Love

[jazzypaul]

There's been precious little love in this forum for a while now. So, everyone, come on and play nice for five seconds, and share just a little bit of...love. Except Bombastic. He'll have the place covered in smiley faces and exclamation points (just kidding, Bombastic!:) )

example: Thanks Pharaoh for always having a great word to say. Thanks to jazz for being altruistic, it's awe-inspiring (to a degree, go out and get a Dave Douglas album for Christ's sake!). Coypu, thanks for being comic relief. 3point, thanks for being a fellow drummer. Mike, thanks for giving us a forum to make asses out of ourselves on a daily basis, Clifton, thanks for being an open minded cat. Omar, thanks for being a kindred spirit on the free tip (this goes for you too, ADR).

See how easy that was? Now go out and love your fellow jazz fan!!!

[bombastic]

communicating with our fellow humans in a peaceful way- those of us who are musicians, please tell us your instrument. i play the tenor sax. expressing all human emotion through this fantastic music. drop the guns- take up an instrument- stop all war-once and for all-make war illegal. John Coltranes message plain and simple, love supreme, sound vibrations. no more violent physical vibrations among mature spiritual beings. aggression in music is great, this is a part of the yin and the yang of sound, aggression toward humans has no purpose at all. music is for spiritual healing. remain humble, respect music, a powerful force. what's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

[Pharaohrock]

where you from bombast?

re: me. i play keyboards- wurlitzer electric piano and rhodes organs primarily. I used to play only piano but have gotten into the sound of these instruments in a real deep way. you mention coltrane being an inspiration.....McCoy was like my idol as far as piano expression for a long time. Chording, still is, but for soloing I've gotten into Chick a lot and some avant cats like Muhal Abrams, Alice Coltrane and Don Pullen....I love modal music more than anything else, but play a healthy dose of blues also.

I have sessions with a bassist and drummer regularly and we have horn players or guitarists come sit in with us. The drummer has a TON of energy....he played with Raphe Malik for a while up in Vermont. The music's very much in a modal-funk vein, with ample room for taking it out and causing our own special brand of chaos, of electricity.....I've been listening to a lot of the transition period Miles records up to Silent Way, e.g. Filles, Water Babies, and that's kind of the sound I want to get at more, with more scope for both burnout and slow-simmering grooves therein. I love some of the MMW grooves on Tonic and The Dropper.....want to explore that territory more as well.

As far as showing love for this here forum, I know that I've been stirring a lil' shit....Copyu and Jazz both irk me though, I can't help it. Jazz actually reminds me of myself a while back, and if there's anyone out there who can relate to this, the most annoying people in life are the people you used to be....but I don't have any ill vibes toward the cat. He just needs to cool out with all the conservative attitudes IMHO. There's plenty of time to become old and rigid. He's a smart guy though, I'll give him that.

peace

PHaroah

[Pharaohrock]

we haven't recorded anything yet, but i'm optimistic because we're putting together some solid material.....we have a gig in March. i'll keep you posted. JP, email me at tetragon_ensemble@yahoo.com if you are interested in hooking up sometime or you want to get your band booked somewhere in Ohio.

[Coypu]

I want to dedicate this love songs to all my fellow friends on the forum :

I want to go by the river
And put a blanket on the grass
I'll pour my heart and soul
Into your wine glass

I'll kiss you for an appetizer
And love you for the meal
Then I'll ask for your hand in marriage
As I look up lovingly and kneel

I wanna take you on a picnic
A picnic of love under the blue sky above
Love, Love, Love

Even the ants and the squirrels
They can tell we're in love
My heart soars like
The wing of a dove

We'll take a walk
Through the forests and the trees
And then we'll lie down
With the birds and the bees

I wanna take you on a picnic
A picnic of love under the blue sky above
Love, Love, Love

[3pointdeli]

i enjoy this discussion board very much. thanks for sharing your ideas, and also for reading mine.

as fans of music which seems to be the underdog, we need to stick together. that doesn't mean that we can't, or shouldn't, disagree, and even argue, but that we should allow each other to hear the music in the way that is most enjoyable. just because jazz is a small part of the music market doesn't mean it's any smaller of a genre than pop. in fact, it's much, much larger.

if we all travel our own course through this music and remain respectful of each others chosen paths then there will be nothing but love in this discussion.

