@audio-b-dog , re Trane/Pharoah:
**** Am I missing something? ****
No disrespect intended, but the answer is: obviously!
A while back there was an ongoing debate on the JFA thread between one of the then most prolific contributors and I about what the “goal” of a musician/artist should be. This contributor insisted that the goal should be to “please the audience”. I strongly disagreed. The goal of a true artist is to pursue his/her artistic vision. If that vision takes the artist to a place that is uncomfortable for (in this case) the listener, well….so be it. The listener should always approach the work of an artist, particularly that of an artist of the undeniable greatness of John Coltrane with a certain level of humility. Perhaps the most important thing that makes a musician truly great is their conviction to the idea that musical knowledge (and skill) is an endless pursuit. So, why should it be different for the listener? Some of the greatest Jazz artists feel an uncontrollable drive to not only constantly improve their craft, but to constantly push forward and break personal stylistic boundaries. It takes a lifetime of honing that craft and pushing those boundaries to pursue what might, ultimately, be an unreachable goal.
When one considers the immense amount of dedication and sheer amount of time that a creative artist of the stature of Trane spent striving for a certain personal artistic goal, it seems to me that to think that the listener can, relatively casually, “get it” is kind of presumptuous. We as listeners may not get it (yet), but should at least respect it and be comfortable with not getting it. A deeper dive into the music of the artist so as to better understand the artistic progression that took the artist to that uncomfortable (for the listener) place goes a long way toward “getting it”. Humility.
Obviously, not every Jazz artist feels the same level of need to push forward and break stylistic boundaries. They may be more comfortable staying in a certain stylistic zone and continue to hone their craft within that particular zone. This doesn’t in any way invalidate or diminish the relevance of their work, but then there are and haven’t been that many artists of the stature and importance of Coltrane.
Hope this helps and regards.
BTW, there’s an old truism among Jazz musicians that says: “You can’t play outside before you can play inside”. “Out” playing is unfortunately used by too many to try and hide the fact that their playing is just bs. Not always easy for the listener, but it’s usually pretty easy to tell the imposters from the real deal. Always look for examples of an “out” player playing a standard credibly. Many times, there aren’t any.
https://youtu.be/T06fMkPkFYw?si=EzgQxwb_67ptS_81
