Choice of Jazz Song Tempos - Is it so wrong to not like slow songs and slow ballads?

[fep]

It all so subjective isn't it...

Fortunately I don't have to choose but if I did have to choose between fast or slow tempo tunes I'd choose slow tempo.

For me; while there is an energy and excitement to up tempo tunes there's a beauty that I can get from slow tempo tunes that I don't get from up tempo tunes. (Slow tempo tunes don't make me feel sad or melancholy as was suggested.)

Here is an example, for me I think the beauty of this tune would be lost if it was uptempo. And there is no uptempo tune that I can think of that has this kind of 'beauty' (yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder).

A Remark You Made by Weather Report... this is the kind of music that takes my breath away.

[Nabil B]

Oh Lush Life, what a beautiful tune. How could you not like this :

And another "how could you not like this" ballad :

[markf]

not liking ballads. interesting and unusual, , that's a funny point of view. I've never heard it before.

Here's Billy Strayhorn doing Lush life, I don't think it sounds very somber when he does it, in fact it sound kind of light hearted to me.

[teok]

Listening to Miles play a ballad is one of my favourite things in the whole world. I can't imagine not loving this...

[pierre richard]

Usually play one tune at a medium tempo....one up...one latin...one ballad...one funky...one lush chord melody style...in the list of six...go back to two and go through and when at the end go back to three....it does not always come out that way but it's a way to play every other tune in a different tempo....and play every tune in a different key...start with C...next G...next Eb...next Am...next F ... or something like that...

something different...say...

time on the instrument...

[Toat]

Slow songs/balads are boring, period. It's not wrong.

[randalljazz]

like a river--rapids are shallow, still waters run deep...

[Patrick2]

There is much beauty to enjoy, to appreciate and to marvel in a piece of music well performed. A piece of music well performed . . . at any tempo . . is a piece of music well performed. It's pretty much up to the listener to find the beauty within it.

[AlsoRan]

I can see now that a big difference between me and many of you is that I don't necessarily listen to music looking for beauty, although I can definitely identify and appreciate beautiful music that can make my heart melt and my knees weak.

It appears I treat it more like a drug to either:

1) Get my adrenaline going

2) Keep me awake

3) Make me want to shout with joy

This is probably because I rarely get a chance to sit back and play a nice, slow reflective song. Like Mr. B so astutely pointed out, it is often background music for driving, or working around the house or in the garage.

When I slow down slow enough to listen to nice music such as has been posted, I am normally ready to go to sleep.

Any free time I have goes to guitar woodshedding or the gym.

Maybe I need to take a closer look at my life.....?

[TF]

I try to play everything at 100 bpm. Not too fast, not too slow... just right.

[randalljazz]