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Learning standards not a standard.

2K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  Swampcabbage 
I understand what you're saying and where you're coming from and can very much agree with you.

Please ask yourself this. Is it that these kids don't know any tunes or just the tunes YOU want them to know? Sure, there's the standard repertoire (and I think everyone should check out the list of 100 tunes everyone should know from Jazz Improv's Coltrane issue, I'm using it to fill any holes in my knowledge).

Here is my caveat though.

I have been to plenty of sessions with "old timers" grumbling about playing these tunes (when we've spent most of the night playing they're requests), yet, call something like A Night in Tunisia or some Monk and it goes back to the same grumbling "c'mon, don't you guys know any tunes?"

True story. I've even been to a few where "Have you met Miss Jones" is too modern.

So, that is to say. It's a two way street. It's our responsibility to try and bring history into the playing. But it's the responsibility of the legends to keep moving ahead as well. Or at least stay open to it. It's a real big turn off to jazz in general when every idea on the band stand is 70 years old. We are trying to make jazz relevant to us. It's already relevant to you.

And remember, the music doesn't owe any of us a thing.

I mean this with the highest respect.
 
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