Jazz listening: Is it about the music? Or is it about the sound?

I grew up listening to jazz. Learning names like Miles, Trane, Gordon, etc. it rubbed off. As an adult jazz is 90% of what I listen to. Playing trumpet in school, my first influence was Freddie Hubbard’s First Light LP. What a trumpet player. What an album, and some of CTI’s finest work in 1971. I’ve studied both jazz piano and jazz guitar. One doesn’t have to be a musician to know jazz, but studying does give one insights. I’ve been listening to jazz for 58 years. And I’ve not scratched the surface of available music. 

@coltrane1

Your experience interests me because I grew up learning to play trumpet & baritone.  I dabbled with the french horn but found the mouthpiece tiny and the instrument kind of stubborn.  Never got as far as improvisational jazz though.

But learning music theory changed my life forever.  It informs our listening enjoyment immeasurably and led to one of my life's greatest passions.

Freddie Hubbard's "Sky Dive" was one of my first non-Miles trumpet recordings after college - on CTI.  Yikes, I was captivated.

A few issues back The Absolute Sound had a Editor Column (guest I think) that discussed three types of listening.  Made perfect sense to me.  I'll paraphrase: (1) Listening to and for the best possible sound imaginable; (2) Listening to and for the best possible performance; and (3) Listening for the best possible sound of that amazing musical performance. 

I'm definitely in the third group.  How good can you actually get a Robert Johnson recording to sound, but oh man, when you listen to it, the musical finesse of his playing defies the ages.  

Good, no great sound is wonderful and sublime, but without being coupled to good musicians creating great music, forget it.  That is why I could never stand this 1980's elevator type jazz music.  No heart, no soul, no matter how it sounds.

Can anybody find a link to TAS column.  I have not had any luck.

freddie hubbard on cti

red clay
sky dive
first light
straight life

👍👍👍👍

The music. It’s always about the music. Back in the day those cat's created a music unlike any other. They were nothing short of geniuses for the amount of great music they created. Each band, each musician had something different to offer, and their individual styles were unique. And one could identify them by their signature sound. The music had a solid 30 year run. Everything moves on and nothing stays the same.