Jazz or Blues

[Enoch]

Are we saying that Jimi Hendrix was a Blues musician?  That doesn't jive with me.  Hendrix was much more than just a one genre artist.  When I think of Blues, I see it as a type of rock and roll.

I'd probably be more accurate to say that rock is a type of blues. (The good rock, anyway!)

 

I see jazz as more of a big band experience, but there are a ton of artists who have bridged the genre.  All in al, it's a really wierd question.  I can compare two artists, but comparing two genres that have many similiarities is too tough.

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Modern jazz did emerge out of the big band experience, but it became, IMO, something rather different. The big bands were pop music, focused on dancing and popular entertainment. A few of the better individual musicians from the big bands thought that their music merited more than just being the background for a dance competition. So they got together in smaller groups, left out the vocalists, and deliberately played at tempos that dancers couldn't keep up with. They wanted to make the audience hear what they were playing as more than background music. (There was also a race factor-- these were mostly black musicians who wanted to be respected for their intellect and artistry.) The focus shifted more to solos than written arrangements.

[thepixiesrock]

Are we saying that Jimi Hendrix was a Blues musician?  That doesn't jive with me.  Hendrix was much more than just a one genre artist.  When I think of Blues, I see it as a type of rock and roll.

 

I'd probably be more accurate to say that rock is a type of blues. (The good rock, anyway!)

 

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That is correct, rock really took most of the things that make up blues, and made it so more people would listen to it.

[Darth Drabek]

I have to give it my full attention, or I miss things. Which bugs me.

 

That's not a fault of the music though. It's just meant to gather to a different taste...

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Clarification: It bugs me when I'm not catching everything in a song/piece. That's my failing, not the music's. It's great that people make complex music that you can't just pump your fist to, that's fantastic. I'm talking about not noticing a counter melody until the tenth time you listen to a piece, that sort of thing. You'd catch it if you were concentrating, which sometimes I'm in the mood for, sometimes I'm not.

[Lyric Suite]

which sometimes I'm in the mood for, sometimes I'm not.

 

Likewise, which is why there are many different types of music out there...

[Laozi]

Blues is for beating my woman

 

Jazz is for convincing her not to call the cops.

 

The "Greats" are great no matter what, just depends on the mood. As Bailey mentiones A Love Supreme is one of the greatest compositions ever. At the same time I also love the bebop style of Bird Parker especially on vinyl. Doesn't everyone love jazz hands?

 

 

I love the blues, but most especially old Robert Johnson recordings. Theres just a grit and a truth there that can't be duplicated.

Edited March 3, 2006 by Laozi

[LadyCrimson]

Blues...mostly hubby's and old rock's influence, whch is made obvious in my case by liking the blues that is more 'rock-y' in beat.

 

but most especially old Robert Johnson recordings.

My hubby has a lot of his stuff...along with an extensive collection of other blues artists, old to new. Half of it I won't let him play in the house w/out headphones because it literally hurts my ears.

Edited March 3, 2006 by LadyCrimson

[Moose]

I voted blues though imo both are equally **** these days.

[Baley]

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee are pretty much my favourite blues ensemble.

[thepixiesrock]

Baley, don't waste your words on these philistines.

[Baley]

Heh, I was actually listening to this album.

 

Hey, can you play the harmonica?

[thepixiesrock]

Barely. Or not really.

[Baley]

I was thinking about a harmonica-based anti-The Flying Menaces battle cry.

[Dark_Raven]

Neither I am afraid. I could never get into this these types of music.

[Stewdawg24]

This is always a tough question for me to answer .....although in the end I typically come down on the Blues side of things. I was sold on the blues the first time I heard Stevie Ray Vaughn's version of "Shake for Me" by Willie Dixon when I was 14. In a cruel twist of fate I learned he had died the previous summer and I never got a chance to see him live. However, for any of you who think that the blues is "boring" or "predictable" please take the time to see Buddy Guy if he's in your town. I'm not a religious man, but I'm fairly certain I had a religous experience the first time I saw Buddy live.

 

I agree that Jazz as a genre has so many sub sets that it's hard to really look at as one catergory. There's the straight ahead styling of Redman( I recommend Live at the Village Vanguard and Beyond), the early fusion of Herbie Han**** (I challenge anyone to find a funkier albums than Head Hunters and the Fat Albert sessions) and the new jazz, bluegrass, funk style of bands like Bela Fleck and the Flecktones ( I won't even begin to talk about how amzing Victor Wooten is on the Bass) Of course there are many other mixes of styles in between which make it difficult to compare Jazz as a catergory vs Blues.

Edited March 4, 2006 by Stewdawg24

[blue]

You're not going to get much of what a younger player like Branford or Josh Redman is playing if you haven't heard Coltrane, Rollins, Parker, et al.  It'd be like watching a highly-referential comedy like Family Guy without having seen any other TV shows over the past 30 years.

Nice commentary, Enoch. This is especially pithy:

 

Blues is comforting where Jazz is challenging.

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As for the poll: I wear my bias in my nick. But I love both.

 

My favorite albums include Muddy Waters

Edited March 4, 2006 by blue

[Bulgarian Jedi]

I haven't listened to many jazz or blues music, but from my experience I have to say that they are more or less equal with blues having a slight advantage,

[Darth Drabek]

One of the best short stories you'll ever read: