confessional
Since I'm awake, and I really shouldn't be, I may as well clear my conscience.
I don't like jazz. There. I said it. I respect jazz and all that, and live jazz is fun sometimes as long as I'm really liquored up (like a lot of liquored up), but I'd rather listen to just about anything but. I don't know why I don't like jazz, and I've really tried. But I was living a charade; it doesn't do anything for me.
Once, my oldest friend and I were hanging out and talking about music and stuff. He liked to play albums and say things like "Oh, you've got to check this out." He put on a jazz record--I don't remember who it was. I froze as soon as the trumpet fired up. He was really feeling it. "This is pretty dope, huh?" he said. I said, "Yeah," but I was totally lying.
Another time, I wandered into the local watering hole, but forgot it was jazz night. The place was full of cool smart people. People I thought I had some affinity with. But I thought wrong. The jazz band was tearing it up and one of the trio was soloing--they're always soloing. I bellied up to the bar, butI couldn't drink fast enough. Everyone around me "got it," and I sat by myself at the bar speed sipping Guinness in a failed attempt to make sense of it. It was no use. I don't like jazz.
5 comments:
I, too, don't like jazz. I have gotten old and fogey enough to admit it out loud. I just don't like music that you can't hum along with, and that is the essence of improv jazz.
That of course does not include the old, old stuff from the 30's and 40's. I'm talking recent stuff.
(*)>
Jazz isn't my favorite genre. I used to say that I hated it, but then I heard some decent stuff. For the life of me, I can't remember who or where. But I hate the CD101.9* stuff. That is muzak. Annoyingly bad muzak.
And those cool, smart people who "got" it? I bet more than half were faking. I've met many of those nouveaux beat poet hep cat daddy-o types. Go to any Mom and Pop cafe and you'll see the place swarming with them.
*For those not in the know, or the NYC tri-state area, CD101.9 is supposedly a "smooth jazz" radio station. They play elevator music. Really bad elevator music that makes me violently angry.
I kind of don't mind Jazz playing in the background when I'm reading or at a party (obviously a mellow party). But as far as choosing to listen to it, I wouldn't.
AMG
http://anonymousmidwestgirl.blogspot.com/
Jazz is like Chinese food. If its good, its really frikkin good. If its bad, you might as well just take a toothpick right there and poke your ear drums out.
thanks everyone. i don't feel so bad anymore. maybe we should all start jazz annonymous or something. maybe luke's right and i'm just listening to the wrong jazz.
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