I sometimes run into people at clubs who think I only listen to Jazz, think I love everything I hear on the radio labeled "Jazz" and think I look down on all music not labeled "Jazz"....
Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I hear a lot of music labeled "Jazz" that I don't think is good music at all. Why? Well, some of it isn't very well played or constructed. It suffers from bad draftsmanship. Other times it's so conservative and unimaginative it makes we want to scream. A lot of music labeled Jazz really feels like it doesn't say anything. I feel if you're going to record "But not for Me" for example, you'd better find a way to make it real and be about your vision of the world. Occasionally I'll hear a version that does that, but not very often.
Now here's an example of some music most people feel I should hate.
Now, why do I like this? Well, it's direct. They're not trying to be anything they're not and they're very committed, especially the drummer. I would much rather listen to this than a lame version of a standard or a jazz quintet being "cleverer by half".
Here's another example that is great to me:
No B.S. Just getting to the heart of the matter. My goal is to be as direct and clear in my music. Okay, I'd better start doing some research on Clifton James!
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