[DWBass]

I am a lover of all melodic and lyrical music, jazz being first on a list of many musical styles. I play bass and keyboards and have been doing so for 30 years now! I am not currently in a band but am working on a solo cd and a full production cd. I am fairly new to this board and this last month of posting has been crazy one to say the least. If we can all come together and discuss jazz and all things related to jazz in a peaceful manner, I will continue to be a part of this community. Let's all be respectful of each other and mindful to the differences in cultures. Let us all explore and learn from each other.

Peace ;)

[bombastic]

i live in southwest florida-naples. i have been a coltrane fanatic since i was a teenager- a long time ago- i'm 45. acoustic jazz is my favorite, but i'm open to discerning use of electric instruments in jazz. the overuse of electric instruments takes away the beauty of the sound for me-i grew up 25 miles from nyc and used to love going to the village vanguard downtown, not much of a jazz scene here in naples, but it is a great place to practice, beautiful,warm and quiet- i lived in los angeles from 1987 until 2000 and if you want to live in a peaceful environment, don't live there. nothing but cars and noise and polluted air- the worst place in the u.s. to live-however i did like the jazz bakery, where i saw tyner perform with bass and drums around '97 and he played beautifully. it seems like the trend in jazz today is going back toward acoustic jazz, as the musicians probably realize this is where the deep beauty of the jazz sound lies, in the acoustic instrumentation. the most important thing in jazz for me is the soloists individual voice on his instrument. Pharoah, i'm guessing you've heard larry young on organ- man, that guy cooked-he was regarded as the trane of the B-3? True?What i've heard by him i love- (wild playing.)

[DWBass]

Originally posted by bombastic
I grew up 25 miles from NYC and used to love going to the village vanguard downtown, not much of a jazz scene here in Naples, FL, but it is a great place to practice, beautiful,warm and quiet- What city did you grow up in? I was born and raised in Mount Vernon, NY. Moved to Peekskill, NY for 8 years and moved here to Virginia almost 2 years ago.

[bombastic]

not too far from Newark, N.J. across the Hudson- I used to take regular trips into Manhattan. I don't miss the cold weather, man! when you live in Florida, you get comfortable real fast- Eternal Sunshine- no depressing grey cities.

[xricci]

paul, great topic and great timing! thanks very much for posting it.

[jazzypaul]

A lot to respond to here, so please, allow me the indulgence...

1) Bombastic. Thanks not only for the inspiring words, but also the thought continuation and the refrain from smilies. We are all better off for your being here.

2) Pharaohrock: damn! a rhodes/wurlitzer player? we could go out to Ohio, but given your taste thus far and choice in instrumentation, I'd be just as willing to offer you a gig with my group here in Chicago! (we've been on an unending search for a Rhodes player out here. To no avail...sigh)

3) Coypu: well, you haven't knocked jazz in a few days, so I guess I owe you a thanks for that...

4) 3point: I agree with your view on this completely. We do need to stick together. Jazz Unity! As long as I don't ever see the guy I saw at IAJE screaming "Jazz Uber Alles!" ever again. He was freaky.

5) DWBass: you've been the ambassador of groove around here. You're alright in my book.

6) Mike: no problem...

[Pharaohrock]

bombastic, trane is a huge inspiration also, mainly for the searching quality he brought to the music...

btw, i'm not an all-electric guy in case I gave that impression. I don't even really like classic fusion like RTF or Mahavishnu that much.....it's the transitional music that excites me and I see shit that could have been taken further within those parameters....adding to that some modern beats like drum n' bass and some differing instrumentation. But no, I don't want the whole band to be plugged in either....stand-up bass is preferable so long as he/she can project their sound.

JP, why don't you send out some of your music because if I thought I could hang with it, I would be game for coming out to CHicagoland to play with y'all...cool? Drop me a line at tetragon_ensemble@yahoo.com if you're down with it...

g

[joesilver]

Originally posted by Pharaohrock
...stand-up bass is preferable so long as he/she can project their sound...

Lincoln Goines once told me he thought this current emphasis on the upright bass, to the detriment (implied or otherwise) of the electric instrument, was a fad, and that the pendulum would swing back before long. Admittedly, it has been hanging on a long time...

[Pharaohrock]

i agree that there is a certain amount of political correctness in people wanting to have upright these days....electric bass technology has really improved too so you can get much subtler overtones..

[Coypu]

.

