Jazz with an Open Mind
A lot of us fear the Jazz Police. Well, I do anyway. While I may re-read my good reviews, I read the bad ones quickly, hoping for some valuable criticism and then I try to move on – fast. And what I hear most often from the JP, when my review is a fast read, is how I do or do not fit a certain template. That always makes me wonder. And not just about my fitting in or not fitting in. I wonder about something that I believe goes way beyond me.
Isn’t this form of music improvisational and open? Must it be closed in order to be called “Jazz Music?” Most people would not even give Jazz a listen. Just last night a friend of mine said, “Jazz has always seemed like a special club that only few can enter.” Sure, she comes to my gigs. She’s my friend. But she doesn’t listen to other jazz musicians because she’s put off. And she’s not the only one. That’s sad.
If improvisation is being open to the sounds we hear flooding to us, why would we edit this music so much as to push others away? Must we be a form no mortal can understand? Must we be a click?
Of course, we have to study, practice, listen. We have to work hard all the time. But should we be an Oh-So-Special-Group of Oh-So-Special-People? No wonder we don’t sell the way Pop or Blues does. Those are the forms of music that “invite.” We get so intellectual about our music we push the audience away.
Perhaps we don’t write tunes with sing-a-long hooks, but we write haunting melodies, thoughtful lyrics, and beautiful harmonies. More than just jazz lovers would like to hear them.
Why was Miles Davis (“Bitches Brew”) and why is Pat Metheny (“The Secret Story”) so innovative? Not just because they listen. We all do that. They listen to Other Forms. And then they incorporate and grow a new sound.
That’s what’s exciting.
Of course the old forms of Jazz are special. When I play clubs I sing standards. My audience needs to hear something familiar. I get that. But I believe if we open ourselves up more and stop being so clicky, we will find new expressions of what should be an evolving form. Maybe we’d even sell more.
Toni is a modern jazz vocalist who loves vocalese, songwriting, and producing innovative jazz productions that help community….Toni began as a dancer who picked up the violin. She studied music theory, stage and film acting, ballet and modern jazz dance. To view Toni’s schedule, schedule vocal classes and to book her for your next event visit her website at www.tonijannotta.com
