Bluesnik's comment about Shepp's lack of chops is something that makes it difficult for me to listen to him. I have a later CD recorded in the 1990s with a German pianist but it is pretty mainstream and not particularly good. The Impulse records have never appealed enough for me to explore so I am unable to comment. Even if you laud the 1960's output, I there is a lot of time where he was passed by as a consequence of other developments in jazz. Technically, both fusion and the return to more bop orientated material is superior to what Shepp was doing and by the time you get to musicians like Mike Brecker, Branford Marsalis or David Murrary, surely Shepp's time had passed ?
The problem with a lot of the freer players of that generation is that they did not really have the depth of harmonic understanding than has been central to jazz since players like Herbie Hancock arrived on the scene. There are some Blue Note records where Herbie is totally "out" and because of the music theory behind it, you just listen perplexed. With someone like Shepp, you can pretty much grasp what is happening immediately. I saw him with Jason Moran recently and was surprised that the pianist found Shepp sufficiently interesting musically to perform with. I concur that Shepp wears his heart of his sleeve and is 100% genuine. I also accept the argument that the Impulse records are classics. From my perspective, I find his playing a bit boring and think that if you want that incendiary approach to free jazz, there are others who have followed in his wake and done it much better. Had he arrived on the scene more recently and not had the associations with Coltrane, I don't feel his stock would be so high. Of course, there is the counter argument that the current generation of saxophonists are identikit models churned out by the universities throughout the world - the kind of musicians who would probably have little time for a player like Shepp. You can appreciate why Shepp still has some stock with fans as he plays with the kind of passion that is decidedly unfashionable at the moment. However, to throw in another example of a player who is equally both incendiary and capable of tipping his hat to players from the 1930s, Shepp is nowhere near the calibre of a player like James Carter who can seemingly make his saxophone do the impossible. Personally, I feel fans cut Shepp more slack than is necessary.
I would have to say that I think that the best free jazz is produced by people who have more technical command and musical understanding to "give up" in order to go in that direction. I was reading Jazzrook's excellent review of the new Dolphy box set on A##### whilst following this thread and feel that Dolphy probably exemplifies for me this difference with reed instruments. Dolphy is no less strident than Shepp to listen to but there is far more to grasp in his music than with Shepp. Shepp seems very much of his time (and, in his more recent incarnation, of before his time too!) whereas I think someone like Dolphy laid down more solid foundations.
The problem with a lot of the freer players of that generation is that they did not really have the depth of harmonic understanding than has been central to jazz since players like Herbie Hancock arrived on the scene. There are some Blue Note records where Herbie is totally "out" and because of the music theory behind it, you just listen perplexed. With someone like Shepp, you can pretty much grasp what is happening immediately. I saw him with Jason Moran recently and was surprised that the pianist found Shepp sufficiently interesting musically to perform with. I concur that Shepp wears his heart of his sleeve and is 100% genuine. I also accept the argument that the Impulse records are classics. From my perspective, I find his playing a bit boring and think that if you want that incendiary approach to free jazz, there are others who have followed in his wake and done it much better. Had he arrived on the scene more recently and not had the associations with Coltrane, I don't feel his stock would be so high. Of course, there is the counter argument that the current generation of saxophonists are identikit models churned out by the universities throughout the world - the kind of musicians who would probably have little time for a player like Shepp. You can appreciate why Shepp still has some stock with fans as he plays with the kind of passion that is decidedly unfashionable at the moment. However, to throw in another example of a player who is equally both incendiary and capable of tipping his hat to players from the 1930s, Shepp is nowhere near the calibre of a player like James Carter who can seemingly make his saxophone do the impossible. Personally, I feel fans cut Shepp more slack than is necessary.
I would have to say that I think that the best free jazz is produced by people who have more technical command and musical understanding to "give up" in order to go in that direction. I was reading Jazzrook's excellent review of the new Dolphy box set on A##### whilst following this thread and feel that Dolphy probably exemplifies for me this difference with reed instruments. Dolphy is no less strident than Shepp to listen to but there is far more to grasp in his music than with Shepp. Shepp seems very much of his time (and, in his more recent incarnation, of before his time too!) whereas I think someone like Dolphy laid down more solid foundations.
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