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This will be a hairy topic... But it came up in discussion today with a sax friend of mine. This could just be rant, and this could be preaching to the choir. Or this could get me condemned.
We were talking together on the way to watch a show. We were specifically talking about how it seems music, improvised, which to us at the moment is jazz doesn't seem to maintain the integrity of the melody or head. The perfect example to us at least is John Coltrane. Moving from that specifically we moved more broadly to John Coltrane as a whole.
Together we came to the decision that Coltrane sound... meaning his tone, his melodic-ness, his inflection, etc... was too aggressive or irritating to people as a whole. My friend, also made the great point when it comes down to his tastes, you should be able to sit back, relax, and listen. Not think.
A quote from this site... "I can only listen to JC for a limited time and only when paying full attention, for it's really not the most pleasant of sounds from not the most pleasant musician in not his most pleasant phase on not his most pleasant instrument, but it has energy and power and some morbid kind of beauty to it that i can enjoy in the right moment (which is not very often)."
My person thoughts, John Coltrane has always been played on this pedestal for being the greatest tenor player to live (give or take..) yet, I struggle for some reason to find what he has done that made him so. From reading, and listening, I understand the things he did with his mind were great, and amazing things. However, I don't see this contributing positively to the music he was playing. These things I've contributed to my lack of understanding to the music, or my immaturity of ear and playing.
-Bubba-
We were talking together on the way to watch a show. We were specifically talking about how it seems music, improvised, which to us at the moment is jazz doesn't seem to maintain the integrity of the melody or head. The perfect example to us at least is John Coltrane. Moving from that specifically we moved more broadly to John Coltrane as a whole.
Together we came to the decision that Coltrane sound... meaning his tone, his melodic-ness, his inflection, etc... was too aggressive or irritating to people as a whole. My friend, also made the great point when it comes down to his tastes, you should be able to sit back, relax, and listen. Not think.
A quote from this site... "I can only listen to JC for a limited time and only when paying full attention, for it's really not the most pleasant of sounds from not the most pleasant musician in not his most pleasant phase on not his most pleasant instrument, but it has energy and power and some morbid kind of beauty to it that i can enjoy in the right moment (which is not very often)."
My person thoughts, John Coltrane has always been played on this pedestal for being the greatest tenor player to live (give or take..) yet, I struggle for some reason to find what he has done that made him so. From reading, and listening, I understand the things he did with his mind were great, and amazing things. However, I don't see this contributing positively to the music he was playing. These things I've contributed to my lack of understanding to the music, or my immaturity of ear and playing.
-Bubba-