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Left FOOTED....since 1981!
Elvis, if I'm not mistaken, the "old style" looking (but new) record/cd/radio units you can get now can play 78's! We have one and I'll look to make sure. I can take a pic if you'd like!
Correct, sir! The one I have has extra/different needles for 78's! Who'da thunk?!
Since I don't know diddly squat about Jazz other than I generally don't like it, I decided to do a little research including listening to some posted here. First thing I learned was that there are a lot of different types of jazz. I've classified my acceptance into four segments. One, very pleasant, usually but not always because of a great singer, two tolerable for a short period of time, three, nice for elevator, four glass scratching bloody hands let me out of the car type. Examples of Type one, Susan Dalzell {very nice), some smooth jazz , Sarah Vaughan, 12 Girls Band, type two, some early bebop, type three, Don Shirley, Marcin Grochowina, and type four, CTI Summer Jazz at the Hollywood Bowl (site 68 on this thread).
You should know that my favorite band is The Four Seasons! And my favorite song is Oh, Pretty Woman, my wife's ring tone on my phone.
I appreciate the time you spent responding to me. I am quite impressed on the level of musical knowledge and the incredible ability to play instruments of the various jazz performers I listened to. Its way beyond my comprehension, after all I played third seat, third clarinet for three years in the beginning band at Warrington Jr. High School (I still have that doggone clarinet). For some reason, music goes into my ear and then just bounces around in my skull till is disappears. I literally cannot sing and clap at the same time. As for liking jazz, I tend to look for repetition in music like a dance step (which I cannot not do either) 1234,1234,1234, but I perceive jazz to be like pi, 3.14159265 on and on. While I can enjoy a jazz song for a while I get to 3.1415 and then start looking for a repeat. When it doesn't happen, I start getting anxious.Well, that's EXACTLY why I asked that question. Not to pile on (okay, maybe a little) but you again state that "I don't know diddly squat about jazz other than I generally don't like it". Huh?
Over the years, when I've told people I just met that I play professionally, blah blah blah.......they ask me what kid of music I play. I'd say 90% of the time, when I say "I play primarily jazz" I've been hit with that deer in the headlights look, or my favorite: "Oh I love jazz. I love Kenny G".
Congrats on doing at least a little research!
However, as someone who's been doing this music you hate for about 40 yrs, I have to say that you have a LOT more "research" to do. Yes, there are probably a healthy baker's dozen of jazz "sub-types". Allow me to pontificate on some of your "selections":
"Type 1": Susan Dalzell. Well, I've never heard of her, so I looked on YouTube. From New Zealand? I found a grand total of ONE video of who I think is her. Sorry, that's not jazz.
"Type 2": Some early BeBop. You mean like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk? If so, yup. That's definitely early BeBop and definitely jazz. I'm a huge fan of all of those players I just mentioned but I'll also freely admit that it was those players and the "BeBop Movement" in general that alienated the "average Joe" from jazz. During the 20's through the 40's, jazz was THE pop music of the time. Why? Because it was relatively easy for the average person to listen to. It wasn't overly musically complicated, quite often featured singers and people could "relate" to it. The BeBop innovators changed that and made the music far more complex (in many ways) and ended up turning off the average listener. The music is in many ways FAR more interesting, difficult and/or challenging for a musician, but again, the average listener gets lost within minutes. It's stayed that way for decades now.
"Type 3": Shirley and Grochowina: Good stuff.......primarily solo piano stuff. I'd love if you checked out solo piano stuff of Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson.
"Type 4": CTI was a record label (Creed Taylor) that featured a wide spectrum of different styles of jazz that was played by the people/groups Taylor signed to the label. Everything from Freddie Hubbard to Hank Crawford to Bob James. Some of which were definitely jazz, while others I'd argue weren't. So CTI was a record label, not a jazz sub-type.
Lastly.......regarding the Four Seasons. Absolutely NOTHING wrong with them but it's (obviously) FAR from any kind of jazz. Have you ever checked out The Four Freshmen? If not, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised!
Sorry for the long missive...
J.
I appreciate the time you spent responding to me. I am quite impressed on the level of musical knowledge and the incredible ability to play instruments of the various jazz performers I listened to. Its way beyond my comprehension, after all I played third seat, third clarinet for three years in the beginning band at Warrington Jr. High School (I still have that doggone clarinet). For some reason, music goes into my ear and then just bounces around in my skull till is disappears. I literally cannot sing and clap at the same time. As for liking jazz, I tend to look for repetition in music like a dance step (which I cannot not do either) 1234,1234,1234, but I perceive jazz to be like pi, 3.14159265 on and on. While I can enjoy a jazz song for a while I get to 3.1415 and then start looking for a repeat. When it doesn't happen, I start getting anxious.
Ricky May and Susan Dalzell were in one of the posted videos. I listened to Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson and enjoyed their music.
The first 17 minutes of the CTI festival video kinda represents the type of jazz that if I accidently tuned in, I would quickly move to another station.
The Four Freshmen are ok and similar to some other groups and was one of the several groups that were ushering in rock and roll. The Beach Boys remade one of their songs, although with different lyrics, and stated that they were influenced by them. Other groups that were popular during this period were the Four Freshmen, the Four Aces, the Lettermen, and some others. The Beach Boys, Four
Seasons, and, of course, the Beatles, completed the transformation of popular music, along with quite a few other musicians.
My wife keeps poking her head into my office saying, "Are you still playing jazz?.
