W w w

[Stanfordian]

Jazz FM is certainly a very strange station that they market as the being the home of Jazz, Soul and Blues as they only play a small amount of either. I would say that its content is mainly Pop. This is their current 'Album of the week ' Blurred Lines ' by Robin Thicke and you can't get more Pop than that.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

All the more reason to have him as a CotW?

indeed

and they might ask our old chum centrifuge a thing or two eh?

[Ian Thumwood]

Curious to see the playing list for Jazz FM as I hadn't heard of any of the artists. Never bother with this station.

[Serial_Apologist]

Curious to see the playing list for Jazz FM as I hadn't heard of any of the artists. Never bother with this station.

It should be made to comply with the Trades Description Act, or be shut down, for good.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

and they might ask our old chum centrifuge a thing or two eh?

I'd no idea that this blog existed, Calum: sublimely bonkers - many thanks!

[Old Grumpy]

If people want to listen to jazz on the radio, they can tune into JazzFM.

Quite possibly (but probably not- as per posts above) - but I can't receive a DAB signal (hostile topography).

Further thought: the station should be closed down on two counts: 1) Most of its transmissions are not jazz and 2) for most people it is not FM but DAB (JazzDAB doesn't have quite the same ring to it though!).

[Serial_Apologist]

Quite possibly (but probably not- as per posts above) - but I can't receive a DAB signal (hostile topography).

Further thought: the station should be closed down on two counts: 1) Most of its transmissions are not jazz and 2) for most people it is not FM but DAB (JazzDAB doesn't have quite the same ring to it though!).

Quite - it has a certain "a little dab'll do you" ring to it.

[Ian Thumwood]

When Jazz FM started it followed a pretty genuine jazz policy and I used to regularly listen to it in the early 1990's when I worked in Pirbright. The morning programme included a wide range of styles and when I drove home in the evening the programme was largely made up on new jazz releases. Sometimes I caught the early afternoon programme which appeared to cover Modern Jazz from about 1950-70's and included a lot of Hard Bop and large and small group jazz from that era. There was also an evening programme that included more contempoary styles. The only concession to more "pop" material was the mid-morning programme whuch was fronted by Pete Young.

It's strange to see how this has developed and how the station has managed acquire it's own musical identity with music that sounds like pop music but is certainly outside the normal pop mainstream. I don't know where some of these artists come from and they all seem united in their blandness. I agree that this has nothing to do with jazz but the station clearly has it's own identity.

As for Anthiny Braxton being composer of the week, I'm with Calum and would have to admit that I find his music extremely disappointing. It isn't jazz and it isn't good enough to be classed as classical music. On the old BBC message oard, Braxton was treated with almost hagiographical reverence yet when his music featured on "Jazz Library" I felt hugely let down. Granted that I expected his music to be a hard listen but I didn't anticipate that it would sound so meaningless. The "jazz" efforts he has produced are also hugely average. I've no problem with musicians pushing the boundaries and love to hear talented players exploring all potentials . Unfortuantely, Braxton may be radical but I am not convinced he is any good. I certainly would rate him in the same class as Cecil Taylor and when you contrast his work with the great minds of Classical music post-war (Messaien, Boulez, Takemitsu, etc, etc) woefully inadequate in my opinion. Few "serious" musicians have under-whelmed quite as much as Braxton. Only Sun Ra has been a similar disappointment and I don't dislike his music - I just don't think it is as good as some people would have you believe. That said, I would welcome hearing Sun Ra on Jazz FM now!

[Richard Barrett]

It isn't jazz and it isn't good enough to be classed as classical music.

I find this a strange thing to say, in many ways, but mostly in the use of the term "classical" - I would say that Anthony Braxton's work is certainly "good enough" to stand alongside anything produced by any other living composer (and if I were asked for a particularly salient recent example I would unhesitatingly choose 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006) but I would never dream of calling it "classical" - which IMO is a term that is in any case pretty meaningless when applied to most contemporary composition, especially those examples I personally find most important. Whether it's "jazz" or not is to me a similarly pointless question. Why should that matter at all? Some of Braxton's music obviously is jazz, and his feeling for that tradition is clear, for example (but not limited to) his longterm involvement with standards; some of his music obviously isn't jazz. Some of it could be regarded even by an admirer like myself as unsuccessful, yet I think it succeeds or fails on its own terms, not on whether it's deemed worthy to have a "jazz" or "classical" label attached to it.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Some of it could be regarded even by an admirer like myself as unsuccessful, yet I think it succeeds or fails on its own terms, not on whether it's deemed worthy to have a "jazz" or "classical" label attached to it.

Sums up my attitude perfectly, RB. (It was your Iconoclassics programme from yonks ago that introduced me to Braxton's Music, for which eternal thanks.)

[Arcades Project]

'

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

labels assist the storage and retrieval of information eh ....?

whatever we may tag AB, i find him just as listen-able and worthwhile as Harrison Birtwhistle .... i have no objections to their musics and works being regularly broadcast on r3, especially if it meant less W; but neither of the Bs or Ws would make me want to listen ...

this on the other hand does

[Quarky]

Evidence in favour of Anthony Braxton:
Keith Jarrett - Keith Jarrett And Anthony Braxton To Receive Jazz Masters Award
by WENN | 28 June 2013

Celebrated pianist Keith Jarrett and saxophonist Anthony Braxton are set to receive America's prestigious Jazz Masters Award.

The pair will be joined by bassist Richard Davis and educator Jamey Aebersold as the 2014 winners of the National Endowment for the Arts prize, the nation's highest jazz accolade.

The honourees will be feted at a ceremony in January (14) and will each be awarded fellowships worth $25,000 (£16,129).

The class of 2013 featured musicians Eddie Palmieri, Mose Allison and Lou Donaldson and New York's Village Vanguard Jazz club owner Lorraine Gordon.

[Quarky]

Agree about Jazz FM -most of it is soul / trash these days, especially in the morning, when I listen.

But I find it rather strange it is my preferred station while having breakfast - there must be something jazzy in there somewhere?

[Quarky]

Well, "Jazz" seems to have a place for Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, the Trad revivalists. But not Braxton?

The last time I heard him on Jon3, I was reminded of the early Ellington bands.

In the meantime Jezz Nelson is enjoying himself with the ProgRock scene.