Doc's Jazz Music Reviews

The Steve Rudolph album is not a Christmas one but just being released at this season. Thanks for the heads up on this Steve. See you Sunday if we don't get snowed in.

What is Jazz?

During the last couple years I have found myself losing more and more interest in so-called Smooth Jazz. The name itself is a kind of misnomer because most Smooth Jazz is not jazz at all. What happened to this music is a study of what happens when musicians and record companies allow pursuit of the dollar to stifle creative contributions.

What is Jazz? I am not sure but I know it when I hear it. Jazz is creative – it is innovative and full of musicianship. This is a far cry from most of the cookie cutter approach you find in Smooth Jazz.

I asked myself a question the other day – am I turning into some kind of jazz purist? I did a snobbery, elitist test to see if this was in fact the case. One look at my iTunes library and I could see that I have not reached that point – thank God! There is a wide variety of music in there, including classical, pop, r&b, and yes, smooth jazz.

What is Jazz? I could pull an answer off of Wikipedia:

"Jazz can be very hard to define because it spans from Ragtime waltzes to 2000s-era fusion. While many attempts have been made to define jazz from points of view outside jazz, such as using European music history or African music, jazz critic Joachim Berendt argues that all such attempts are unsatisfactory.

One way to get around the definitional problems is to define the term “jazz” more broadly. Berendt defines jazz as a "form of art music which originated in the United States through the confrontation of blacks with European music"; he argues that jazz differs from European music in that jazz has a "special relationship to time, defined as 'swing'", "a spontaneity and vitality of musical production in which improvisation plays a role"; and "sonority and manner of phrasing which mirror the individuality of the performing jazz musician".

But does this really define Jazz? I don’t think so. Jazz really defies description because of its constantly expanding boundaries. All I know is that when I hear most of the current songs labeled as Smooth Jazz I can say quickly to myself – that is not it, that is not jazz.

I have noticed some jazzy elements in various forms of music but I would not go so far as to label it jazz. Frequently while tuning into the local Smooth Jazz radio channel I will hear a song and think – what does that have to do with jazz? I love the song “Just My Imagination” but it is not jazz. But, in all fairness, I can relate to the dilemma faced by the programming manager at the station. The people who seem to love Smooth Jazz do not have much taste for “real jazz”.

Within my own home I can see this scenario played out. My wife really likes Smooth Jazz but when I have some Coltrane or Miles playing I can tell by her look that she is not enthralled. I was able to slide some Sonny Rollins in last summer at the Toronto Jazz Fest, and she seemed to enjoy the experience.

What is Jazz? Let me refer to an excerpt from an article written by Jason West on the “All That Jazz” website: “In their effort to market these musical voyages, major record companies have added to the mystification, bombarding us with labels to ponder: Contemporary jazz, mainstream jazz, smooth jazz, alternative jazz, avant-garde jazz, Latin jazz, fusion, etc. At present, it seems that there are almost as many names for jazz as there are jazz groups. Still puzzled? Me too.”

On that sentiment, let us say adieu.