"All right," I said to myself, walking home with my iPod and a dollop of frustration, "Maybe that's the angle I can approach this from: a naive art, like Grandma Moses or something. Why not? Ornette always acknowledged jazz as a folk music, didn't he?"
That's when I remembered story #1. "What are you playing in that first bar? Ab dominant? Try E major instead."
This man Coleman, who spent more of his career than almost anyone (barring Cecil Taylor) being called a charlatan and an incompetent, could detect the chord being played against his melody and suggest one that made a better harmony. By ear. This man isn't some naive folk artist, some untrained musical genius. He knows exactly what he's doing. Knows it so well, in fact, that he doesn't even have to look at the written notes to know precisely, to the note, what he's playing.
It was an epiphanical moment--one I've had before, of course, and one I'm sure I'll have many times again when this passes from my conscious mind. Once more realizing that these strange, dissonant harmonies were the result of skill, not ignorant what-happens-if-I-do-this experimentation, the music hit me in a whole new light. It was a cerebral tour-de-force, an intelelctual endeavor to study and marvel at.
Listening to the iPod for the remainder of my 40-minute walk home, I then put the physical disc on in my wonderful surround-sound player at home, and set about making dinner for my wife and myself. She came home and gave me a kiss as I was putting some chicken on the grill, then wrinkled her nose. "What is this?" she asked.
"Free jazz," I responded. "I think perhaps it's even excellent free jazz, but I need to really concentrate on it to know for sure."
She scowled. "I don't like free jazz," she said. "I've just this very minute decided."
Alas, she understood that I was getting paid to listen to this stuff, and that I was on deadline, and she let it keep playing as we sat down to a Writer's-Strike-imposed evening of dinner, Battleship, and Yahtzee. I was still hunting down her submarine when I realized what a fantastic swing the album had.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Nicely done Micheal. You really brought this home by going full circle to make your point. It's a literary device sure, but when it's done well -- as it is here -- it can be a very effective one. Again, well done sir.
-Glen
2 - Pico
I don't think that most people would like whack jazz no matter how many times they listen to it, even as background music. If anything, it might make them hate it even more.
Luckily, I'm not one of those people ;&)
3 - Mark Saleski
very nice.
you know, sometimes i think that people should witness music like this being created live...it's such a different experience than listening to a recording.
the big problem of course is that most ears (Pico's excepted) hear music and try very hard to fit it into the forms they know. so when a set of chord changes and their associated melody lines are not layed out as usual, the dissonance puts them off.
4 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
My only complaint,Mr. West, is that you should've pointed us,the unfamiliar music lover, to some of the works that you like. I personally would like to hear a recent release of this style because I don't like the sounds or perhaps the egineering/recording of those instruments from the 1960s. Just my opinion & usually just about the drums.
Other than that, It was an excellent read...
5 - Michael J. West
Thanks everyone! Mark, Pico, perhaps you guys are right; perhaps I (and Pico) simply have Commie Liberal ears. But I hope not: I hope more people are willing to give it a try, as I genuinely do think that once you acclimate yourself to it, ANYONE can enjoy it. Hell, look at my wife; she hated free jazz when the evening started, and was totally caught up in it by the end.
Guppus, you're right. I should have given more suggestions; I'm wary of naming the disc I was listening to--since I talked so much about it, it would amount to reviewing it here when I'm on assignment to review it elsewhere.
So here's an alternative suggestion. Give the sound samples a try, eh?
6 - Mark Saleski
there's an 18-minute mp3 on the Ganelin Trio main page.
it's not "crazy" free jazz, but it is collective improv.
7 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Imo, I think people should try listening to this in parts. Like you mentioned, play the cd in the background to a chore or routine then actively listen for the melodies(?) that appeal to them. I always find with complex music that the transitions are the hardest to get used to. BUT, this stuff is right up my alley. I guess I'm used to listening to some pretty whacked out but talented sh!te.
Thanks alot for the suggestion... Definitely some cool stuff.
8 - JC Mosquito
I'd say that people shouldn't listen to this kind of music til they're ready for it.
It's funny - I have certain friends that get this, and some that don't. I loaned a later day Coltrane album to a friend, and his wife, a jazz singer, asked why he was listening to a guy practice his scales.
Yeah - Cec Taylor, Ornette, Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, problably never sold as well as Kenny G - and that's something I definitely don't get.