[joesilver]

Originally posted by joesilver


Lincoln Goines once told me he thought this current emphasis on the upright bass, to the detriment (implied or otherwise) of the electric instrument, was a fad, and that the pendulum would swing back before long. Admittedly, it has been hanging on a long time...

I know it's a faux pas to respond to one's own post, but I wanted to add that Pat Metheny also once told me that I shouldn't name-drop. :cool:

[Pharaohrock]

oh, really???? lol.

[joesilver]

Originally posted by joesilver

I know it's a faux pas to respond to one's own post, but I wanted to add that Pat Metheny also once told me that I shouldn't name-drop. :cool:
He also said it was trés pretentious to insert French words into sentences. ;)

[bombastic]

never name drop- you might break it, and then what are you going to do when the police stop you? you won't have a name! you're in big trouble then buddy boy- it happened to that little weasel prince, and they had to replace it with that stupid little symbol- let that be a lesson to us all.

[jazzypaul]

in a thread about love, you diss prince. Say what you will, he is...

a) a master musician

b) a visionary

c) the best master of pop music since Brian Wilson

Miles dug him, Bob Belden digs him, and I know a lot of other jazzers respect him as well. Don't be entirely quick to judge on this one...

[Pharaohrock]

branford marsalis says to be wary of any jazz musicians who have really smug attitudes toward even the better pop musicians out there....in his estimation, means they usually grew up in a closet and have no sense of youth....

[bombastic]

it's a joke about name dropping- don't you get it? although i never was a big fan of prince anyway. just foolin' around-cop a sense of humor guys-

[jazzypaul]

Bombastic, I think I can safely say that I have often been the comic relief in these threads, so there's no need for me to "cop a sense of humor." I do, however, feel a need to champion the musicians, regardless of genre, who bust their tails to be great musicians, songwriters or entertainers. And if, in the course of that, they happen onto something really special, then I will defend them, here, as jazz musicians and fans truly should be the most open to great musicianship, again, regardless of genre.

[bombastic]

just my opinion- any good comedian will tell you nothing is sacred... i'm just goofin' around- although musically i never liked prince- that's just my personal taste though. i don't feel the need to apologize for not liking a certain artist. it's all grist for the mill. i'm a john coltrane fanatic, but if someone were to make a joke, i would say, so it's a joke. there were tons of jokes about prince changing his name to that silly symbol- that's even considered a good-natured joke. maybe i was a bit hard on the little guy, but i would hardly call him a visionary. i mean, come on, issac newton was a genius, thomas edison was a genius- prince? sorry man, he may be a talented pop songwriter, the same is true of brian wilson, but a genius? give me a break- mozart, bach? there you have arguments for musical genius. charlie parker, possibly. john coltrane, a sincere,spiritual musician, i wouldn't call trane a genius- he was a great communicator on the saxophone. just my humble thoughts.

[jazzypaul]

Genius is genre specific though. Take Isaac Newton out of the world of math, and is he still a genius? I don't know. But we consider him a genius for what he did WITHIN the world of math. That said, Bach, Mozart, Bird, Trane, Miles, Lennon, McCartney and...yes, Prince, a guy that can play the keys and guitar virtuosically and almost every other instrument well enoug to get over, are all geniuses as well.

Bombastic, you're a great guy. Quit thinking that everything in here is slung directly at you -- it's not.

[bombastic]

musically, i simply don't regard prince as a genius. nothing personal. i know you're not slinging anything at me, i didn't even consider that. my question is what was princes innovation in the field of popular music? maybe i am wrong. his music just never appealed to my ear. i understand how the beatles changed popular culture in the 1960's and think they were talented songwriters, but visionary is a strong word. i'm just trying to think with reason and not emotion,paul. alot of folks allow themselves to be driven by their emotions, and it tends to hinder objective thinking insofar as something resembling objectivity can be achieved. i understand the possibility of birds genius in jazz based on the fact that he, along with others, invented the so called "be-bop" style of jazz.

[bombastic]

where do you draw the line? is neil young a musical genius? billy joel? huey lewis? marilyn manson? red hot chili peppers? nirvana? n'sync? eminem? why are they musical genius'? what did they do musically that was so original. the word genius means "original".

[jazzypaul]

where do you draw the line? is neil young a musical genius? billy joel? huey lewis? marilyn manson? red hot chili peppers? nirvana? n'sync? eminem? why are they musical genius'? what did they do musically that was so original. the word genius means "original".

