What I Listen To
A discussion recently came up about the best rock vocalist of all-time. I had a hard time with this one and my lack of a quick and sure answer shocked an old friend. The question then became, “Had I drifted that far from my musical roots that I held on to so tightly in high school?” Yes and no. I have no less passion for the music I listened to in high school. I still have all of those albums, CDs, MP3s and still listen to them. The Grateful Dead is still in rotation; I still listen to Pink Floyd; Crosby Stills and Nash are on my MP3 players. And they all still have tremendous importance to me.
But my current obsession is more with music that involves searching. Music where the musician is searching and the listener is along for the ride. Yes, you can correctly say that the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd were on a search. But I’m referring to music that challenges the notion of music itself. Most, but not all, of my listening these days involves jazz. I’ve been reading a lot about John Coltrane lately and have been analyzing his albums. Art Pepper is one that I happily stumbled upon recently. I was in Washington D.C. last month to see two nights of Pat Martino. I still believe that Herbie Hancock is our pre-eminent pianist and the best arranger alive today. And I’m checking out things that certainly challenge what we call music. Groups like Vorwolf, Stephen Vitiello, Paola Prestini and Francisco Lopez.
There was a point a couple of years ago that I would’ve laughed at what these people are calling “music”. But I’ve reached a point where I’m willing to define music as any intended audible piece that evokes an emotional response. That doesn’t mean that I enjoy everything these people put on a CD, but I will give it a listen and see what merit I might attribute to it. These are musicians (and I can’t say that I have a definition yet for what a “musician” is, I struggle with that term), who are never going to be well known, or on the radio, or even have the ability to support themselves with the music they make. However, they are driven to create. And I respect that drive.
A lot of times the rock world gets caught up in the success of the music. And that success can destroy the drive to create, to push forward and to challenge oneself. That’s why I can’t stay contained in the world of rock. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it any longer. It’s just that I see limits to it. Limits that it sets upon itself that curtail creativity and expression oftentimes for the sake of mass appeal. I look at people like Coltrane and Hank Jones who continue to push their music, their writing and their practicing for their entire lives. They are never satisfied with their abilities and keep going. They are searching for things they can’t even define but know that they aren’t there yet.
A few people in the rock world have worked this hard. Frank Zappa comes to mind. He is said to have spent on average 17 hours a day in his studio when he wasn’t on tour. And he released over 70 albums in his career. Stevie Ray Vaughan lived with his guitar around him. These artists were dedicated. But I think they are more the exception than the rule.
I’m not one of those music snobs who will only listen to “high-brow” music. I’ll listen to anything that has quality to it. I’ve been listening to a lot of Prince lately. I’ve been studying how he constructs a song. He’ll have a straight rhythm, then he’ll also have a cross rhythm. He has these two “rhythm scaffolds” from which he can bounce back and forth to create a different feel. When you listen to something like Little Red Corvette or When Doves Cry, you can hear that where he places the beat is where the magic is. He’s a genius at rhythm. I like to listen to people who have devoted their lives to doing what they do very well.
I still listen to metal, 80's pop, new wave, alternative, jambands, classic rock, psychedelic, bluegrass, blues, fingerstyle, etc.
But my current obsession is more with music that involves searching. Music where the musician is searching and the listener is along for the ride. Yes, you can correctly say that the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd were on a search. But I’m referring to music that challenges the notion of music itself. Most, but not all, of my listening these days involves jazz. I’ve been reading a lot about John Coltrane lately and have been analyzing his albums. Art Pepper is one that I happily stumbled upon recently. I was in Washington D.C. last month to see two nights of Pat Martino. I still believe that Herbie Hancock is our pre-eminent pianist and the best arranger alive today. And I’m checking out things that certainly challenge what we call music. Groups like Vorwolf, Stephen Vitiello, Paola Prestini and Francisco Lopez.
There was a point a couple of years ago that I would’ve laughed at what these people are calling “music”. But I’ve reached a point where I’m willing to define music as any intended audible piece that evokes an emotional response. That doesn’t mean that I enjoy everything these people put on a CD, but I will give it a listen and see what merit I might attribute to it. These are musicians (and I can’t say that I have a definition yet for what a “musician” is, I struggle with that term), who are never going to be well known, or on the radio, or even have the ability to support themselves with the music they make. However, they are driven to create. And I respect that drive.
A lot of times the rock world gets caught up in the success of the music. And that success can destroy the drive to create, to push forward and to challenge oneself. That’s why I can’t stay contained in the world of rock. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it any longer. It’s just that I see limits to it. Limits that it sets upon itself that curtail creativity and expression oftentimes for the sake of mass appeal. I look at people like Coltrane and Hank Jones who continue to push their music, their writing and their practicing for their entire lives. They are never satisfied with their abilities and keep going. They are searching for things they can’t even define but know that they aren’t there yet.
A few people in the rock world have worked this hard. Frank Zappa comes to mind. He is said to have spent on average 17 hours a day in his studio when he wasn’t on tour. And he released over 70 albums in his career. Stevie Ray Vaughan lived with his guitar around him. These artists were dedicated. But I think they are more the exception than the rule.
I’m not one of those music snobs who will only listen to “high-brow” music. I’ll listen to anything that has quality to it. I’ve been listening to a lot of Prince lately. I’ve been studying how he constructs a song. He’ll have a straight rhythm, then he’ll also have a cross rhythm. He has these two “rhythm scaffolds” from which he can bounce back and forth to create a different feel. When you listen to something like Little Red Corvette or When Doves Cry, you can hear that where he places the beat is where the magic is. He’s a genius at rhythm. I like to listen to people who have devoted their lives to doing what they do very well.
I still listen to metal, 80's pop, new wave, alternative, jambands, classic rock, psychedelic, bluegrass, blues, fingerstyle, etc.
posted by jambander at
9:30 PM
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