The Best Avant-Garde Jazz Performance of All Time!

Awesome. It's true. There are people out there that really play like that! Amazing!


Not when they're all on the same page in a tune based setting for the record....

Utter BS in this case to my poor ears and gives reason for those who don't understand more open improv based jazz music an excuse to make fun of and give it a bad name which was the case for me here. Just someone wanking horribly over an actual tune to make a point I don't respect. It takes shots at and disrespects those who approach it in more of a true ensemble, heavy listening sensibility, to make it happen.

I do both tune and free jazz {if that's what some want to call it} professionally and yes I know the rules of engagement for each concept needed for a good musical delivery for each setting for all involved.

Funny...not. No time for this kind of humor.
 
My God! That was the best Jazz Piano that I have ever heard!
Where can I find more like that?
Stan, Lighten up man! It was a joke and it was funny.
I did laugh my Phat butt off!
Wanna see my new pink suit?
 
Not when they're all on the same page in a tune based setting for the record....

Utter BS in this case to my poor ears and gives reason for those who don't understand more open improv based jazz music an excuse to make fun of and give it a bad name which was the case. Just someone wanking over a tune to make a point I don't respect.

I do both tune and free jazz {if that's what some want to call it} professionally and yes I know the rules of engagement for each concept needed for a good musical delivery for each setting for all involved.

Funny...not. No time for this kind of humor.

I'm not going to continually poke the bear, but come on Steamer, you had to find that a bit funny. People make fun of drummers as an entire group too, ya' know! And as a sound man for tune-jazz groups (among others), I've heard my fair share of bull$&#t flying off the bandstand like you wouldn't believe.

I recall a story told by the great Charles Mingus, where he got a bunch of kids to noodle around on instruments behind the curtain on stage and told the audience it was avant garde jazz, then opened the curtain as the crowd was diggin' it. If he had a sense of humor about it, I would think we all would.

OK, I'm done poking ;)


BTW - if you watched this video all the way to the end, this same guy did another one where he was harassing a guy with a sign giving away FREE HUGS. But the sign he had said, "DELUXE HUGS $2.00" This guy is a genius!
 
Stan, Lighten up man!

Maybe so but there's a message in this i've heard before that gives me no smile on my face from someone who lives the more open based improv music on a more serious level and the misunderstands {and putdowns/jokes} about it that i've seen and see thrown around.

Carry on....
 
I'm not going to continually poke the bear, but come on Steamer, you had to find that a bit funny. People make fun of drummers as an entire group too, ya' know! And as a sound man for tune-jazz groups (among others), I've heard my fair share of bull$&#t flying off the bandstand like you wouldn't believe.

I recall a story told by the great Charles Mingus, where he got a bunch of kids to noodle around on instruments behind the curtain on stage and told the audience it was avant garde jazz, then opened the curtain as the crowd was diggin' it. If he had a sense of humor about it, I would think we all would.

OK, I'm done poking ;)


BTW - if you watched this video all the way to the end, this same guy did another one where he was harassing a guy with a sign giving away FREE HUGS. But the sign he had said, "DELUXE HUGS $2.00" This guy is a genius!


Fine then...it just hits on a personal level for me so i've lost my humor on it to be honest.

I've heard just a much "BS" on standards gigs trust me from those who don't have a clue how to play but open based improv is a much easier target for those who don't have a clue about this type of music comimg from someone with many years of experience on the subject of actually playing it.
 
Stan, it wasn't meant to insult you or any other Jazz musician.
It was Just a joke, Plain and simple.
We all saw it right away for what it is.
We all heard the wrong piano playing.
We all knew that it was ridiculous.
 
Stan, it wasn't meant to insult you or any other Jazz musician.
It was Just a joke, Plain and simple.
We all saw it right away for what it is.
We all heard the wrong piano playing.
We all knew that it was ridiculous.

Some take the joke and consider it the truth on the matter Bob.

I made my point..... sorry for the serious tone but no laughs for me.
 
Fine then...it just hits on a personal level for me so i've lost my humor on it to be honest.

I've heard just a much "BS" on standards gigs trust me from those who don't have a clue how to play but open based improv is a much easier target for those who don't have a clue about this type of music comimg from someone with many years of experience on the subject of actually playing it.

