OT Jazz education by former bass player w Bill Evans

[16251]

I was joking, my friend. Let's face it though, typing and thinking of your thoughts takes time. I mean it takes me a long time just to read you and Jazzwee's post in this and a few other columns, but I'm not complaining. I think hearing different viewpoints is the best way to evaluate and update your own thought processes.

 

BTW - I work fulltime as CSR. I used to do that in addition to busy GB bands. In 2009, after a medical issue, I gave up playing pop, but I'm up every weekday at 5:30. My latest ventures in music is thinking/listening more and practicing less. I'm finding the essence of jazz although my technique has lost a little. It's now more of a beautiful ride and less of a monkey on my shoulder.

 

Sorry for being peevish, touchy. Does everyone now use cryptic, yet in Abbrev for things? Like all know what CSR is, all but I ! And GB would be...let me guess GB would be Garage band., ok garage. CSR is a late night forensics show with a lot of folks eating other folks as in Night of the Living Dead?

CSR - Customer Service Rep. GB - General Business (or make the bride happy.)

[Joe Muscara]

Tee, there was no criticism from you. It was a teasing reference from Joe because he knows I'm a VERY late starter with Jazz. And I was at gigs too.

I wasn't completely teasing you, because as far as really getting into jazz as a player, I'm no spring chicken myself (well, I am a chicken and it is currently spring, but still...). I only started studying jazz a few years ago.

 

My point was that kids learn by emulating. Look at spoken language, little kids are copying the adults. I suppose some teachers think that's what everyone needs to do to learn to "speak" jazz. My view is that the problem can become I already know what I want to say, I just don't know how to say it. At this point in my life, I'm not going to learn Italian by listening to Italian speakers like an infant and trying to make those sounds. I know what I want to say at least in English but I need to get the grammar and vocabulary in Italian.

 

If my teacher wanted me to study other musicians, he would be focusing on how to incorporate that into my playing as much as anything, not copying but what can I learn from what that player does and doesn't do. Heck, he's a great player himself, but sometimes I hear him play something and I'm thinking about how I would play it instead. That's not a knock on him, that's a statement of where I am at least mentally as far as what I want to play. So I understand what you're saying about not wanting to do too much mimicking.

 

All in all, I think Chuck makes a decent point but it might be a bit overstated IMO.

Does everyone now use cryptic, yet in Abbrev for things? Like all know what CSR is, all but I ! And GB would be...let me guess GB would be Garage band., ok garage. CSR is a late night forensics show with a lot of folks eating other folks as in Night of the Living Dead?

Sometimes people forget that others do not know their abbreviations. Other times, some are just common on the internet and if you don't know them, you can do a search for them or look things up on a site like http://urbandictionary.com

[Jazzwee]

Joe, now I understand what you are saying. Yes perhaps kids might respond differently based on that observation.

 

Just thinking though that normally we're not teaching jazz to 8 year olds. That style of teaching is usually done very early. Typically most travel the classical road until their teen years and then shift to jazz.

 

I would even guess that nowadays, the desire to specialize doesn't occur until college. Unless you are a kid lucky enough to have a High School Jazz orchestra.

 

I don't diss Chuck's approach though. My first teacher taught like he says and I'm certain that he had successful students. I define successful as being able to play jazz.

 

Now the question is, does a teacher attempt to make students sound original? Doesn't sound like Israels is even addressing that.

 

Bill Evans himself said in an interview somewhere that he doesn't even teach his students to play like him. Or have them copy his playing. It's interesting that his bass player has an opposite mentality.