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Why Doesn't Contemporary Jazz Get Any Respect?

I am a huge fan of Peter White,Kirk Whalum,Dave Koz,Warren Hill,etc.I have never understood why this flavor of music gets no respect.Not only is it musically appealing,but in most cases its very well recorded.Any comparisons to old jazz(Miles Davis etc.) are ludicrous.Its like comparing apples and oranges.Can anyone shed some light on this?Any contemporary(smooth)Jazz out there?I would love to hear from you. Thanks John
krelldog

Showing 3 responses by whatjd

whatjd
1,139 posts
 
Perhaps there is a difference between late-night FM "Smooth" Jazz and Contemporary Jazz? My oldest son grew up listining to Miles, Baker, Desmond...and Johnny Hartman. Now, he helps me to enjoy Kevin Mahogany, Terence Blanchard and more.

For my son and I, it is not a contest between older Jazz and current Jazz..we feel that this is an on-going evolution. With us it is more of a difference between Jazz and late-night FM...mall music.
whatjd
1,139 posts
 
As a P.S. to my above...I bought a nice "mini" system for my youngest son for his bedroom on his birthday in late November.(like I had for my oldest son when he was 7..now a Jazz trumpet player is 3 bands). As an addition to his musical birthday he was able to use the money from his Grandma in anyway he wanted. One of those "ways" was to buy the Dave Koz Christmas CD.

We fell asleep several nights with the sounds of the Dave Koz, Charlie Brown and other "Jazz" Christmas cd's.

My point?,...music is a good experience..be it Jackson Browne solo, the Planets played in NYC or Chicago..or our local "Jazz" people live here in Madison, Wi. In wanting to be a good parent and understand my children...I must remember they have understood my music....and I want to understand theirs.
whatjd
1,139 posts
 
Boy, people are putting some good thought into this....good subject..and, mostly, thoughtful responses.

Something I noticed, that my Jazz trumpet playing son and I
discussed, is the over-use of reverb in current Jazz and Smooth-Jazz recordings. For Christmas he gave me an excellent CD by Terrence Blanchard with several lady singers..Diana Krall, Cassandra Wilson..etc,. and after listening to it several times I was trying to understand why it is a good an not great CD. The answer...such a great trumpet player..with a world-class Monet trumpet..with state-of-the-current-art singers..and they have put so much reverb onto his trumpet playing as to mock it!

In listening to a local smooth Jazz station..it seems that almost all of the music is so over-processed and over-reverbed that it takes away from the skills/talent of the artists.

Any thoughts from the rest of you?
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