[JPL] "Nu-Jazz" from All About Jazz & Wikipedia

[Jae Sinnett]

You would be the exception David...not the rule. Today it's different. Younger kids today don't have that kind of versatility in their taste...for various reasons. I see it everyday that I teach. I taught at a percussion camp last week in Maryland and most of the drummers there never heard Max Roach or Elvin Jones but they wanted to play "jazz" like Dave Weckl and Steve Smith and groups I never heard of. It's revealing really. What's interesting to me is how most seem to be getting the same info. From publications like Modern Drummer and Drum magazine and interestingly enough their teachers. Now that is a completely different problem across the board. Someday I'll explore that topic.
   
     I came into jazz the same way. Through the "art rock" bands and fusion and the elastic grooves of classic soul and R&B music. We need to be smart about how this music is being perceived and what causes these perceptions. I'm seeing it first hand and it's telling me we have much work to do if jazz is to sustain itself. 

   
  Juan....firstly, good to hear from you. Now I'll add that my taste are simply based on the quality of the music being presented and most importantly the interactive nature of the musicians performing it. To me it doesn't matter what kind just as long at it's music with thought, depth and creativity. If you really knew me and know what I listen to you certainly wouldn't use the word "conservative" to describe my taste. I also love the sound of real instruments.....not something that is lace in samples, loops and keyboard dominance. The other part of this is that I look at music for it's intentions. Is it solely for commerce or artistic consumption?  That reveals a lot about the music we hear. Most is designed for commerce and that's how I view most of what's under the heading "nu-jazz." It's a fad. I know music. I understand harmony, rhythm and composition. I know what makes progressions interesting and challenging and what makes good writing. Same with rhythms so my
 statements and observations aren't based on something that I hear and then make a knee jerk decision as to what I think. I put thought into it for objective observation. In saying all of this I'll add that superficial fads, trends or flavors of the moment do nothing for me and my love, understanding and respect for this great music I feel puts me in a place to speak about it sincerely and more should.  
   
   
  Jae Sinnett 

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In a message dated 7/19/2007 12:32:04 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
jaejazz at yahoo.com writes:

Not directed at you David but the writer. 

Jae Sinnett 



Thanks Jae. I wasn't crazy about those definitions either, but I thought the 
sources were interesting. I've actually been a little surprised by the 
"official" definitions I've seen because my experience has been that Nu-Jazz is a 
pretty loose term, being applied liberally to newer groups that combine jazz 
with other musical elements like rock, electronica, funk, and is usually all 
instrumental, pretty hip, and sounding partly inspired by, but different than 
modern jazz. Their fans tend to be on the younger side...some otherwise like 
standard jazz, some otherwise lean toward rock. Whatever "nu-jazz" is, it 
does have some relation to more regular(?) jazz, so I think it would be 
inevitable that at least some nu-jazz fans would also be open to...uh, jazz. I know 
that when I was a teen that when I heard Weather Report, Bill Bruford, and 
Jean-Luc Ponty (whatever music they play), I went and listened to the groups 
that they said inspired them. For me, that opened the door to jazz as a whole.
-david




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