Do we really know what "Live" music sounds like?

@firberger 

great to know you enjoyed c.p. -- he is one of my faves, tremendous talent, musicality, tone, and very likeable in how he relates to the audience as well

Of course we do.

Unless you have a very limited musical palette that only consists of amplified music, then you know exactly what live instruments and vocals sound like.

i agree with @tony1954 

to add on to the above, i would say, if one plays an instrument, been in or heard a live choir or recital, one is exposed to live music and can form clear impressions of what it sounds like... the exact sound can fade from memory but the impressions formed are more easily remembered

@firberger

I’ll find out tonight listening to Chris Potter at the Jazz cafe in Philly

nice! enjoy! c potter is one of my faves among modern day saxophonists, he is such a brilliant artist, very accessible beautifully crafted music and a very nice low key personality

live music comes in many forms

music can be performed live but amplified by p-a systems - electric/synthesized instruments are of course processed at the outset, that is their sound...

to me this explains why there can often be such divergent tastes and sonic preferences in reproduced music - different people can have vastly different reference experiences for ’live music’

some smaller venues let you hear some unamplified music mixed in with amplified (in a jazz club for instance, if you are sitting near the artists)

it is reasonably rare that one gets to hear major artists perform live yet unamplified, but you can hear such naturally performed live music with local artists, acapella groups, street artists, smaller professional performance venues, classical venues (chamber groups)