Unusual Jazz Instruments

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
No comments re the Cello? that definitely is not for jazz, IMHO
It is worth while remembering what the Dulcimer led up, to the 'Vibraphone' now that is an instrument that is just made for Jazz "Milt Jackson MJQ"
 

escher

New member
No comments re the Cello? that definitely is not for jazz, IMHO

here you go, two good examples of jazz cello, from two classic albums
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxo8Kx6LY7Q[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-n6KzsFwx8[/YOUTUBE]
 

Dorsetmike

Member
What I would term a cacophony, i.e. a B* awful row, no tune, just a random series of notes not particularly well played. If people actually buy and/or listen to that then the saying " there's one born every minute" springs to mind.

Someone with a warped mind has persuaded numptys that this is the in thing, the surprise is that said numptys believe it and spend money on it and thus perpetuate it.

I tend to feel the same way about some modern classical cr@p too, like Gorecki, Einaudi and others.
 

escher

New member
What I would term a cacophony, i.e. a B* awful row, no tune, just a random series of notes not particularly well played. If people actually buy and/or listen to that then the saying " there's one born every minute" springs to mind.

Someone with a warped mind has persuaded numptys that this is the in thing, the surprise is that said numptys believe it and spend money on it and thus perpetuate it.

I tend to feel the same way about some modern classical cr@p too, like Gorecki, Einaudi and others.

Are you talking about the two videos of Dolphy and Hemphill that i've posted?
You are obvioulsy free to dislike it, but you presume too much if you think that persons that appreciate this kind of jazz in general does not really understand this kind of music or knows nothing about you probably consider real jazz (It's quite comic to think to people like Gunther Schuller, John Lewis, Gary Giddins or even a critic known as a reactionary like Stanley Crouch as inexperienced listeners, and they all appreciate a lot of jazz of Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, Ayler, Andrew Hill, Dolphy, Don Cherry, etc). Maybe it's your limit if you can't appreciate the more experimental jazz of the sixties. And to compare musicians like Dolphy to the second rate new age stuff of Einaudi is absolutely absurd, i could understand more a comparison with some avantgarde composer that you dislike, but Einaudi, come on.
 
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Dorsetmike

Member
Music by my, and I suspect many others, definition should be tuneful and evoke pleasant emotions for the listener. I found the two links you posted did not do that for me, in fact I found it an offense to my ears. I've been listening to and performing music for over 70 years so I've had plenty of time to establish what I like and why.

Music is not the only one of the "arts" to suffer from the experimental/avant garde/new age novements, painting and sculpture, literature, theatre, all have their share as well.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, and should be at liberty to express that opinion without getting abuse or being accused of not appreciating something which they strongly dislike.

I often have doubts about "critics" when considering some of the things they recommend, Einaudi bores me with his repetitive tinkling, I can't hear any difference between most of his works, incidentally has anybody else recorded any of his work, I don't recall hearing any? (at least it would seem we have agreement on Einaudi!)

Judging by the amount of air time it gets it tends to prove my point that if a critic or a DJ says it's good, loads of people will enthuse over it, regardless of how good or bad it really is. Does the critic laugh like a drain, on his way to the bank?

As with anything I hasten to add there are good critics and bad.
 

OLDUDE

New member
Isn't it incredible about Jazz, that two respected views by Escher and Mike are so wide apart.
personally as most of the jazz forum probably knows I side with Mike but lets hear from those who share Escher's views.

Cheers John
 

OLDUDE

New member
The Celeste as a jazz instrument.
Meade Lux Lewis - He became the first jazz pianist to double on celeste (starting in 1936) and was featured on that instrument on a Blue Note quartet date with Edmond Hall and Charlie Christian.[1] Lewis also played harpsichord on a few records in 1941.[1] After the boogie-woogie craze ended, Lewis continued working in Chicago and California.[1]
Extract from Wiki thee blue bits are refs from the Wiki article.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdEnuRuauhU&feature=player_detailpage

Cheers John
 

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
Isn't it incredible about Jazz, that two respected views by Escher and Mike are so wide apart.
Not really as all music is subjective as is Art in general
personally as most of the jazz forum probably knows I side with Mike but lets hear from those who share Escher's views.

Cheers John
You may possibly have a long wait;)

The Celeste as a jazz instrument.


Cheers John
Why do you think it never caught on?
 

Dorsetmike

Member
I have a CD of Oscar Peterson on Harpsichord with Joe Pass, playing numbers from Porgy and Bess, some tracks from it on last.fm. so maybe on Spotify as well.
 

OLDUDE

New member
Hi Colin,
I sure got you going there.
3 answers in one, please keep them coming

Cheers John
 

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
3 in 1 ???? you got me beat John were/are you a politician?
 

OLDUDE

New member
Hi Mike ,
What an insult.
It will be waterpistols at 5 paces.

Anyway, I think it is obvious - did you or didn't you list 3 separate items and answer each?

But I'll apologise for any offence given - we're both too old to have arguments (No cancel that, I have them with my wife all of the time).

Cheers John
 

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
Hi Mike ,
What an insult.
It will be waterpistols at 5 paces.

Anyway, I think it is obvious - did you or didn't you list 3 separate items and answer each?

But I'll apologise for any offence given - we're both too old to have arguments (No cancel that, I have them with my wife all of the time).

Cheers John
John, I assume you mean Colin and not Mike? there were 2 comments and 1 question and no offence was taken, just trying to add a bit to the thread
 

OLDUDE

New member
Hi Colin,
Sorry about that, but I guess one insult deserves another (Just joking)

Cheers John
 

OLDUDE

New member
GLOCKENSPIEL.

A glockenspiel (German pronunciation: [ˈɡlɔkənˌʃpiːl]) is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, thus making it a metallophone. The glockenspiel, moreover, is usually smaller and higher in pitch.
In German, a carillon is also called a Glockenspiel.
When used in a marching or military band, the bars are sometimes mounted in a portable case and held vertically, sometimes in a lyre-shaped frame. In orchestral use, the bars are mounted horizontally. A pair of hard, unwrapped mallets, generally with heads made of plastic or metal, are used to strike the bars, although mallet heads can also be made of rubber. If laid out horizontally, a keyboard may be attached to the instrument to allow chords to be more easily played.
The glockenspiel is limited to the upper register, and usually covers about two and a half to three octaves. The glockenspiel is a transposing instrument; its parts are written two octaves below the sounding notes. When struck, the bars give a very pure, bell-like sound.
Glockenspiels are still quite popular and appear in almost all genres of music ranging from hip-hop to jazz.[dubious

Does anyone know of jazz usage?
 
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GoneBaroque

New member
John, this is a late reply but as I understand it the Flugelhorn was mainly a Jazz and Brass Band instrument, I can't recall the musician but someone made a name for themselves in the 50s on this instrument. as for Bag Pipes heaven save us from that cacophony I do recall in one of the 'Last night of the proms' the pipes were played and copious amounts of Whisky were passed around the orchestra I think the piece was called 'An Orkney Wedding' I may have got that wrong. but please leave the pipes to the Scots and the Sheep and Cattle.

Just found this thread and was reading through the posts when I found this one. An Orkney Wedding and Sunrise is a classical composition for orchestra, Bagpipe and Violin by Sr Peter Maxwell Davies who is Master of the Queen's Music.
 
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