Along with "vast and eclectic tastes" which means, translated into the specific, that one likes a lot of different kinds of music, is the corollary, that there are a lot of other kinds that one does not like. Here is my list:
- Grindcore
- Country
- Gospel
- Heavy (also Medium and Light) Metal
- Hip Hop
- Rap
- Jazz
- Fusion
- Pop
- And Jazz again!
Now we will just wait for someone to comment that this list pretty much exhausts All Forms of Music...
It does leave this, for example, Music at the Court of Gaston Febus (1331 - 1391):
How can such a sophisticated music lover like you not see the genius of jazz baffles me.
ReplyDeleteListen to this Clifford Brown solo at 2:18 and tell me that it leaves you cold. The slow buildup is so beautifully constructed. It's simple and heartbreakingly gorgeous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OGfCBlJ8y4
Hip-hop and even metal/rock can be good at times. Basically there is good music in those categories but the values are different. For instance the text/lyrics is most valued in hip-hop while the other elements are not due to the nature of the style. Pop is mostly good for parodies of it. Kim Jong-un style (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cG7ZVBXQII) for instance is much better than the original because it's a parody and it's pretty clever too. At least that's the way I see it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, when are you returning to the Concerto Guide? It's been 13 days since your last one. Anyways, trying to listen to as many Mozart concertos as possible.
Anonymous, on your recommendation I listened to the Clifford Brown solo and it is some very fine jazz and very fine playing. No doubt. I can listen and objectively acknowledge the aesthetic quality. Nice development of a small set of motifs. But, personally, I am still not fond of jazz. There are a lot of reasons for this that I have given elsewhere on the blog, but it partly has to do with the underlying mood. This particular piece does seem to be a bit different, though: more gentle, less angry? I don't really mean angry, I don't think we have a word for it, but there is a kind of edge in a lot of jazz that turns me off. Just think of it this way: there has to be someone who doesn't like jazz and I guess it's me!
ReplyDeleteRickard, there is good music in just about every genre (except probably grindcore) but my remarks were really just comments on the overall feel of the genre. There is even some really good country...
I'm still on vacation, and I will get back to the concerto guide next week, not tomorrow. I think the next one I will take up is the "Jeunehomme" piano concerto of Mozart.
I am with you about jazz, Bryan. Most of it I simply cannot stand to hear. It puts me on edge. I do like those early Tom Waits records, which are kind of jazzy, but that's about as much as I can tolerate.
ReplyDeleteI will confess to being inordinately fond of country music. You can take the boy out of Alberta, but you can't take Alberta out of the boy...
And I'm with you on early Tom Waits, like the Pasties and a G-String album. I guess I just don't think of it as jazz. And I kind of like the Bob Dylan albums Nashville Skyline and John Wesley Harding, but I guess I don't quite think of them as country. But they are, of course.
ReplyDeleteAnd what do you think about prog rock?
ReplyDeleteI guess, as with most genres, there are outstanding examples and less-good ones. By "prog rock" I assume you mean artists like Pink Floyd, Deep Purple (Jon Lord's concerto at least), Emerson, Lake and Palmer and that sort of thing? Wouldn't some of the Beatles actually fit the criteria as well? Side two of Abbey Road at least and maybe some Lennon songs like Strawberry Fields Forever. I think those examples are superb.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess I should add a caveat to my original post saying that my dislike of certain genres does not include the really good stuff!
A while ago you wrote something to the effect of 'if there is a Bach of house music it's probably deadmau5'. Well I don't know if Bach is a good comparison in this case, but the prog metal band 'Between the Buried and Me', is in my opinion, great. So if you're interested have a listen. Maybe you could do an album review as a post. I would recommend Colors, The Great Misdirect or The Parallax 2.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jared. Thanks for the suggestion. I see before me a great stack of 19th century concertos that I am committed to discussing, so it will likely be a while before I can have a listen to Between the Buried and Me, but I'll get there sooner or later!
ReplyDelete