From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2015 #401 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe:mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Website: http://jonimitchell.com JMDL Digest Tuesday, August 4 2015 Volume 2015 : Number 401 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: what is Jazz? njc [Dave Blackburn ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2015 11:33:54 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: what is Jazz? njc Ibm afraid itbs a lot thornier a question than that. The paradigm you describe, tune - solos - tune recap, applies to the early days of jazz up until approximately 1967 when Miles Davisb Nefertiti began to erase the boundaries between the written and the improvised. Weather Report continued this, and many of Joe Zawinulbs bcompositionsb were piano improvisations that he transcribed for the band. Joni herself more or less did away with solos on Mingus, with a few exceptions. Nowadays, it is common for solo sections to have completely different chord changes than those under the melody, often with each soloist playing over unique harmonizations. Then, there is free jazz, which is entirely improvised. > On Aug 4, 2015, at 9:53 AM, Jim L'Hommedieu wrote: > > I hear ya. That's the definition that I think of too, normally. It describes a certain era, for sure. But it's only one part. Like no one would argue that Pops was outside of Jazz, yet he's almost out of your definition. > > Was Ellington's band not jazz, because they (sometimes) stayed close to the composition? heh heh > > Joni steps out of shade, says something like, "My music is wide, like jazz." > > Just sayin, > Jim > > >To me, (drum roll) I think jazz is a piece of music that has a basic head (like the beginning of Miles Davis' "So What!") but the rest of the tune has nothing but very broad chord charts to arrange the rest of the "song." In this way there is no melody excepting the beginning head. The rest of the tune (solos and trade offs between the musicians) must be played over those broad chord charts and the musicians can do anything they like to go with the music.> ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2015 #401 ***************************** ------- To post messages to the list,sendto joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------