That Jazz - Monkey Max Music and File Download

Chapter 10: Looking Ahead: The Present and Future of Jazz
� Incognito
� Jamiroquai
� Money Mark
� Mother Earth
� Night Trains
� Slide Five
� Snowboy
� Soul Bossa Trio
� Spiritual Vibes
� The James Taylor Quartet (no, not that James Taylor)
Is “smooth jazz” really jazz?
In the ’90s, a mild brand of instrumental music became popular on FM radio
stations. The stations promoted it as smooth jazz, but serious jazz fans don’t
consider it jazz. Many smooth jazz artists are fine players, and some of the
music is extremely appealing with melodic, funky, or romantic tones. But
most smooth jazz lacks jazz’s essential qualities as discussed in Chapter 2.
In short, smooth jazz often doesn’t have the rhythmic, syncopated drive
known as swing, and it also doesn’t include much improvisation. Additionally,
in their attempt to make simple, pleasant sounds, the players don’t allow
themselves to find their own individual voices, as the best players do in jazz.
With that said, however, nothing is wrong with liking smooth jazz. Music that
furthers interest in jazz and explores other players under the “jazz” heading
is good for the overall health of jazz.
Jazz on the Edge and into the Future
Going back to pianist Lennie Tristrano’s experiments with free-form improvisation
during the late ’40s, some jazz musicians have put their energies into
making experimental music based on some of jazz’s principles. This music may
include swing and improvisation, but it may also include computers and electronic
sound processing. Composers with roots in jazz are taking the music
to new places. Some, for instance, create full-length operas. The difference
between these operas and the ones written by Scott Joplin and his peers
during the 1920s is that today’s jazz operas are actually being produced.
The following sections cover many of jazz’s artists who continue to push the
envelope of technology.
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