Opinion: Modern country is the worst musical genre of all time

And how can anyone say, “I don’t like jazz.” How can you ‘not like’ what you don’t understand?

If you haven’t ever played an instrument in your life you don’t have a clue what’s going on! If you don’t know what a chord, or chord change is, you’re clueless.

Simply say, you don’t know jazz, because you don’t know music. Jazz is the most complex music ever created, by black people no less. How in the heck did the most disenfranchised create the most creative music ever is the better question. And don’t even tell me a 4 chord tune, that’s a mega hit, is just as good. It’s simply more popular.

You don’t have to be a musician to enjoy jazz, many aren’t. But it helps to have some idea of what is going on.

Least you have a Country genre. Real Soul has been dead for decades. No song writers, no industry. My guess is the recording industry figured it’s such a small percentage of people that listen, like jazz, we won’t bother with them. Heck, is there even a true RNR recording industry around anymore?

@bdp24, thank you for the recommendation, I’ll check them out. But the only soul hit I’ve heard in 25 years is Leave The Door Open, by Silk Sonic. Coincidentally, it had a hip and complex chord structure for an RB tune. It was truly more complex than a typical RB tune, but that’s what you get when it’s produced by Bootsy Collins and Bruno Mars, an exceptional musician who plays multiple instruments.

You’re pointing out exceptions to the rule. Miles popularized modal music in the very late 50’s. Miles, I believe, got the idea when he was visiting Paris, and asked to create a film soundtrack for a popular French film while he was on tour. This laid the groundwork for his musical comeback. The rest is history.

But anyone who knows jazz knows that modal music isn’t the norm. And even so, isn’t Miles modal album, Kind of Blue the greatest selling jazz music LP ever created? Of course it is. It’s been an entry to jazz for countless people. Yet, Trane, Cannonball, Evans, Chambers, the 18 year old Jimmy Cobb, and Davis created an LP that is still selling today, 75 years after it was created. So much for simple modal music.

I love Classical music! But it doesn’t have the complex chord structure as most jazz. But it couldn’t have, for it was Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker who popularized playing plus Eleven Thirteen chords. Still, Classical music is it’s own genre. And that’s because it’s roots aren’t based upon the blues, which wasn’t created until the 17th century when African’s were forced to come to America and the Caribbean. Without the blues, there is no jazz. As much as I love Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, who truly bordered playing jazz chords in a few bars, Classical is just that, Classical. Which is more complex? That’s a column left for an entirely different thread. But ask the question. Can jazz players play Classical? Yes, so many came to jazz with a Classical background, Oscar, Jarrett, Evans, etc. But how many Classical musicians can improvise?

How many here can argue the complexities of “jazz.” Frankly, unless you’re a musician educated in jazz, who can truly play, it’s beyond your comprehension. So in essence, there’s no argument to be had.

There’s no racism in stating jazz was created by black people. It’s a cultural fact, and if you’re black, something to be proud of. You can’t escape the fact that jazz was created during a time of this country’s greatest racial strife, aka Jim Crow. Facts.

I’m black. I’m also a jazz musician as my jazz archtop photo and name suggest. I have also invested countless hours studying jazz history. I suggested that jazz was created by black people because what were the odds of the most disenfranchised creating such complex music?

That’s a remarkable fact. Not racist. It’s no different than saying Whites created country music. Whites don’t have to say that because everyone already knows that. But it is simply astounding that the most disenfranchised in a population could even create such beautiful music. And even more remarkable, many musicians couldn’t even read music, yet played beyond one’s imagination. Wes Montgomery, the greatest jazz guitarist ever, self taught, couldn’t read music. That’s a remarkable achievement. And yet, today, jazz isn’t even heralded by many of its only population. Which personally I find pathetic.

Still, there’s no answer to the improvisation aspect to jazz. You think there aren’t dynamics to jazz, and they only exist in classical music? Anyone who has studied music realizes dynamics exist in all music. It doesn’t matter what type of music you’re studying.

My apologies for contributing to this post for the focus should only be on country music.

@thespeakerdude, Excellent post, and I heartily agree!!!

I’m a die hard Jazz listener, who was raised on Motown and Philly soul. But growing up I listened to Rock too. You couldn’t escape it, for that is what was played on the radio 24/7. And there were great rock bands, Chicago, The Beach Boys, heck I even got into The Doors. The problem is, the 60’s were the era of hits. Hits were all over AM radio, every day, from every group. For 15 years. Outside of Chris Stapleton, whose a bonafide player, songwriter, with a gifted voice, I couldn’t name another country artist. Because in my ear Stapleton’s artistry crosses the boundaries beyond simply being a good country artist.