How do you 'get into' a style of music?

Posted by: Consciousmess on 26 July 2009

Hi all,

This question has to be asked as I can tell that there are many jazz fans on the Naim forum. Now, I own about 10 CDs that I regard as jazz and bought them incidentally over the years due to their fidelity being SACD/HDCD.

Now I would love to become absorbed in jazz and experience the emotion within it, but I just can't!! In short, I hate jazz music and cannot understand how people can introduce themselves to it and then feel those goose-bumps???

Don't get me wrong, I would love to expand my music collection down the jazz end, but what 'technique' can I use on myself to get into jazz as much as many Naimers do??

You see, the 'goose-bump effect' has to be the autonomic nervous system, so I need to condition myself. I can't just tell myself I like the music if underneath it all I blatantly do not!

Do I use the token-reward system, a bit of cognitive behavioural therapy, coupled with doses of neurolinguistic programming???

How?!!

Regards,

Jon

Posted on: 03 August 2009 by fred simon

quote:
Originally posted by Voltaire:
quote:
Originally posted by fred simon:

Jon, I'm going to suggest my own album, Since Forever, for three reasons:

1. I'm required by federal law to plug my music. Of course, I'm proud of it and I think you'd dig it, too.

2. It's an album on this here Naim label, and I know you'd do anything within your power to support Naim, wouldn't you?

3. I've often heard folks say about my music, "I don't particularly like jazz, but I like this." Of course, I've also often heard folks say, "I like jazz, and I like this."
Enjoy!

All the best,
Fred

Fair play Fred, if you were a politician I would vote for you on the strength of your bravado alone!

Gordon

Thanks, Gordon. I hope you will vote for me with your pocketbook.

All best,
Fred

Posted on: 03 August 2009 by fred simon

quote:
Originally posted by nicnaim:

Whilst I cannot speak for your other choices, some Tommy Smith stuff is a bit like starting with "Bitches Brew" rather than breaking yourself in with "Kind of Blue", in genre that you are not sure about.

Personally I really like Tommy Smith and have five or six of his records, but depending on which of his albums it is, you may find yourself in at the deep end.

Fred's albums are very good, but similarly I would would start with his album "Dreamhouse" first.

Thanks for the kind words, Nic.

However, I'd like to clarify that the stylistic range of my albums is nothing like the distance from Kind of Blue to Bitches Brew, so even if someone started with the most recent, Since Forever, and liked it, they wouldn't be unpleasantly surprised by Dreamhouse or Remember the River.

All best,
Fred

Posted on: 04 August 2009 by nicnaim

Fred,

Sorry I did not mean to suggest your albums were as stylistically different as the Miles albums, although re-reading the original post you could be forgiven for thinking that. The point I was trying to make was that Tommy Smith might might not be the easiest way into jazz.

My preference for Dreamhouse is simply that, a preference. They are all great albums, but Dreamhouse always takes me to lovely place every time it goes on the CDS3.

Regards

Nic

Posted on: 04 August 2009 by --duncan--

quote:
Originally posted by GFFJ:

What I am curious about is why you would bother.

What a depressing post! All the best things in life (sex, alcohol) take a little practice or acclimatisaion to get the most out of them. Same with different music.

I'm on a mission with Coltrane and I have a go at him every 5 years or so. Not quite there yet but I'm confident the pieces will fall into place. It took about 20 years to get opera (and another 5 to get Wagner) but I'm crazy about it now and couldn't live with out it. If I only ever listened to what I liked and knew I would have lost out on so much pleasure.

duncan

Posted on: 04 August 2009 by fred simon

It's true ... compared to Miles' range, my albums run the gamut from A to B.

Thanks again for the kind words.

All best,
Fred

Posted on: 04 August 2009 by Nick Lees

quote:
Originally posted by djc:
I'm on a mission with Coltrane and I have a go at him every 5 years or so. Not quite there yet but I'm confident the pieces will fall into place. It took about 20 years to get opera (and another 5 to get Wagner) but I'm crazy about it now and couldn't live with out it. If I only ever listened to what I liked and knew I would have lost out on so much pleasure.

duncan

Me too with Coltrane. Almost got there a couple of years back (after some prompting from here) but I just never feel like listening to him. I'm sure I'm missing out,and I'm sure I'll try again.

I'm sad to say I've given up with Opera post 1750. With a few exceptions, the men all sound as thought they're bellowing with terminal constipation and the ladies (your other half excepted, of course) sing as though they've got a couple of marbles in their mouths, while every so often a stage hand gooses them with a cattle prod.

Stokowski's the best thing to hapen to Wagner ;-)

But there again, I like French Pop and the Third Ear Band, so what do I know? :-)

Posted on: 04 August 2009 by mikeeschman

Try Soul Trane.

Posted on: 04 August 2009 by fred simon

To ease into Coltrane, I recommend Ballads.

You should also try Soultrane as suggested, and Blue Train, its predecessor.

Another gem is John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Trane's definitive recording with the great vocalist Hartman.

Then move on to Giant Steps, and Coltrane (with its gorgeous Mal Waldron ballad Soul Eyes).

Then you'll be primed for Crescent, and then Coltrane's masterpiece, A Love Supreme.

After that, you're on your own!

Enjoy!

All best,
Fred