Post #9 "All That Jazz"

    One genre of music that doesn't seem to get enough credit these days is jazz music. I was never a huge fan of jazz music. In fact, I despise some of it, mostly what I consider to be "elevator jazz." The kind that plays in hotel elevators or in the produce section of a seemingly deserted super market. Or all of those long, annoying, and confusing saxophone solos. Damn saxophone players. Them and their long solos are the reason why many people find jazz to be so boring. The only saxophones that I really have any respect for are the Baritone Saxophone and the Soprano Saxophone. Although they are on opposite ends of the spectrum, they both give off and awesome and unique sound that really "jazz things up!" Not all jazz is bad though. A lot of cool stuff can be done with jazz music such as improvisation and different renditions of popular songs, such as pop songs and Christmas music. Oh Christmas jazz, how I hate you.
     I spent three and a half years in jazz band in high school as the lead trumpet player. This experience opened my eyes and ears to jazz music and I gained a new appreciation for it as well as a musical and cultural understanding of it. I played some pretty awesome songs, or charts, in my first few years of jazz band. One of my favorites that I've played would have to be a song called "Moanin'" by Charles Mingus. That's definitely a song worth listening to. It's upbeat and interesting and features an impressive baritone saxophone solo at the beginning. It also features an element of ragtime, which is basically where members of the band are playing different melodies at the same time to create a cool, and confusing, layering effect.

Here's a much shorter version of "Moanin'" by Charles Mingus, played by the Fribourg Jazz Orchestra.

     Jazz music is purely an American sound. It originated in New Orleans, Louisiana in the early 1900's and spread up through the United States to New York. It sparked a lot of popularity in the 1920's and grew tremendously. Jazz music is the basis for all of the modern music we have today. If it were not for jazz, we would not have the musicality that we do today. Most Rock music stems from the Blues which is a form of jazz music, using the same, or very similar, chord progressions and rhythms. 

     There are more than just Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie when it comes to talented jazz artists. Buddy Rich is as very famous jazz drummer that you may have heard of. Some of his more famous songs include "Caravan" and "Channel One Suite." My personal favorite jazz artist is Glenn Miller. His most popular piece is called "In The Mood." If you have ever seen the Lindsey Lohan version of The Parent Trap, you have heard this song. I think that is one of the most popular and well-known songs out there.

"In The Mood" by Glenn Miller

I don't have a whole lot of nice things to say about modern jazz music. Especially when it comes to Kenny G. One artist that I do have a good amount of respect for is Gordon Goodwin. He seems to keep things pretty interesting in a lot of his pieces. Here is my favorite of his entitled "Hunting Wabbits."

"Hunting Wabbits" by Gordon Goodwin