[LAU] New music: And it's time for: Bach again! Bach again! :-)

[Ken Restivo]

On Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 11:11:32AM -0500, Josh Lawrence wrote:
> On Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 4:38 AM, Atte Andr? Jensen <atte at email.dk> wrote:
> > Fast bebop is almost even 8ths :-)
> 
> yes!  you have no idea how long it took me to figure this out.  and I
> agree with your earlier statement that Bach sounds better when played
> straight.
> 
> I think too many people think jazz = swing.  I'm not even going to
> attempt to define jazz, but I think restricting it to only swing is
> wrong.
> 
> also, I hear a lot of complicated harmonies implied by even the
> simplest of bach's pieces (as you said, b9, etc.).  I guess to him
> they were all passing tones...but I guess they are to us, too.
> 
> I'm getting dangerously close to spitting opinions on things and
> revealing my ignorance here, but in my mind, bach is what jazz
> could/should grow up to be, that is if it hasn't already.
> 
> tl;dr - bach would dig charlie parker :)
> 

Fictionary is almost all straight 8ths, and that's some fantastic complex jazz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObTvXg5P7t0

So is all the jazz/funk fusion magic of the 70s. Definitely jazz, but it's not swing for sure.

To drift off topic even further: it took me a while to figure out that the "secret sauce" of Medeski, Martin, and Wood, is Billy Martin's hinting at swing by accenting upbeats. 

-ken