Jazz.....

[#1]

Maybe it is because I was born in the 1940`s, and grew up with Skiffle, and rock and roll,.  but I can`t understand, so called, "modern jazz".... we were "treated" ( if you can call it that ).. so some pretty ropey examples, during our lunch today, at a local Garden centre, renowned for putting on free entertainment on Sunday Lunch time... ( sometimes , it is reasonably acceptable, but can be excrutiatingly painful to the ears as well)

Today it was the turn of a Modern Jazz duo.... a guy who tinkled the ivories, and another guy who strummed on a guitar, and provided some terrible solo singing.#

Their "genre" was supposed to be "light entertaining jazz sounds"... but it seemed to be more like a battle of wits between the guy on the piano, trying to sort out which key to hit next, before the guy on the guitar did his best to make a 6 string instrument sound like some untrained chinese musician on an indian sitar ... He also tried to be "sophisticated" by twanging a few random notes on the bass strings, and ended up by saying....  "Thank you , thank you " ( nobody was applauding)... that was "xxxxx lullaby in jazz"  ( can`t remember the proper title)...   Presumably some kind of "recoginised" jazz tune to those initiated into modern jazz "classics"..

The only thing that was "memorable" about them, was to remember their name, and not go back when they were on next time  !...

To me... it sounded terrible, and I almost removed my hearing aids. there was no "tune" ... no "rhythm" no "soul"... and no sense of, ... " These guys can really play their instruments"...

I used to be "into" Traditional Jazz, such as Bix Beiderbecke, Artie Shaw, and Jimmy Dorsey, with their "dixieland" style... later Acker Bilk brought some of it back to, the then, modern music scene, along with the very entertaining "Temperance Seven"  ( of which there were actually 8, if I remember )... ( saw them in Gothenburg )...

The music, was just exciting, and exhilarating to listen to, and watch the bands actually playing it... you could see they were all "sensing" the rhythm and soul of the music that they produced together.

[#2]

I went for a years training at Huddersfield Uni for college lecturing PGCE and one of my favorite nights our was a trad jazz club in the Railway Station. Or maybe just another excuse for a drink of real ale!

[#3]

One of my grammar school class mates played with both Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber

https://gypsyjazzuk.wordpress.com/36-2/dickie-bishop/

Living as I did in Greenford the White Hart in Southall was just up the road.

[#4]

Not a fan of jazz m'self, more classical these days with a leaning towards baroque - although Elkie Brooks used to rock my boat   

[#5]

@Minivanman        Thumbs up for Elkie Brooks...    She stands up to play the piano....  !  

[#6]

You might want to rephrase that nadger  

[#7]

What this tranquil upmarket Garden Centre needs to liven it up a bit is some of this John Coltrane - Ascension

I'm more of a Jazz Fusion / Funk man myself, the sort of stuff which often gets sampled in Hip Hop like late 60s / 70s Blue Note & artists like Herbie Hancock, Roy Ayers, Miles Davis, Grant Green, David Axelrod, Lonnie Liston Smith, this is almost Hip Hop in style with that funky groove Bobby Hutcherson ft Harold Land Goin' Down South 1971

However one of my favourite Brit Jazz pieces is Stan Tracey Quartet - Starless And Bible Black (Under Milk Wood (1965) in homage to poet Dylan Thomas 'Under Milk Wood'

Jazz became something of a cliche overall & quite pretentious, there was often a purist attitude running through it with some aficionados that was off putting, i had numerous art teachers into it, the sketches on the Fast Show 'Jazz Club' were spot on Jazz club - Desolate Shore