JimBobTTD Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Ok...there are some sweeping generalisations, not-quite-fully-incorrect assumptions and some premises here with which you may not agree... I have been reflecting on music a fair bit recently, in particular on [i]inevitability [/i]of certain things. I grew up on rock, progressed quickly to metal when I discovered its existence and then went to thrash and death metal. After a while - you could argue it was after I grew up a bit - I went back to rock and then to rock's origins, the blues. I listened to a lot of blues. My playing went from superduperfast to gentler stuff and I even took up fretless. One thing I noticed is that this is a path that is hardly unique. Gary Moore went from rock to blues. Clapton from rock* to blues. Slash had a blues project. Alex Skolnick from Testament went further and left* thrash metal for progressive jazz. Even metal has itself become more prog/jazzy. I think that it is in one's blood to go back to the origins of the music one likes. Hence, metalheads go to rock, rockers go to the blues, blues go to jazz. Some may not get all the way in their journey and others may not embark on one at all. Do all musicians embark on a journey that, eventually, ends up with jazz? Will this lead to wanting to go to more original jazz...should we all stop resisting the primal urge and chuck in our electric basses and go over to DB? Or have I had too much espresso and finally gone loco? (* Kind of) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 [quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1498991728' post='3328369'] Do all musicians embark on a journey that, eventually, ends up with jazz? [/quote] No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted July 2, 2017 Author Share Posted July 2, 2017 That might be the definitive answer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1498992105' post='3328373'] No. [/quote] You beat me to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Shall I lock the thread now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Maybe...but probably not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_c2 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I also say "no" but I think I understand what you mean, and why you'd think this. We are faced - daily - with lots and lots of things which might influence us and naturally, the vast majority of these are filtered out and forgotten about. So, you tend to only conciously remember those things which rise up above the crowd and are notable for some reason or another. And I think you've noticed some musicians who have followed a similar progression as you have. Jazz is completely avoidable should you choose to. Having said that, bits of it are quite alright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige1968 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 (edited) [quote name='paul_c2' timestamp='1498997498' post='3328425'] Jazz is completely avoidable [/quote] What he said. Saying that, the post title is a great name for an improvisational four-piece. Edited July 2, 2017 by nige1968 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest subaudio Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 (edited) I went from rock to metal to blues and a bit of Jazz. Perhaps it's a theory thing, I've always been into my theory and as time passes and progress is made I kept looking for the next challenge. For me that was also fretless to eub then double bass and ultimately to more jazz, although for me its always been about fusing different styles. Great thread Edited July 2, 2017 by subaudio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I am on an endless Jazz journey. In fact, a round and round with no Coda and I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 [quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1498991728' post='3328369'] One thing I noticed is that this is a path that is hardly unique. Gary Moore went from rock to blues. [/quote] Gary Moore's journey was nowhere near that straightforward - he was playing Jazz (or at least Jazz-Rock) early on in his career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubsonicSimpleton Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Is jazz inevitable - definately NO, but discovering new music that inspires you is unavoidable unless you isolate yourself completely from hearing anything new, whether you decide to try and play this new music is a different matter. I find it hard to believe that any truly passionate musician can only appreciate music from a single narrow genre, but generally to establish yourself as a musician/band you have to have 'your thing' and be reasonably consistent with it, so even if you love a bunch of different styles it's unlikely that you can be marketed to an audience without some identifiable focus - musicians who are already established have more latitiude to branch out later in their careers and perform/record music which they may have been passionate about since their formative years but not associated with when they initially made it big, and which their management might have steered them away from for financial reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Nope, not for me - jazz means as little to me as it did 40 years ago. YMMV, etc, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visog Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 (edited) It's sort of a neat little model that you go more rootsy as you get older. I think there's less of a scene for rock and you get less credible as you get older, fatter and balder - ramping up the hair-dye, leather and eye-liner to compensate. These factors are less of an impediment for blues and jazz as the more gnarly you are the better... If it were Middle-Earth, Elves would play rock, Orcs blues, Goblins jazz, and Hobbits folk. And the Humans would play prog. Because it's Middle Earth. Edited July 2, 2017 by visog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I started with rock , probably then a bit poppier, definitely a phase of jazz / free interpretation , and then back to rock, but I settle down a bit after the first song Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldslapper Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Interesting thread. I've certainly "journeyed" 🤢 from Punk as my starting place through a variety of genre over the past 40 years, with jazz being the most recent landing place. But I can't say I've left any genre behind, but rather have gathered a load of influences which I probably bring to each project I'm involved with. Ending up in jazz doesn't necessarily mean never again playing hair metal, for instance (although with less hair). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathy Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Probably a frequent stop on musical journeys, but I wouldn't say it was up there with death and taxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 [quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1499006677' post='3328508'] Nope, not for me - jazz means as little to me as it did 40 years ago. YMMV, etc, etc... [/quote] +1, at the risk of generalising, the little,I know of Jazz seems very self indulgent and, to me, utterly unmoving. I know some people really get off on it but it doesn't do anything for me. We are all different and it would be boring if everyone liked the same stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Life is a journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I started with prog, went to metal, then to blues. Now I am back to prog, don't mind metal, but blues bores the living sh*t out of me. Sadly we have to do some in the current group, luckily not too much though. I don't mind things that are jazzy, but I don't like jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 (edited) I can see jazz as the end result of wanting to involve more musical theory in one's playing. I can certainly see its allure as I've leaned more notes But I'm neither a ex-metaller nor a jazz cat, hopefully some of the jazz brethren on BC can help. Edited July 2, 2017 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 The Jazz doesn't bother me, but I draw the line at all those bloody banjos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Time to 'fess up... I once played in the local jazz festival... AND I used to play bluegrass banjo. Oo-er. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted July 2, 2017 Author Share Posted July 2, 2017 [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1499013716' post='3328576'] I can see jazz as the end result of wanting to involve more musical theory one's playing. I can certainly see its allure as I've leaned more notes [/quote] I think this is what I meant. However, I still play rock and metal and shall continue to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 The regression from rock to blues jazz is an interesting theory until you remember that both rock and jazz evolved out of blues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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