other people's children are killing jazz

[mim]

I meant his point about the listening:

Yeah, but if some of these kids start listening to Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, then Count Basie and Duke Ellington because they're better, then probably Bird and Dizzy because they look cooler in photos, then Miles and Coltrane because everyone's heard of them then that's not so bad, is it? Maybe they'll even try and check out some local players...

[alimcg]

I often find that it's good for the kids, but the parents who haven't had much of a musical education (not wanting to sound to snobby here) end up with bizarre ideas of what jazz is. I think most, or least a lot, of schools with good music programmes have some fairly high-level jazz musos on staff, so the kids get a good idea what it's all about, but then you speak to parents at concerts etc, and it seems they have no comprehension of what you do or what their kids have been learning!

[vickibonet]

paulgrab said:

I happen to be one of those 'other people'. Your ignorant faux Marxism is almost beyond belief. For my fifteen-year-old, it is the first step into what she hopes will be a career on the stage. My first experience of playing jazz occurred within the same class enemy fortress on Punt Rd during the mid 70's. Maybe you should see it before spraying it with venom. You might be surprised, and even see fit to reprieve one or two who meet your refined standards of what jazz is in your morally pure world before the rest of them are shipped off to the killing fields.

Oh Paul, dear heart do lighten up, I was joking (but not about the uniforms, they ARE ghastly and teenagers have vile manners too, I know. I used to be one).

[alimcg]

How's this for a paraphrase...

Paul G: I am other people.

Does your family know?

[jj]

".......putting people off real Jazz"
What's real jazz?

[bod]

Real Jazz is the music disliked by those who readily profess an aversion to jazz.

You can read about these types here:

jeffweintraub.blogspot.com/2006/09/people-who-dont-like-jazz.html

[bodgey]

Jazz is fucked - why don't you all play some reggae for a change?

[bodgey]

My my, I AM feeling intelligent this evening.

[marksiks]

bodgey said:

Jazz is fucked - why don't you all play some reggae for a change?

cos other peoples kids killed it

[captain]

Like Bob Marley's kid.

[andgar]

When i think about this the question that keeps coming to mind is: How should we get young people into jazz? (sounds a little bit evangelistic...) Or even, is it reasonable to actively try to get young people into jazz?

A more simple question: If someone told you they wanted to get into jazz, what would you point them towards? I generally give people Mingus recordings (Blues and Roots is good) because a lot of his stuff is easily related to what the average Joe might think jazz is, but is also interesting and challenging (to me at least) and doesn't sound too dated (whereas a lot of Ellington, Basie, Bird etc. does).

I've tried out a bit of Australian stuff (Future in Today, Sherlock's Watermark, Bernie McGann) but even though I see these as essential and distinctive aussie jazz albums, these seem hard for non-jazz listeners to find something to hold onto. I reckon Adam Simmons Toy Band would probably work well, but I haven't managed to get a hold of the recording yet

[alimcg]

I often play them some Art Blakey. He goes hard, kids love it, and then they're in. Monk is another one I find kids get into quite easily, especially if they have a pre-existing susceptability to quirkiness.

[captain]

Ellington and Basie and Bird sound dated? Jesus Christ man....

[bodgey]

C'mon Cap - of course that stuff sounds dated to today's teenagers unless they've had some amazing early life experience with that music.

Ellington to way too hard for most kids to get their heads around (ok, not thestuff with Pops, and not C Jam blues etc...ok maybe I should rethink this)....some Basie would be ok, I guess and Parker would just get a blank stare from most.
I agree with andgar - bluesy stuff is best. That's what got me into it all. I remember being utterly confused and bewildered by the saxophone solos on Kind of Blue as a 15yr old, but Miles' solos and Wynton Kelly's solos grabbed my attention. From there it was on to Oscar Peterson, and then from there my ears started to open up.

AliMcGraaarker, Blakey is a good idea too - kids relate to the drums being beaten to a pulp!!

I remember going through a huge DIG phase in my younger days (15-16) and I think it was a good thing for my teachers to expose me to this stuff (and all the other stuff like Miles, Basie, Oscar, Herbie, Maceo etc) as it was Australian (i.e. wow! ozzies can play music!), groovy (it got our attention, as it had a backbeat) and it had all sorts of jazz-ish elements to the melodies and harmonies at a very basic, easily digestible level.

Thoughts?

[bodgey]

To qualify the bit about that music sounding dated to most kids - it's often the recording quality that puts kids off. I know I hated that old sound when I was 15.