Bo Eder
Platinum Member
Time for a somewhat deep conversation:
Saw a documentary film on the state of jazz in these times and two things kinda' stuck out that are at odds with each other. Players seems to agree that yes, there is quite a bit of the history that we should all learn and know of the music. Academically speaking this means that you can't say anything new until you've at least familiarized yourself with what's already been said - this is why you have so many colleges cranking out jazz performance students who know every tune in the Real Book and can't seem to play anything newer than 1978.
On the other hand, alot of these young jazz artists, see people like Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich, Coltrane, Miles, etc.,....as the humans that they are, and not the gods they're made out to be. Their attitude bordered on out-right belligerence against the very artists they were taught to emulate. It was interesting to hear how a young jazz artist realized he would never be Wayne Shorter regardless of what he'd done, be cause after meeting Mr. Shorter, the student realized that everything Wayne Shorter knew, was based on who he was. And this young person was never going to be able to relate to any journeys Mr. Shorter had taken to become the artist he is.
It was an interesting film. Jazz is now everything, and it is nothing at the same time. New jazz artists, utilize all kinds of different sounds and mediums for their work. You could argue that Jojo Mayer and Nerve is a new form of jazz because of the free-wheeling improvisation they do within their context of break beats and dub-bass.
But what struck me was this: if jazz can be anything, why do we still deal with the look of the little Gretsch kit with the 18" bass drum? Big cymbals and little bass drums. Talk about stereotyping. There's alot of this discussion here too: I'm playing jazz, what kind of small jazz kit should I get? Or, is a 22" bass drum good for rock n roll? Or should I go bigger? I think if we all realize that there are no rules (and I'm not saying we haven't realized this), then we wouldn't be looking at our kits and saying "I can't use it for __________ music, so I must get another kit". Louie Bellson and Rufus Jones had it right when their kits got bigger for the jazz they play.
I think if Bernard here got a nickel for every post asking what kind of drums a person should get for jazz playing, or rock playing, he'd be a millionaire (maybe he already is, eh?).
Saw a documentary film on the state of jazz in these times and two things kinda' stuck out that are at odds with each other. Players seems to agree that yes, there is quite a bit of the history that we should all learn and know of the music. Academically speaking this means that you can't say anything new until you've at least familiarized yourself with what's already been said - this is why you have so many colleges cranking out jazz performance students who know every tune in the Real Book and can't seem to play anything newer than 1978.
On the other hand, alot of these young jazz artists, see people like Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich, Coltrane, Miles, etc.,....as the humans that they are, and not the gods they're made out to be. Their attitude bordered on out-right belligerence against the very artists they were taught to emulate. It was interesting to hear how a young jazz artist realized he would never be Wayne Shorter regardless of what he'd done, be cause after meeting Mr. Shorter, the student realized that everything Wayne Shorter knew, was based on who he was. And this young person was never going to be able to relate to any journeys Mr. Shorter had taken to become the artist he is.
It was an interesting film. Jazz is now everything, and it is nothing at the same time. New jazz artists, utilize all kinds of different sounds and mediums for their work. You could argue that Jojo Mayer and Nerve is a new form of jazz because of the free-wheeling improvisation they do within their context of break beats and dub-bass.
But what struck me was this: if jazz can be anything, why do we still deal with the look of the little Gretsch kit with the 18" bass drum? Big cymbals and little bass drums. Talk about stereotyping. There's alot of this discussion here too: I'm playing jazz, what kind of small jazz kit should I get? Or, is a 22" bass drum good for rock n roll? Or should I go bigger? I think if we all realize that there are no rules (and I'm not saying we haven't realized this), then we wouldn't be looking at our kits and saying "I can't use it for __________ music, so I must get another kit". Louie Bellson and Rufus Jones had it right when their kits got bigger for the jazz they play.
I think if Bernard here got a nickel for every post asking what kind of drums a person should get for jazz playing, or rock playing, he'd be a millionaire (maybe he already is, eh?).