Much jazz prides itself on not having a direction, it's a bit of merry go round that you get on and get off as suits you.
Yeah, I think that must be it, I really don't like the lazy-ness or lack of direction. I don't like the tonality, and I found that odd, but then I remembered that there are other tonal systems I don't really like, and a lot of it depends on the medium in which it is expressed.
I have a piano piece I played ages ago that i still love, and that uses jazz tonality, but is in a baroque keyboard style and to me that is more palatable.
Thank you everyone for your incoming suggestions. I shall let you know when I strike gold.
I've enjoyed all the vocal music on this page a lot more than I enjoyed the instrumental. That may be because it's branching into more of a 'popular' genre, and I think the tonality is a bit more subdued for that purpose.
I'm afraid I didn't enjoy John Boutte that much, it seemed almost like a 'fuss about nothing-' a lot of emotion over a boring chord structure.
I find Jazz soothing and comfortable...very homey - It brings back memories of dancing on my PaPaw's feet or sitting in his lap listening to Jazz and smelling scotch on his breath...I love the smell of scotch because of that as well.
I've enjoyed all the vocal music on this page a lot more than I enjoyed the instrumental.
Try this jazz samba on for size then, it's been called Brazil's greatest piece of music and I wouldn't argue with that.
It is called "Águas de Março" (Waters of March) and was composed by Brazilian ledgend Antonio Carlos Jobim, and when performed by Stan Getz, João Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto it's a work of art. The lyrics were written in both English and Portuguese, and the poetry is beautiful imagery on it's own (if you don't understand Portuguese it's a pity, because the Portuguese verses are richer) and when João Gilberto lent it the silkiest voice of all time and his wife tosses in her fresh amateur voice to the mix with Getz' brilliance it's sublime. One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
Now I may have built it up a bit too much, but here it is to judge for yourself:
Goes so very great with wine glow, I think I'll listen to it myself.
I guess I've never fallen into the trap of listening to something to death (not since I was about 17 when my music collection cracked the 200 disc barrier), come to think of it I still like the stuff I used to listen to death anyway (Bowie, Floyd, Zep, Queen - Suzi Quatro!) - my dad used to always used to say that my taste would 'mature' and I wouldn't like any of that kid stuff when I grew up. Boy was he wrong; I didn't grow up and I still like that kid stuff - but my tastes are way broader than they used to be.
I don't actually own any Wes Montgomery albums, he just appears on a few jazz compilations I own, and when he pops up on random he doesn't annoy me or make me reach for 'skip track'. I just checked - I have six Wes tracks. I understand that George Benson was Montgomery's torch bearer. He's best in small doses too.
I thought I'd share the first, and possibly best, Jazz compilation I ever bought.
It's called 'Jazz on a summer's day' (it has nothing to do with the Newport Jazz festival, or the Bert Stern film based on the 1958 episode of same)
track list:
Take five - Dave Brubeck**
Summertime - Sarah Vaughan
Moanin' - Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers*
The man I love - Peggy Lee
I wish I knew - Billy Taylor and the Billy Taylor Trio
The girl from Ipanema - Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz
So what - Miles Davis**
Mercy, mercy, mercy - Cannonball Adderly*
Lullaby of birdland - Sarah Vaughan
Watermelon man - Mongo Santamaria***
Mack the Knife - Louis Armstrong***
Got my mojo workin' - Jimmy Smith
Walkin' shoes - Gerry Mulligan with Chet Baker
Birdland - Weather Report
Hymn to freedom - Oscar Peterson***
I've starred the ones I really like, but there really isn't a dog on there.
