US and UK Jazz drumming

[Dazzler]

Steve, can you elaborate for us please, who are you referring to when you say old school jazz guys that just play time and rarely show any kind of agression" or "those type of guys"?

I'm interested to know what jazzers you think just play 'boring' time like a drum machine and 'don't spend any time soloing'.

[Andy Edwards]

'Subliminal jazz drumming ("you couldn't hear him, but you knew he was there....") just doesn't hold my interest.'

...ha ha brilliant, glad someones said it!

I was brought up by my Dad listening to Modern Jazz Quartet so Connie Kay was a big influence on me who I would say is the most subliminal jazz drummer of all time (and I still love him)

It just seems here in the UK if you to a jam session or watch that seems the only way to play.

a few years back I was chatting to the drummer with a major UK jazz artist.
I said I'd love to get more jazz gigs but I'm basically a Tony/Jack De J styled player.
He said 'Well there is your problem, drumming like that is a bit looked down upon here in the UK'

I once tried to get Simon Phillips some gigs with his acoustic band. The venues here had never heard of him, when I told them his CV I was told 'we don't book acts like that...'

I love jazz but I hate this attitude.

[XNavyDrummer]

Great posts everyone. Most of the jazz guys that have my attention are those with great fusion chops and impeccable taste. Subliminal jazz drumming ("you couldn't hear him, but you knew he was there....") just doesn't hold my interest.

Now smooth "jazz" is another world...what's with all those drum machines?????

[FuseU1]

I've attende jazz fests; most notably [& for time, here], USA: Friehofer's Saratoga NY, AWA Clearwater Jazz Holiday, FL.

Both events were chock FULL of thousands who were there to see some of the popular, finest SA jazz/swing AWA fusion bands you'll ever hear.

Even the smooth jazz bands are well-rehearsed;c) & had their place - it helps these other bands expose the US to a meatier musical market...

Of the "smooth jazz" bands, Sanborn is one the greatest. Class A, top-o-the-line listenable pop-r&b-jazz, that stretches out a little live. Very cool [much cooler than the actual records, even].

So, I'm sorry if this is the att overseas. But, we of course have our problems related AW, aka the $ factor.

But according to those audiences, the ones who are off-base are the "in-the-box" marketers, because I saw thousands of gleeful jazz appreciatives at these fests...& they seemed to be just as, if not more, excited by the more involved bands as opposed to the "safer" ones.

I sometimes feel that some of these so-called tour marketers/arrangers & record peeps have their own tastes & thoughts of the dollar/market in mind when judging whether an act is "good" or "listenable by the masses" [or not]...this sometimes irks me to no end. But eh, whaddya gonna do...

It's a darn good thing there are some "enlightened" ones out there doing it... [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 21, 2005 06:24 PM: Message edited by: fuseU1 ]</font>

[alexsanguinetti]

Dear Andy Edwards (Steve and all HOD),
Hi, I'm contacting you from Munich, Germany.

Since you spoke about Jam-Sessions here is a video of my playing at the jam-session of the local Jazz Club, "Unterfahrt", from LAST WEEK.


http://site238.webhost4life.com/alexsanguine/Jam2.wmv


There is a ton of GREAT jazz drummers everywhere I go (small town, big town, you name it), and, to me, they all play VERY different....

I saw your video playing "Elegant People" from W. Report and thought it was excellent (please congratulate the bass player and keyboardist on my behalf too).

Every musician has it's owns opinion about music. You play good, man, and just have to find the people in the style that would like to play with you, which I believe will be no problem.

We can't be liked by everybody, what can we do?

Analyzing cold blooded the situation, and seeing if we can learn something from it is the only alternative to me. Sometimes there is (something to learn) sometimes not. I'm aware that you know all this.


Best regards,
Alex Sanguinetti

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 21, 2005 07:59 PM: Message edited by: Alex Sanguinetti ]</font>

[Andy Edwards]

Thanks Alex for the nice comments.

A lot of this stuff happened a long time ago, and I did just that and went off and did my own thing and have been relatively succesful.

But I don't really get to play jazz anymore (except with my own band) which is strange as it is my first love.

I feel this is because I don't play waht most jazz world's idea of jazz is. This because I think in the 80's jazz became a thing which should be studied as opposed to a living art form. In other words it died, (Like the blues did in the 60's)
If anybody tries to do anything new jazz it gets called 'not jazz, something else'

In drumming this is seen in the 'a good jazz drummer should be able to...' approach

Who is re writing the book now like Tony and Elvin did in the 60's?