What is jazz?

[jeremy c]

Pat Metheny has played much, much music that does not have a swing feel with a quarter note bassline or a rock feel with a straight eighth bass line. In fact, only a small percentage of his work could be described that way.

 

A lot of his music gets played on "smooth jazz" stations.

 

So maybe Pat Metheny is not a jazz musician.

 

And why do people keep sticking an extra "n" in his name?

 

They don't do that to Milnes Davins.

[Phil W]

ZZ, Your teacher would pretty much exclude most early jazz from the definition of jazz (all those two to the bar basslines). He may be a good teacher but his is a poor definition of jazz.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Pat Metheney on Kenny G . . .

 

http://www.jazzoasis.com/methenyonkennyg.htm

 

Pat knows what he is talking about.

 

That is hilarious! And right he is, too.

[Rocky McDougall]

In my simple mind, Jazz is the other end of the spectrum from Classical music. In Classical, you play it exactly as written or as the conductor instructs you, you do not put in your own interpretation.

 

Jazz is "Freedom", there are no limits, no boundries, you do it your way.

 

Rocky