I was quite intrigued by this "Jazz chart" posted on All about Jazz which offers an alternative view to the more Euro-centric picture of jazz given on the BBC. The reason for posting is simply the shear number of records in the list which could be described as "jazz mainstream." It makes quite fascinating reading:-
On the list, I would single out the likes of organist Mike LeDonne, tenor man Eric Alexander, Wallace Roney, Richie Cole, Tom Harrell, Jerry Bergonzi, etc, etc as well as veterans such as George Cables and The Cookers as jazz musicians who are solidly within the mainstream. In fact, the list of new recordings that enjoy a degree of popularity in this chart is actually very refreshing as it in no way reflects the more modish approach of the media nor the kind of artists being chosen to perform at jazz festivals. It is also quite interesting that a good percentage of these artists are not amongst the listening habits of those people on this board ike Bluesnik, Standfordian and , to a degree, Jazzrook who are what I consider to be "purists" and sceptical of a lot of the more recent trends.
I was fascinated to read this chart simply because it reflects the listening habits / play lists of an audience for jazz that doesn't fit the profile of many festival organisers. The jazz is largely post-bop with a lot of labels like High Note, Some Sessions, Savant and Motema who specialise in this music getting a lot of attention from listeners. I suppose a lot of the music follows on from the kind of stuff Blue Note was producing in the 60's yet these labels do offer material by musicians who have built upon this heritage with their own vocabulary and are issuing records which still sound relevant today. It is also intriguing to see there is still an interest in big band jazz too and the singers are largely the only artists where the music might be considered to be beyond jazz, both Norah Jones and Bria Skonberg flirting with pop albeit the latter's efforts reflect the pop music of a much earlier generation.
On the face of this, it is pretty apparent that these tastes are not reflected in the board. There is a marked absence of the avant garde which is likely to remain pretty niche even amongst a "specialist audience" and the almost total absence of any European artists. Even heavy hitting labels like ECM are absent. British players don't even feature.
What I find intriguing is that these are all musicians with a generally larger profile in the States. Where this kind of jazz is popular in the UK, it seems that the audience for Hardbop / post-bop always plumps for recordings in this style which are now over 50 years old. I am fascinated by Stanfordian's regular posts as I would also always agree that the records he has selected to listen to that I am familiar with are favourites of mine too. However. how aware are the likes of Bluesnik or Stanfordian of players like Mike LeDonne who has taken the soul jazz format of organ / guitar/ tenor / drums and recast it with contemporary material.
As someone who can appreciate a range of jazz, there is a lot to admire about this "chart" which is largely "purist" and , with the exception of the Donny McCaslin disc, not at all modish. Does it suggest that there is really such a wide difference between US and UK tastes in jazz? I would also be fascinated to know what demographic is in place to manipulate the rankings. What age group of people are buying Mike LeDonne records, for example? The chart does suggest that pure jazz is healthier than imagined.
I was quite amazed by the content of this list and it would be an interesting exercise to see who else on this board is buying these kinds of records. I would suggest that it is probably limited to the likes of Old Grumpy, Elmo and myself - in my case this would also include buying records by some of the artists for my Dad too.
On the list, I would single out the likes of organist Mike LeDonne, tenor man Eric Alexander, Wallace Roney, Richie Cole, Tom Harrell, Jerry Bergonzi, etc, etc as well as veterans such as George Cables and The Cookers as jazz musicians who are solidly within the mainstream. In fact, the list of new recordings that enjoy a degree of popularity in this chart is actually very refreshing as it in no way reflects the more modish approach of the media nor the kind of artists being chosen to perform at jazz festivals. It is also quite interesting that a good percentage of these artists are not amongst the listening habits of those people on this board ike Bluesnik, Standfordian and , to a degree, Jazzrook who are what I consider to be "purists" and sceptical of a lot of the more recent trends.
I was fascinated to read this chart simply because it reflects the listening habits / play lists of an audience for jazz that doesn't fit the profile of many festival organisers. The jazz is largely post-bop with a lot of labels like High Note, Some Sessions, Savant and Motema who specialise in this music getting a lot of attention from listeners. I suppose a lot of the music follows on from the kind of stuff Blue Note was producing in the 60's yet these labels do offer material by musicians who have built upon this heritage with their own vocabulary and are issuing records which still sound relevant today. It is also intriguing to see there is still an interest in big band jazz too and the singers are largely the only artists where the music might be considered to be beyond jazz, both Norah Jones and Bria Skonberg flirting with pop albeit the latter's efforts reflect the pop music of a much earlier generation.
On the face of this, it is pretty apparent that these tastes are not reflected in the board. There is a marked absence of the avant garde which is likely to remain pretty niche even amongst a "specialist audience" and the almost total absence of any European artists. Even heavy hitting labels like ECM are absent. British players don't even feature.
What I find intriguing is that these are all musicians with a generally larger profile in the States. Where this kind of jazz is popular in the UK, it seems that the audience for Hardbop / post-bop always plumps for recordings in this style which are now over 50 years old. I am fascinated by Stanfordian's regular posts as I would also always agree that the records he has selected to listen to that I am familiar with are favourites of mine too. However. how aware are the likes of Bluesnik or Stanfordian of players like Mike LeDonne who has taken the soul jazz format of organ / guitar/ tenor / drums and recast it with contemporary material.
As someone who can appreciate a range of jazz, there is a lot to admire about this "chart" which is largely "purist" and , with the exception of the Donny McCaslin disc, not at all modish. Does it suggest that there is really such a wide difference between US and UK tastes in jazz? I would also be fascinated to know what demographic is in place to manipulate the rankings. What age group of people are buying Mike LeDonne records, for example? The chart does suggest that pure jazz is healthier than imagined.
I was quite amazed by the content of this list and it would be an interesting exercise to see who else on this board is buying these kinds of records. I would suggest that it is probably limited to the likes of Old Grumpy, Elmo and myself - in my case this would also include buying records by some of the artists for my Dad too.
Ian. 
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