Eddy's 2nd Post
March 08, 2018, by Eddy
During these readings, it is obvious to see that jazz is going through a new set of formative years and free jazz is becoming the hot, new genre for people to indulge into. Coltrane’s work as a tenor and soprano saxophonist even inspired other people to learn both the tenor and soprano saxophone, allowing for the range of sounds created to be broader. He opened the possibilities of having more improvisation in his music and provided new sounds for people to enjoy, even if he was not able to get everyone to enjoy the music he created as much as he did.
With new music, there will always be a critic that is not a fan of the new style. Throughout the articles that were in opposition of the new free jazz style, it reminded me, personally, of the plight of hip hop music and how it is perceived today. There is always a form of opposition to a form of music that people are just being introduced to. There was resistance to free jazz because of the improvisations that artists like Coltrane and Eric Dolphy would try to do, even having the improvisations described as “gobbledegook”. It has even been considered as anti-jazz, a deviation so far from jazz that it is seen as the opposite of it. This can parallel to today’s popular form of hip-hop, usually described as mumble rap. Even though, I personally, do not listen to what people consider mumble rap, it is still a valid form of music because of the emotion and energy that it emits when played. Critics look at mumble rap today as incoherent words slurred over a trap beat, hence the word “mumble”. There is plenty of opposition from the older generations of hip-hop since it is given the most shine instead of what older hip-hop listeners would consider “real” music.
In the improvisations, new sounds are played and tried by the artists. It keeps the listeners on their toes so they can continue to be interested. It is a form of innovation within the form of entertainment. Without the innovation, there would be no progress within the genre and it would be stagnant, as if music is supposed to have the same set of notes played and measures used. However, in comparison to now, there is always a search for a new sound. As an artist, an adaptation within music should always take place because it allows for the exploration and understanding of new sounds, new feelings, and even new techniques for more music to be created. Coltrane admits that he does practice while on stage, but critics looked at that as a negative in his performance skills. On the contrary, it shows that he is a constant student to the world of jazz and practicing on stage allows for the crowd reaction to be a part of the learning experience. Improvisation provides a way to have a different set every time a group is performing, and in turn, new lessons within each performance.