Well, ok. I've just never seen any rockers get this ill-humored about Spinal Tap. And Robert Plant evidently loves Dread Zeppelin....
 
Some take the joke and consider it the truth on the matter Bob.

I made my point..... sorry for the serious tone but no laughs for me.

Hey, I get what you're saying, but I titled this thread sarcastically, to be honest. I'm all for avant-garde styles and experimentation, I actually really dig it. I don't think this video actually makes fun of that stuff at all, its more along the lines of a social experiment, to see how long the people in the coffee house would put up with him, haha.

I do understand what you're saying though, no disrespect intended.
 
Well, ok. I've just never seen any rockers get this ill-humored about Spinal Tap. And Robert Plant evidently loves Dread Zeppelin....

It just hit a very specific nerve today Bo...no worries usually i'm up for a good laugh.

Off to a standards gig i'll check in later.....
 
What made this funny is the fact that the drummer was in on it.
He told the members of his band and the audience that a serious keyboard player was going to sit in.
No One wanted to offend the keyboard player so they all said the polite thing in front of the camera.
The joke takes advantage of the good thing about human nature. We don't want to hurt each other so we all lie from time to time.
These people behaved normally the way that people should. They even applauded.
This joke made me happy that there are people like this in the world.
 
Sorry for the earlier serious tone guys......

Just some background to my mood.... I attended and played at a big reunion concert this weekend for a old jazz club in town that closed in 1990 that I got my start at in Vancouver as a pro jazz player in this community in the 80's. After the introductions to start the night a LONG list of names was read to the audience, several folks and important contributors in the creative jazz music scene in Vancouver who played at the place that are no longer with us...some dear old friends and mentors who I deeply miss who helped me shape my path as a musician in more ways than just the music. These guys and gals showed that you can love and play both tunes and free based jazz equally and most importantly respect the music whatever the expression above all.

There you go..... so i'm still feeling a little raw emotionally from that reminder of the cruel hands of time we all deal with around us. Show the love and enjoy those you have around you well there with you. My performance that evening was dedicated to one of my big early mentors and a good friend and fellow jazz drummer Al Weirtz. After I finished the performance covered in sweat sitting behind the kit the evening host quickly got up on stage and said into the mic "Al Weirtz is in the building"...job done. It was all about being honest and playing honestly from the heart when it came to this music..no walls and borders.

Thanks for reading.....


In return to show I can take a shot at myself and other fellow musicians i'll post this for those who haven't seen it yet. This is SO funny.....and certainly hits the mark in many ways folks :}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SURma5PlfGs
 
It was a stupid prank at the expense of the reputation of the band and the venue.

It did make me think, though. Only the keyboards, bass, guitar or could play like this and the music could possibly go on. If the person behind the drums did the equivalent of playing like this, people would have left the room and the other musicians could not even hold it together like they did in this case.

Just goes so show you what's most important in the band!
 
If the person behind the drums did the equivalent of playing like this, people would have left the room and the other musicians could not even hold it together like they did in this case.

Just goes so show you what's most important in the band!

lol - I think you're right. If it was bass, I think it would have broken down too, although maybe not as badly as it would with a dud drummer.

I read this thread at work (but I can't do music vids) so my curiosity was piqued for when I got home. What a crack up! ... especially the pained expressions of the audience. Great find, Luke :)

Stan, I do get where you're coming from and I say this as someone who enjoys Cecil Taylor - the kind of player the vid was satirising. I'm sure some laypersons addicted to pentatonic scales wouldn't see it, but of course there's a universe of difference between what the funny guy in the vid played and what Cecil does - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah5OVkgUtF8 ... awesome late night music, a little journey of timbres and moods.
 
It was a stupid prank at the expense of the reputation of the band and the venue.

It did make me think, though. Only the keyboards, bass, guitar or could play like this and the music could possibly go on. If the person behind the drums did the equivalent of playing like this, people would have left the room and the other musicians could not even hold it together like they did in this case.

Just goes so show you what's most important in the band!
I remember thinking to myself that I was impressed at how the musicians carried on so well during the lack-luster keyboard performance when I first watched the vid.
 
If you ever seen the show Punked, that's what this was. I just hope there was some explanation to the audience. The band members seemed to have fun with it and may have hired a new drummer later that night, for punking them, but no real harm done.
 
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