Modern Jazz Guitar Improvisation

[Reg]

Trends come and go pretty quick, sometimes when you hear an old track you think jeez that's dated; listen to the original "Hoagy" version of Georgia on my mind,and then Ray Charles's version. No,this music will be around as long as we are. It will just be played in the style and mood of the time. I can't see it becoming "Top of the Pops" but who knows,the very fact that young players join this site every day is heartening..

Great points larry and yea, I still dig tune... and John... it does take an effort to hear what's new as far as improvisation or soloing... I wish I could see even more new live music, I mean I play gigs usually 5xs a week, but most of those are traditional jazz, sometimes younger versions of. I only get to cover what I would consider contemporary jazz, once a month (if I'm lucky). I still usually check out someone's music once a week... like I said, wish could see more... Best Reg

[P.J.]

Modern is a terrible term to use imo.

Post,post,post modern music?

PJ

[MartinPiana]

I noticed OP did not say "modern jazz," which you could argue is an oxymoron. A couple guitarists I think of lately in terms of modern improv are Nels Cline and Elliott Sharp. Both have jazz chops, but typically only give glimpses of them. Both rely on electronic manipulations as much as melodic lines or fancy harmonic approaches. This resonates with me, and I've begun spending a time each day with my M9 stompbox modeler as well as working on playing over changes and expanding my repertoire chords and fluency with voice leading chords in progressions.

[Carlball]

Modern in Jazz is like Modern in Art. I doesn't mean new. It refers to a time period. Today the music in that tradition would be called post modern. Like art the music builds upon the practices and issues of "modern" but continues to progress. I'm not sure that I've ever heard the term post modern jazz but that's what's happening today if they are building upon the players from the 50s and 60's. Modern art and modern music was coined in the same time period so it would only stand to reason.

[JohnRoss]

...Today the music in that tradition would be called post modern.

"Postmodern art" doesn't refers to "after modern" but to "after modernism." "Modernism" roughly means based on scientific or rational thinking, and in music refers to a lot of different things like atonality or serialism, often involving the composition being generated by a system of rules. It has more to do with "classical" art music than jazz. "Postmodern music" is not a continuation of but a reaction against that sort of one-theory-at-a-time kind of musical thinking. And it doesn't have much to do with jazz, either.

[Reg]

I noticed OP did not say "modern jazz," which you could argue is an oxymoron. A couple guitarists I think of lately in terms of modern improv are Nels Cline and Elliott Sharp. Both have jazz chops, but typically only give glimpses of them. Both rely on electronic manipulations as much as melodic lines or fancy harmonic approaches. This resonates with me, and I've begun spending a time each day with my M9 stompbox modeler as well as working on playing over changes and expanding my repertoire chords and fluency with voice leading chords in progressions.

I do believe he was making reference to " modern improv" in reference to Jazz, this is a jazz forum and his examples were all jazz related. I did check out all I could of both Nels Cline and Elliott Sharp... pretty interesting... not what I would call developing from jazz. But cool. Nels appears more from rock background and I really can't tell from Elliot. I don't know if I would say they have Jazz chops. Thanks for posting new material... Best Reg

[docbop]

I do believe he was making reference to " modern improv" in reference to Jazz, this is a jazz forum and his examples were all jazz related. I did check out all I could of both Nels Cline and Elliott Sharp... pretty interesting... not what I would call developing from jazz. But cool. Nels appears more from rock background and I really can't tell from Elliot. I don't know if I would say they have Jazz chops. Thanks for posting new material... Best Reg

I was reading the Pat Methney Interviews book and he was say Jazz is being on the cutting edge exploring news sounds compositional and improv. So all jazz is modern Jazz is pushing the envelope when you play.


I shared the guitar chair in college with Nel Cline and his background is Jazz, but he has always been into sound. I would say into "sound" like the Free Jazz players of the 60's were, that has taken Nel's a lot of directions over the years.

[Reg]

Thanks docbop... I simply went to youtube vids... and checked out what was up with him playing. There was nothing from a jazz direction. He appeared to be good player and played what he was covering well. Maybe experimental would be better than jazz. Not just harmonic and melodic, but his feel and phrasing, It's pretty hard to hide jazz technique... But I'll take your word for it and keep looking and listening... best Reg

[Dad3353]

'Bot alert... 'Dopeloliect' fails the Turing Test.

[wolflen]

Thanks docbop... I simply went to youtube vids... and checked out what was up with him playing. There was nothing from a jazz direction. He appeared to be good player and played what he was covering well. Maybe experimental would be better than jazz. Not just harmonic and melodic, but his feel and phrasing, It's pretty hard to hide jazz technique... But I'll take your word for it and keep looking and listening... best Reg

reg--i do appreciate your approach and knowledge...are you familier with a keyboard player...lafayette gilchrist..? i think you might enjoy his take on harmony...one tune i really like.."assume the position".. has flavors of amahd jamal/hancock/tyner

play well
wolf

wolf

[Reg]

Hey Wolf... no I wasn't... he's got ears and to me more important... the feel. I checked out most of his youtube plays... Would like to hear something with a little more tempo, after a few I was lookin for the fast lane... By Amahd do you mean his use of harmonic lines, rather than chordal blocks... if so yea, there's also something traditional about Lafayette's harmonic phrasing... his forms seem to be in style of Shorters blocks... mixture of styles, later Shorter compositional technique... Didn't really hear Tyner. Hancock is in us all... thanks for direction... Reg

[wolflen]

reg wrote.." By Amahd do you mean his use of harmonic lines, rather than chordal blocks... if so yea, there's also something traditional about Lafayette's harmonic phrasing"

not sure what you saw on youtube of him..he has a band w/horns..and then he does trio work...which i like best...in the trio format his harmony has to surface to give some order to his work..beside the bass line...or it would be like...frank zappa on frappe speed...and yeah...to be taken in small doses...

play well
wolf