Jazz Conversion

[Ian Thumwood]

Working from hime this afternoon, I have been playing some old Blue Note records in the background incuding Kenny Burrell's "Midnight Blue." This has led me on to think that this would probably be the one record that I would play to someone who had never heard jazz before and who I would be keen to convert to jazz. Not too sure that this would probably work with my fiancee but I can think of no better record that this one which is sufficiently catchy and cool to appeal to someone who is unfamiliar with jazz. Such a selection could not be too way out and would have to have a broad appeal. For my money, "Midnight Blue" is a terrific album.

I would be curious to read what other "boredees" might suggest.

Back to work......

[Serial_Apologist]

Pat Metheny's 1982 double album "Travels".

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

I'd say Adderley in San Francisco, Jimmy Smith, Horace Silver ,Wes Montgomery etc . 60s Blues based. But that may all be passé for far younger people. Or maybe Roy Hargrove who I thought had a awareness akin to the Adderleys.

[Gargoyle]

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS YOU DON'T LIKE JAZZ

[Gargoyle]

if you don't like this you don't like jazz

or kind of blue

[Quarky]

For the sophisticats: Moten Swing / Peterson
understated, subtle but total swing.
Not bothered by the rest of the Night Train album

[Serial_Apologist]

Does the general public of today have any general auditory image of what jazz is any more? In the 1950s and early 60s B movies of my yoof bebop often provided theme tunes or backdrop perforrnances in dingy back alley smoke-filled basement clubs frequented by upholstered women and dodgy characters in Italian-style suits with black shirts and shiny white ties telling other characters to "beat it!", fostering an association of music, places and the attraction for fantasies of escape and unarticulated rebellion of general undesirability. The guy under the rainswept street light lighting up to "You're never alone with a Strand". Cool jazz on the other hand with vibraphones was used to sell formica kitchen tops, fridges and washing machines - anyone remember the Hotpoint ad, quite possibly composed by Johnny Dankworth? In the 1960s and 70s, if you named Count Basie, Duke Ellington or Louis Armstrong, a majority would probably plump for those names above anyone we would suggest, and associate jazz with something either of vintage, or a contemporary re-creation thereof. Jazz instrumental arrangements padding out a Matt Munro, Fats Domino, Ray Charles singles became rear-grounded to the singer. Yet the single chorus guitar break on Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" was the one part of the A side of that 78 that had me hooked and ready to self-identify with a certain lifestyle vaguely desirable for probably all the wrong reasons, chic upward mobility etc; nevertheless by the end of the 1960s a saxophone break was limiting any pop fan's improvisation exposure to half a chorus, maybe one. I don't recall the concept "jazz" becoming common currency until the early to mid-1980s when it became another sort of accessory, but one at least giving the music some chance of popular exposure in a way that was no longer stereotyped - hence my choice of the Metheny... oh, is that what you call jazz, then?

[Jazzrook]

I would say John Coltrane’s ‘Equinox’ with McCoy Tyner, Steve Davis & Elvin Jones from the album ‘Coltrane’s Sound’ recorded in 1960.
I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this haunting and hypnotic track.

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=9Zyr0IDaRXQ

JR

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Roy Hargrove Quin live..."Strasbourg St Denis"

Immensely catchy, attitude, what hip kids of all ages would this not appeal to?

http://youtu.be/L0WXEzwZOv0?feature=shared

[smittims]

I think a person's own musical or cultural background would influence the degree to which one jazz record or another would convert them. With me it was 'Gnu High' on ECM with Kenny Wheeler, Kieth Jarrett, Dave Holland and Jack de Johnette, when it appeared in the 1970s because I was at that time interested in intellectual post-Webern European music. Later my love of Delius led me to appreciate Ellington. But there's nothing in my background which would lead me to enjoy Miles Davis (to take one example).

So I think one needs to start with the person himself, asking what he already likes, and so on.

[Serial_Apologist]

I think a person's own musical or cultural background would influence the degree to which one jazz record or another would convert them. With me it was 'Gnu High' on ECM with Kenny Wheeler, Kieth Jarrett, Dave Holland and Jack de Johnette, when it appeared in the 1970s because I was at that time interested in intellectual post-Webern European music. Later my love of Delius led me to appreciate Ellington. But there's nothing in my background which would lead me to enjoy Miles Davis (to take one example).

So I think one needs to start with the person himself, asking what he already likes, and so on.

Jazz is rather like the Tardis - from outside a small building, inside a huge unexpected domain of many inter-connected departments. Find the way in that is the right one for you, and follow the connections, or the lights, as it used to say on the Underground. It took me a couple of goes.

[Ian Thumwood]

I think a person's own musical or cultural background would influence the degree to which one jazz record or another would convert them. With me it was 'Gnu High' on ECM with Kenny Wheeler, Kieth Jarrett, Dave Holland and Jack de Johnette, when it appeared in the 1970s because I was at that time interested in intellectual post-Webern European music. Later my love of Delius led me to appreciate Ellington. But there's nothing in my background which would lead me to enjoy Miles Davis (to take one example).

So I think one needs to start with the person himself, asking what he already likes, and so on.

Smittims

I think that any route into jazz for someone who is unfamiliar with the music would need to be via something that they can relate to or identify with. I was fortunate in that my Dad was a massive jazz fan and that this meant that i grew up listening to jazz albeit I initially made my own way into the music. It ha never been "difficult" for me to get in to and there was a point when i was about 17- early twenties where I needed to push toward and explore more idiosyncratic styles of jazz.Getting into musicians like John Surman and Lester Bowie helped considerably. My sister is into rock and her friends who were musicians semed to "get" those jazz musicians who were more rock-orientated. I have always felt that someone like Allan Holdsworth was a musician who might have been "in jazz" but whose work was probably going to get a wider following from a rock audience who were looking for something a bit more challenging. By the same token, I bet that alot of Classical music fans would have been more likely to discovered the music through the likes of MJQ, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson.

I love drawing lines connecting styles of music and seeing who influenced who. This had a massive impact on me when I was discovering jazz as I grew up liestening to the likes of Goodman, Basie and Ellington. It became necessary for me to understand where their music came from an this quickly led me to the likes of Fletcher Henderson. Conversely, the fact that so many big bands had the likes of Dizzy, Bird , McGee, etc, etc in their line up made it easy for me to appreciate bop. Not sure if too many people think about music like this but the fact that a familiar musician A likes musician B means that I will want to check out the latter.

[smittims]

Yes, chains of influence are a good way to explore any genre of art or music. It's widely used in classical music studies, adn in jazz, I imagine, influence flows through musicians listening to one another.

[Old Grumpy]

... influence flows through musicians listening to one another.

And by non-musicians listening to musicians, no?

[smittims]

Yes, I suppose non-musicians can influence musicians, though I can't think of an example off-hand.