Fwd: Re: [Harp-L] Blues-jazz crossover

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Yeah, Hash, you're right, it is a sweeping statement. But it is true
often enough, you'll have to admit.

Despite my posing the possibility of a blues-less jazz, I find the
rising phenomenon of jazz players who can't play blues to be kind of
distressing. I have relatives who always have that bloodless, highly
polished pseudo-jazz on whenever I go to visit and it kind of creeps
me out. Some of it even uses a blues scale but it never emits any feeling.

And yeah, of course there are plenty of people who can cross over from
blues to jazz. But not because blues ability gives you an automatic
pass into jazz (which was my point) but because they have done the
extra work to acquire jazz chops. More power to 'em.

There is also the phenomenon of the non-jazz musician who can place
themselves in a controlled environment that makes it look like they're
playing jazz - a specific arrangement of a specific tune, a
preconceived solo, etc. They play that one number in their set and
fans say "see, wow, he can play jazz." But throw the same artist in
the deep end with some weird chord progression in an unfamiliar key
and suddenly they're all at sea where a true jazz musician would land
upright pretty quickly.

Winslow

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, HASHBB@... wrote:


In a message dated 7/22/06 11:35:11 AM, winslowyerxa@... writes:

<<  Jazz musicians can play blues but blues musicians are seldom able

to play jazz.  >>

This in itself is too sweeping of a statement. There is today a large
number 
of Jazz
musicians who can 'play at' blues, but the notion that they have a clear 
understanding of playing blues is all together a different thing. The
presumption 
that a jazz musician can play a pentatonic scale and the changes
necessary to 
play blues does not mean that the blues will sound  proficient in
their hands. 
I believe today that there is a growing number of Jazz musicians that
can't 
play blues very well, not what it was like pre 1970's when just about any 
proficient jazz musician could cut it on either side. As for blues
musicians seldom 
being able to play jazz, that may be a truer statement. It all depends on 
what your definitions of 'blues musician' and 'blues music' are. The
lines we're 
more blurred in the past as far as jazz or blues musician. Case in
point, F
enton Robinson and Roy Gaines. Do you classify them as Jazz or blues?
probably 
both. Also modern blues guitarists Duke Robillard, and Charley Baty.
On the 
harmonica side of things, both Jerry Portnoy and Gary Primich have
delved into 
jazz, as has Magic Dave Therault. Add to this many prewar guitarists
and piano 
players could play blues, jazz, pop music, whatever the occasion or
gig called 
for. This is just naming a few, but  ithink you can get my point. I
think they 
probably saw it all as music, not really categorizing like we tend to do 
today. Your post is definately food for thought.
HB
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