I've loved songs from almost every genre' from the 30's to the 80's but somehow I just can't seem to embrace the dominant music that's currently being played, no matter the specific genre'. For instance, although she is a worldwide phenomenon with numerous grammys (I presume), I don't know or recognize a single Taylor Swift song. Based on her popularity, I assume she is a talented song writer and performer. Nothing against Taylor (maybe a little overexposed ), she seems like quite a nice young lady and like quite a few of her peers, seems to have a good eye for business as well. Now I'm not singling her out, she's just an example of what I'm talking about.

I know that part of it is because I rarely listen to the radio (except for sports and politics ), so my exposure is probably a fraction of that of the average pop music fan. Some might say it's cultural but I'v always liked music from nearly every genre', as long as it had good structure, interesting melodies, and great performances by great performers. Like everyone else, I have preferences (jazz, modern blues, gospel, classical piano-think Yuja Wang, Fusion, 60's-80's R&B).

I'm sure today's music is just as good but I'm definitely a pre-AI guy. So today's music may be totally satisfying for some,
BUT NOT FOR ME.

https://app.box.com/s/97j83we2l6d16msrls3sq4wox463hag3

Hastily done from memory on my much-loved Crumar SEVEN and my Legend Exp (controlled by my Nord C1).

chas

Nice. What did the bass and drums?

I have to confess, I hardly know a single act that won a televised Grammy..! But I stopped listening to mass media years ago, the ratio of bad to good got so overwhelming I couldn’t listen long enough for a good one to get played!

There’s great stuff out there (I'm a huge Jacob Collier and Snarky Puppy fan!) but it’s not getting much media coverage. Now the gatekeepers to music are gone (the DJ's and the radio stations of old) it’s up to each of us to find the good stuff for ourselves!

Just get Spotify (Or one of the other streaming services) and type in the genres or type of music you like, and it will give you a boatload to choose from, then after a couple of weeks it will learn your preferences and give you other suggestions that will probably interest you.
If you don't mind ads, then Spotify is also free.
The old radio and TV styles are a dying breed I'm afraid.

Bill

Bill, I do have free Spotify and Amazon Music but I just use them to request songs and I always seem to request 'old' familiar tunes that are no longer easily accessible to me (ie. record, CD, tape, etc.). Now I understand why old men are so resistant to change . In the future, I'm going to try to be more open-minded.....yeah, right!

Diki, just routine jazz organ 'comp' with LH bass played to a pre-programmed drum track. With most of the new high-end organ clones, you can dial in some percussion on the bass and get pretty much the same effect that we used to get tapping a pedal while playing LH bass. Because of an intermittent 'short' in my DUO MK111 which I can't get repaired (long story), I'm probably going to replace it with a LEGEND SOUL 273. Saving my pennies as I just had to shell out 10 grand to replace one of my THREE HVAC units (the other two are equally old but smaller). I really, really need to downsize.

chas

Hey Chas, that was some very tasty organ work! Would love to hear a collaboration with you and Russ on guitar.

As for the new stuff, I’m fairly familiar with it as I’m a high school teacher, have a teenage daughter, and my band plays a few recent hits. For the most part there’s not much for a jazz musician to work with melodically and harmonically.

Jazz piano great Brad Mehldau has done some done some interesting things with post Great American Song Book material . Not sure if it’s your cup of tea, but perhaps he can give you some ideas. If not, nothing wrong with doing standards , even young super stars like Lady Gaga still do them . As Americans, the songs from that era are something we should all be proud of!

WOW! My long-time office manager came in when I was playing Chas' version of But Not For Me, and said...."I'm in love!" Of course, since she's been listening to and helping arrange the business end of my music for nearly 40 years, she's GOT TO BE TONE DEAF!

One of my all-time favorites!(Both the song and HER).

I hear you, Chas. One issue, I think, is that prior to the expansion of all media available today, performed music pretty much needed to stand on it's own. What mattered was the talent and the presentation. Now, technology has made formerly impossible presentations everyday occurrences. Often, the "SHOW" overwhelms the material and the artist.

There are some standouts like HER and Kensia, the singer with Leonid and Friends, but here, Leonid concentrates on outstanding older music played by phenomenal artists.

HER is in a class by herself. It doesn't hurt that both of these ladies are drop dead gorgeous.

The talent is there, I think, but it is now necessary to cut through the clutter to hone in on what really matters.

I've said it before....CHAS IS THE BEST MUSICIAN ON THE ZONE !

And one of the best guys I ever met.


Russ

Paul, I found the video both entertaining and educational. Watched the whole thing in one setting. Learned some tidy little tidbits, such as....his take on 'stride piano' and how he was too worried about playing a wrong note with all the mult-octave left hand arm movement. I could sooooo relate to little tidbits like that and so self-satisfied that brilliant PRO players had the same kind of anxiety and playing concerns as us low-level amateurs. Thanks for sharing that.

chas

I've said it before....CHAS IS THE BEST MUSICIAN ON THE ZONE !

And one of the best guys I ever met.


Russ

Now that is the atmosphere I sorely miss. Kudos to you Russ for the deserving comment to our friend Chas.

Bernie

I wish it were true but it's not. Guys like Rory (who is blind) can play more with their little toe than I ever could with no physical limitations. There are others who have left the forum or were only here briefly, who were excellent musicians and far better trained. Then there are guys like Paul and Russ, classically trained and (in Russ's case) multi-instrumentalist as well. And there is Diki, whose vast technical (and real world) knowledge and experience is unsurpassed on this forum. I'm sure that translates to a high level of musicianship.

I, for one, don't judge a musician by how well they can read, or how fast they can play, but how they make you feel when you listen to them. For me it's all about the soul, whether it's jazz, country, classical, or rock & roll. Just remember, everthing's subjective (including the opinions expressed here ). Beyonce', No. 1 on the Country charts....who'da thunk it.

chas

GROUP HUG...GROUP HUG....YEA!

Music is, in large part, an attitude. Great group performances are a reflection of shared, unspoken values and abilities.

I'm glad to be a part of this group.


Be well, all,


Russ