Well, first off, I always took the word genius to mean brilliant. Incredibly so. When you test at the genius level on your IQ test, it doesn't mean your original, it means you're incredibly smart and incredibly logical.

As for your question...more to the point, as a musician, how can you possibly knock Prince? Just wondering. Neil Young, not a genius. He never expanded his art form. Same can be said for Billy Joel, Marilyn Manson and N*Sync. The Red Hot Chili Peppers may have expanded metal, but playing what you heard on your Funkadelic records twice as fast and three times as loud doesn't qualify as genius. Nirvana is a carbon copy of Mudhoney and The Melvins. They just got a major label record deal. Eminem, however, is basically rapping be-bop lines over a hip hop beat. They're rhythmically complex, asymetrical, they're everything we strive to be as jazz musicians (don't believe me? Take his rhythms off of anything off of the Marshall Mathers LP, write it out, and then play a pattern over the rhythm of his rhymes. You'll be blown away). I think far too many jazzers hear pop music and automatically dismiss it. You can tell me you're not impressed, but can't tell me why.

So where are the smiley faces and exclamation points now? Remember, this is the L-O-V-E thread. Show some. Now come over here and get a kiss, Bombastic...

[bombastic]

i love all music- it's just a matter of personal taste. i thought you appreciated the lack of exclaimation points and happy faces, or was that pharoahrock?:confused: prince just doesn't float my boat, man. i can't relate to a guy rolling around in tiny purple panties(picture trane playing a solo in same getup) lighten up, it's a joke. actually, the music just doesn't do it for me, whatever IT is. I love The Byrds, The Band, The Beatles, some Beach Boys stuff, Mozart, Mahler, Puccini,Bernard Herrmanns Film Music, Charles Ives,Paul Hindemith, Miles, Trane, Bud Powell, Art Tatum, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf- I could go on and on-all kinds of music- as for regarding a human being as a genius- i go by the definition of the word in the dictionary- which comes from Genus or genesis- beginning. i don't regard many popular entertainers if any as genius'. Even in the Jazz World it's difficult to discern a true genius. All i'm saying is that word is thrown around so loosely that it's lost it's true meaning.:cool: p.s. i don't want to listen to m&m blame his mommy for his difficulties even if he does use jazz rhythms. mommy made you rich dude by beating the shit out of you- it happened to 10,000 other schmucks who are working on loading docks, that's not my idea of art. I'm not knocking prince or anyone else, it's just not my cup of tea. Jeez, this started with a tiny joke about name dropping. it is an interesting subject though.:rolleyes:

[Pharaohrock]

john coltrane liked to be in the nude at home. not as manly and stoic as you might think..

[bombastic]

yes, but he didn't play on television nude. nothing wrong with hangin' out at your pad naked.

[bombastic]

whatever happened to prince?

[omar zamora]

Prince is cool. He's made some killer music over the years that rivals the best pop music ever produced. Like Paul, I'd put him side by side with Brian Wilson. As far as funk, he's not too far behind the Dogfather himself.

As for this thread, good idea!

Man, you guys really let shit get to ya. My regular hang is JC and some heavy arguments have occurred there, but in the end, it's all good - mainly because people cool down. The kind of stuff that has led to bad vibes here wouldn't even cause a raised eyebrow over at JC.

Anyway, I kinda like it here, and it seems like a nice place to hang out, too. So I hope the positive vibes outweigh the negative ones.

[jazzypaul]

He changed his name back to prince, everyone forgot that he's still alive and he turned around and put out his best album since the late 80's...

[clifton]

Love. I love jazz, particularly bebop. I love how Coleman Hawkins never rested on his laurels, how he remained the eternal modernist. I love Bird, whose innovations have yet to be fully absorbed by the rest of us. I love Dave Douglas, for making new music and making sure it's always jazz. Monk and Sonny Rollins who found wisdom in silence and who make me laugh. For those who post here, even stubborn ol' Coypu, thanks for sticking to your guns. And finally, for musicians, be thankful for the gift you have. Fate wasn't too kind to me when it comes to playing. But I love playing jazz. I got to play the music I love, and hang out with some terrific people, and do what so many of us only fantasize about. This thread is about love, you see...don't take this music for granted, love your music and your instrument and your sidemen and your audience. Jazz is the greatest, deepest, most profound music there is.

[bombastic]

well said, man.