when the harmonic landscape allows for so many different melodic excursions.

Put shortly, I enjoy navigating through changes (simple though those changes might be in my case at the present moment.)

[rintincop]

Bluesy bop, so I guess that's Hard Bop for me.

[Irez87]

Since most of what I listen to is hardbop--and I want to get more of that saawwwwwaahsssaaah in my playing--I'd go with HARDBOP.

Art Blakey presss roll send off COMMENCE!

[KirkP]

From those, #1 swing, #2 cool. But I love playing tunes in latin or bossa. If I could play nothing but one style I’d probably get bored and take up art instead.

[jameslovestal]

I don't even know how to classify music;

E.g. Love the type of music Raney did in the 80s; E.g. The Master.

Is this swing or post bop or what?

[JaxJaxon]

"Jump Jazz" not a choice

[Hep To The Jive]

"Jump Jazz" not a choice

Jump jazz, hmm. I like that, what I like and play that describes very well!

[jameslovestal]

Jump jazz, hmm. I like that, what I like and play that describes very well!

Yea, I listened to your latest recording that you posted and jump jazz describes the style well. Really sound music that has a nice balance of melodic playing and energy (that 'jump' part!). Now that is hep to the jive!

[Hep To The Jive]

Yea, I listened to your latest recording that you posted and jump jazz describes the style well. Really sound music that has a nice balance of melodic playing and energy (that 'jump' part!). Now that is hep to the jive!

Thanks James! Yes, melodic playing plus energy is the way. I'm glad you liked it!

[Bbmaj7#5#9]

I voted for post-bop, but if this was a multi-choice poll I would’ve picked cool jazz to my list.