jazzgregg
Pioneer Member
Re: "New" Legends of Jazz?
I remember reading that article before. It didn't change my mind. He's fussy, yeah, but a lot of us are and that's not the same as whiny. I also remember an interview where he basically said he was trying to go out of his way to show everyone he wasn't a complete a*****e, the problem was, he ended up acting like one anyway! If I can find the magazine, I'll type it up, I don't think it was too long.
Yes, soundcheck is relative to when people come in, but don't you agree there is a good way and a bad way to tell the engineer he's doing something wrong?
Furthermore, Eicher does not record all of KJ performances personally or they would all sound good as Eicher would make certain, which leads to my last point: why doesn't KJ hire his own sound guy for pete's sake!? I mean, the guy rarely plays, only ever plays with the same 2 people and only ever plays giant halls. I'm sure he, or Eicher could work it out monetarily since he's only doing a handful of shows a year or so.
The article illustrates nothing that we are saying, only that KJ is an audiophile with huge ears. Each time I've seen him, it hasn't been a sound issue, it's been something else and there are plenty of other documented and eyewitness cases to spport this.
By the way, here's a quote from KJ on Stu's man, Wynton:
"Wynton imitates other people's styles too well," he says. "You can't learn to imitate everyone else without a real deficit. I've never heard anything Wynton played sound like it meant anything at all. Wynton has no voice and no presence. His music sounds like a talented high-school trumpet player to me. He plays things really, really,really badly that you cannot screw up unless you are a bad player. I've felt embarrassed listening to him, and I'm white. Behind his humble speech, there is an incredible arrogance. And for a great black player who talks about the blues - I've never heard Wynton play the blues convincingly, and I'd challenge him to a blues standoff any time. He's jazzy the same way someone who drives a BMW is sporty."
He may be whiny, but I do love the guy=)
I'd also like to bag on Jarrett for one thing. I mentioned it in passing, but no one caught it earlier. I've stated my feelings on KJ and his music and do think he's brilliant, but I think it's lame that he's only played with the same 2 guys for how long? Not since 1980 has he appeared in a Jazz context with anyone other than Jack and Gary (Deer Head Inn doesn't count, it was a one off live show and GARY was still on it!) While Gary and Jack are brilliant, that trio is brilliant and keeping a concept that long is admirable, the idea that KJ isn't doing anything outside those guys and hasn't in 26 or so years is, in my book, lame. Sure, sure, say 'why would he?', well, you missed my point then=)
But that's my opinion.
G
OZjazzer said:OK Gregg and others, before Jarrett is completely buried I would offer this Jazz Times article in his defence. Is this whiny or just simply fussy? By the way, as I understand it, sound checks are just a reference point for a concert. As soon as bodies fill seats many things change including the sound on stage. That's what sorts the good engineers from the bad. I've attended performances in the states and Europe as well as here and more often than not I have witnessed performers trying to get the sound guy to change things during a performance. Maybe I have been unlucky and copped all the bad engineers. Anyway in the light of this debate I re-read the article and came out of it enlightened. Hope this link works.
I remember reading that article before. It didn't change my mind. He's fussy, yeah, but a lot of us are and that's not the same as whiny. I also remember an interview where he basically said he was trying to go out of his way to show everyone he wasn't a complete a*****e, the problem was, he ended up acting like one anyway! If I can find the magazine, I'll type it up, I don't think it was too long.
Yes, soundcheck is relative to when people come in, but don't you agree there is a good way and a bad way to tell the engineer he's doing something wrong?
Furthermore, Eicher does not record all of KJ performances personally or they would all sound good as Eicher would make certain, which leads to my last point: why doesn't KJ hire his own sound guy for pete's sake!? I mean, the guy rarely plays, only ever plays with the same 2 people and only ever plays giant halls. I'm sure he, or Eicher could work it out monetarily since he's only doing a handful of shows a year or so.
The article illustrates nothing that we are saying, only that KJ is an audiophile with huge ears. Each time I've seen him, it hasn't been a sound issue, it's been something else and there are plenty of other documented and eyewitness cases to spport this.
By the way, here's a quote from KJ on Stu's man, Wynton:
"Wynton imitates other people's styles too well," he says. "You can't learn to imitate everyone else without a real deficit. I've never heard anything Wynton played sound like it meant anything at all. Wynton has no voice and no presence. His music sounds like a talented high-school trumpet player to me. He plays things really, really,really badly that you cannot screw up unless you are a bad player. I've felt embarrassed listening to him, and I'm white. Behind his humble speech, there is an incredible arrogance. And for a great black player who talks about the blues - I've never heard Wynton play the blues convincingly, and I'd challenge him to a blues standoff any time. He's jazzy the same way someone who drives a BMW is sporty."
He may be whiny, but I do love the guy=)
I'd also like to bag on Jarrett for one thing. I mentioned it in passing, but no one caught it earlier. I've stated my feelings on KJ and his music and do think he's brilliant, but I think it's lame that he's only played with the same 2 guys for how long? Not since 1980 has he appeared in a Jazz context with anyone other than Jack and Gary (Deer Head Inn doesn't count, it was a one off live show and GARY was still on it!) While Gary and Jack are brilliant, that trio is brilliant and keeping a concept that long is admirable, the idea that KJ isn't doing anything outside those guys and hasn't in 26 or so years is, in my book, lame. Sure, sure, say 'why would he?', well, you missed my point then=)
But that's my opinion.
G