Jazz- Continous improvisation over years.

[Ruhi Sheikh]

Jazz is one of the oldest form of music that has recorded a continous improvement over years. Jazz has a special feature that its musical notes can be created on the spot. If you want to share more about this form of music, Do post your reply to this section.


Ruhi Sheikh
Music Reviewer

[OLDUDE]

Hi RS'
Welcome to the forum!
Though I love Jazz dearly, and would like to think it is largely improvised, there are now many varieties of the genre where pre-arrangement is more likely to be the main format.
it would be great to hear that I am talking throuh my hat.

Cheers John

[JHC]

I am not so sure about continual improvement, IMHO some of it seems to have lost its way but then the same has happened in classical, although it is basically improvised music some [free form or free jazz] leaves me absolutely cold I must add that I have only heard a little but that was enough for me.

[Dorsetmike]

Amen to that.

[OLDUDE]

Hi RS,
I share the view of Colin and Mike with regard to continuous improvement. I am afraid that most older jazz fans think that good stuff finished with the advent of bebop.
I exclude revivalist jazz such as that provided by the "New York Allstars" etc. and
artists such as the Vache brothers and Randy Sandke.

[Dorsetmike]

Sorry John, I disagree about the good stuff ending with bebop, I'd hardly class, say, MJQ as bebop, nor Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, J J Johnson, Kai Winding, and loads of others; to me bebop was a passing phase, yes it influenced subsequent artists, some more than others.

It's probably post 1980 before things started to get less musical, for want of a better term.

Looking just at keyboard players working post 1950 ish, Dick Wellstood, Jessica Williams, Mel Powell, Ralph Sutton, André Previn, Judy Carmichael, Teddy Wilson and Dave McKenna definitely not bebop players, Dodo Marmarosa, Sir Charles Thompson and Barry Harris did play bebop.

[JHC]

I tend to agree that it started to go to pieces about the 80s I vaguely remember the fusion of rock and jazz which to my mind was sacrilege. Some of the Be Bop era that I found enjoyable Gillespie [whose band gave birth to our beloved MJQ] Charlie Parker Monk etc, there is quite a bit of modern that I enjoy have you heard of our own Pianist Mike Nock?? He is IMO brilliant, add to that some from the Naxos Jazz series, “The Gift” with the Gordon Brisker Qnt The New York Jazz Collective which has Mike Nock on Piano, this is all music based around good melodies which most of us enjoy, it is when I can not find either rhythm or a recognisable melody etc that I get turned off “Free Jazz”, I am not saying that technically it is rubbish just that I can’t dig it.

[Dorsetmike]

Iit is when I can not find either rhythm or a recognisable melody etc that I get turned off “Free Jazz”, I am not saying that technically it is rubbish just that I can’t dig it.

I think you hit the nail on the head there. Plus the same would apply for just about any genre for me.

[OLDUDE]

HI Mike'

I think I phrased my prior post rather badly.
Obviously the "good stuff" playing before bebop did continue to be played and still is being played (by revivers and survivers). I guess what I meant to get across was my distaste for certain new forms of jazz (?) which commenced with the likes of Coltrane and Coleman and started sounding less and less like the jazz of my youth. When I hear of avant-garde jazz, free jazz ,fusion jazz, acid jazz, my mind switches off.