Dealing with the large quantity of Jazz

This thread was inspired by a similar one on PA, but this one will be focused more on the overall genre of Jazz.

Jazz has been around for over 100 years, with recording technology coming about not long after ragtime met the blues. As with any genre, you're going to have about 10% of it being great, with the other 90% being not so great. But 10% of all the jazz out there is still A LOT of music. Sure, for a newbie, we can mostly agree what are good starter albums like Kind of Blue or Giant Steps, for example, or some fusion albums to ease someone in who is totally unfamiliar with jazz. But what happens when you're pretty knowledgeable in jazz?

In my young age, I know a lot, I'd say. But of course, many of you guys know a lot more than me; but then again, I know stuff that some of you guys don't too. A common thought comes in my head sometimes: "How many more post-bop albums do I need?"

Now, you may have your favorite artists, but I rarely feel like I need every album by any of them, unlike some of my favorite rock bands or something. Sometimes, you have an artist like Miles Davis, where almost any album released while he was alive is essential in whatever sub-genre an album of his falls under. But then you have someone like, say, John Scofield, who, when he isn't playing some kind of fusion (rock or electronic), it's post-bop, but if you've got one or two of 'em, you've got them all. I can say that about a lot of jazz artists.

Take new releases. Forgetting the fact that there's posthumous albums from deceased jazz greats released all the time (which can occasionally add to the frustration), sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on a new album by a jazz artist because of rave reviews, only to be disappointed or neutral about it when I finally hear it. Same thing happens the other way, I'll avoid an album because it doesn't seem like something I'd be interested in, only to later finally listen to it and beat myself for not checking it out sooner.

It doesn't help that jazz as a whole has not been progressing as fast as it did in the 20th century, so you have a lot of the 'same old, same old' trend. Which is also a problem for newer acts, there is so much out there that came before and is more popular, that newer acts don't get the exposure.

Point is, how do you deal with the overwhelming quantity of jazz? Sure, there's stuff you know you'll like, or you just enjoy a particular artist's style, but what about jazz that's outside of your personal favorites?


Edited by darkshade - 10 Aug 2012 at 1:15pm

Isn't that the best part of the genre?  Finding new music you love?  That being said, we have one jazz radio station where I live and to be honest, all they play is commercial crap.  So, while there is tons of jazz out there, some of the more obscure ( and usually quite excellent ) is not too easily found.  This site sure helps with that problem though!

I just try to listen to as many albums as I can (from all genres excepting AG and vocal )

There seems to be a certain niche of individuals who think it's 'hip' to like jazz, like you must be intelligent if you like jazz, who honestly know nothing about the background of jazz or all its diversified sub genres, to them anything by Sachmo or Billy Holiday or Benny Goodman is the 'hip' stuff.  I get really ticked about this.  Perhaps I shouldn't, but the commercial side of jazz, it's kind of like Jazz's Greatest Hits - which quite often is boring to my ears.  Does anyone else feel this way?  I somehow feel offended that they want to join the club?  I don't know, perhaps I'm being completely unfair ....   There was a DJ on one station I listened to who obviously knew nothing about jazz, his quotes about jazz coming from him just doing a search on google prior to playing the song, and most times getting it wrong.  I once heard "Chick Corea is one of the world's greated vibraphonist"  Excuse me?  I'm sure you meant Gary Burton ....

Edited by Dean Watson - 30 Aug 2012 at 12:00pm

Chick Corea plays vibes too.    ...and he is quite good at them.

Dean Watson wrote: There seems to be a certain niche of individuals who think it's 'hip' to like jazz, like you must be intelligent if you like jazz, who honestly know nothing about the background of jazz or all its diversified sub genres, to them anything by Sachmo or Billy Holiday or Benny Goodman is the 'hip' stuff.  I get really ticked about this.  Perhaps I shouldn't, but the commercial side of jazz, it's kind of like Jazz's Greatest Hits - which quite often is boring to my ears.  Does anyone else feel this way?  I somehow feel offended that they want to join the club?  I don't know, perhaps I'm being completely unfair ....   There was a DJ on one station I listened to who obviously knew nothing about jazz, his quotes about jazz coming from him just doing a search on google prior to playing the song, and most times getting it wrong.  I once heard "Chick Corea is one of the world's greated vibraphonist"  Excuse me?  I'm sure you meant Gary Burton ....

Actually, most hip jazzers never thought of Stachmo, Ella or Goodman as anything remotely close to "hip"... it was mainstream commercial stuff...

Edited by Sean Trane - 31 Aug 2012 at 2:53am

Sean Trane wrote: Dean Watson wrote: There seems to be a certain niche of individuals who think it's 'hip' to like jazz, like you must be intelligent if you like jazz, who honestly know nothing about the background of jazz or all its diversified sub genres, to them anything by Sachmo or Billy Holiday or Benny Goodman is the 'hip' stuff.  I get really ticked about this.  Perhaps I shouldn't, but the commercial side of jazz, it's kind of like Jazz's Greatest Hits - which quite often is boring to my ears.  Does anyone else feel this way?  I somehow feel offended that they want to join the club?  I don't know, perhaps I'm being completely unfair ....   There was a DJ on one station I listened to who obviously knew nothing about jazz, his quotes about jazz coming from him just doing a search on google prior to playing the song, and most times getting it wrong.  I once heard "Chick Corea is one of the world's greated vibraphonist"  Excuse me?  I'm sure you meant Gary Burton .... Actually, most hip jazzers never thought of Stachmo, Ella or Goodman as anything remotely close to "hip"... it was mainstream commercial stuff...