Can I get into real jazz? If not, please help me with the smooth one ;-)

[Ciel_Rouge]

I've been longing to get into the jazzy world somehow. However, I do not like it to sound too harsh and "chaotic". I like lyrical piano, soothing sax, melancholic trumpet and hauntingly beautiful female vocals - this sort of stuff. It can also be the vibraphone which I like a lot.

Here are some examples of what I like already:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4zuAhKvHq0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8tRTZIx298

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9OlDBQ0AfM


What do you think? Am I a "smoothie" or eventually able to get into jazz? What do you call the stuff that I like already in terms of jazz subgenres?

[Diletante]

Oh man, you will love Bossa Nova. 

[matti]

For starters, you could try Bill Evans for lyrical piano, Stan Getz for sax, Sarah Vaughan for female vocals.

[71 dB]

Here are some examples of what I like already:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4zuAhKvHq0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8tRTZIx298

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9OlDBQ0AfM

What do you think? Am I a "smoothie" or eventually able to get into jazz? What do you call the stuff that I like already in terms of jazz subgenres?

I don't think these samples have anything to do with real jazz. Everything is labeled as jazz these days! You like smooth light music. Can you get into real jazz? I don't know but you have a long way to go if you try!

[jlaurson]

Admittedly, the examples you put up are not exactly jazz.
But if you are willing to explore jazz and get into it, I still think they were helpful to know where you're starting from.
While I recommend that you look into crooners like Frank Sinatra, also (because you probably would like that), I've
come up with a list of Jazz CDs that should get you into the genre and bring you much enjoyment. I've tried to list them
(left to right, top to bottom) very roughly in order of "ease" with which you would encounter the music.

If you click on the pictures you will find sound samples at amazon.

Getz/Gilberto    with Antonio Carlos Jobim "Bossa Nova Jazz"	Sarah Vaughan Jazz 'round Midnight    Ballads from the Mistress of Jazz
Diana Krall When I look into your eyes aaahhhhh....	Tord Gustavsen Trio The Ground    lyrical, austere, beautiful
Dave Brubeck Quartett Time Out    now we're getting int "Jazz"	Keith Jarrett Koeln Concert Improvisatory genius
Charlie Parker C.P with Strings	Count Basie April in Paris

[Henk]

I've been longing to get into the jazzy world somehow. However, I do not like it to sound too harsh and "chaotic". I like lyrical piano, soothing sax, melancholic trumpet and hauntingly beautiful female vocals - this sort of stuff. It can also be the vibraphone which I like a lot.

Here are some examples of what I like already:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4zuAhKvHq0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8tRTZIx298

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9OlDBQ0AfM


What do you think? Am I a "smoothie" or eventually able to get into jazz? What do you call the stuff that I like already in terms of jazz subgenres?

Nice question. There's "smooth" jazz, being great jazz. So I think you can get into "real" jazz, I think I know what you want (also because of your comment not liking "chaotic" jazz).  

Some real jazz you may like, all recent stuff (I think this is not unimportant, jazz doesn't stay classic as much as classical music imo):

Rebecca Martin. Here album "The Growing Season" is great, a masterpiece, I play it over and over again. http://tinyurl.com/qgxcdw

Jennifer Sanon with Wynton Marsalis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imzzWZG0HW8
Album: http://tinyurl.com/qcuuu3
What a voice!

Piano:
Abdullah Ibrahim: http://tinyurl.com/pkq6xm

Brian Blade you also may like: http://tinyurl.com/pvul9f

Smooth guitar jazz: http://tinyurl.com/ody9mu


To broaden the scope more, but I think you may like some already and others maybe eventually:

I myself ordered this one recently (Diego Barber - Calima) and fits more or less in the category "smooth jazz": http://tinyurl.com/py7lnm

Sax:
Gato Barbieri. Really smooth but at the same time pretty fierce: http://tinyurl.com/pg2g53

Also try this album by Tom Harrell with some smooth and more funky stuff: http://tinyurl.com/omepb3

Try this one by guitarist Nguyen Le, really nice music: http://tinyurl.com/ol8zfd

Try Stanko for melancholic trumpet (but pretty advanced jazz): http://tinyurl.com/p6acsz

At last one by Paul Motian, which maybe is too "free" for you, but as a means to "learn": http://tinyurl.com/pz54rk


Curious about what you think of these recommendations. So let me know.

Henk

[Josquin des Prez]

Smooth Jazz is not real Jazz, sorry.

[Henk]

Smooth Jazz is not real Jazz, sorry.

That is not asked for.

Now all you say is: if you have two categories the one "Smooth Jazz" the other "Real Jazz" they're not the same, simply because they aren't labeled the same.

What I try to say is that there is jazz sounding "smooth", being great jazz as well.

[Tomo]

Smooth Jazz is not real Jazz, sorry.

Perhaps, but real jazz can be smooth, such as the previously mentioned Bill Evans and Getz/Gilberto collaboration.  Coltrane (My Favorite Things) and Miles Davis (Summertime) could both be very smooth.  Also, artist like The Modern Jazz Quartet, Nancy Wilson with Cannonball Adderly, Wes Montgomery, etc. could really do the job.

[karlhenning]

We may be ready to soft rock, too.

[drogulus]

Smooth Jazz is not real Jazz, sorry.

     What about the West Coast sound? That's smooth, at least by comparison, and it's as real as you can get.

    These fine distinctions don't really matter much to me. For me jazz is improvisational, yet some of it is thoroughly composed. Rather than an ideal type at the center jazz tends to be like family resemblance where A resembles B which resembles C which isn't much like A at all. So, there's no "essence" to violate. *

    Most musicians are more concerned with making the music work on its own terms than conforming to some ideal type, whatever that is.

     _{* Which is why a schoolmarm like Wynton Marsalis is so tiresome on the subject. The history of great music is even more illustrative of my point than the history of music. Getting things "wrong" is a very important component of how music develops.}

[karlhenning]

I'm getting a Gerry Rafferty feeling just reading this . . . .

[Josquin des Prez]

What about the West Coast sound? That's smooth, at least by comparison, and it's as real as you can get.

I'm generally cool with that. When i said that smooth Jazz isn't real Jazz, i was referring to the specific type of music which falls under that category, which is more of a mix between Jazz, R&B and pop music (and more recently, Hip Pop) then anything else.

These fine distinctions don't really matter much to me. For me jazz is improvisational, yet some of it is thoroughly composed. Rather than an ideal type at the center jazz tends to be like family resemblance where A resembles B which resembles C which isn't much like A at all. So, there's no "essence" to violate. *

Jazz is not just about any type of improvisation. To me, Jazz is about linear development more then anything, particularly in terms of rhythm (the so called "swing" factor). If those elements are missing then it isn't really Jazz.

At any rate, the greatest of the "smooth" players for me was Lester Young. His small combo recordings are particularly good.

[Dr. Dread]

Things to eradicate:

1. War
2. Pestilence
3. Famine
4. Hate
5. Smooth Jazz

[Szykneij]

I'm getting a Gerry Rafferty feeling just reading this . . . .

Clowns to the left of you, Jokers to the right?


Michael Franks is a favorite of mine and his Abandoned Garden is an excellent album. It's a tribute to Jobim, and you can buy it used on Amazon for 83-cents. How can you lose?

[Josquin des Prez]

Little joke i found on another forum:

Smooth Jazz recipe:

1. Pour jazz into a bowl.
2. Extract jazz rhythm; replace with pop rhythm.
3. Add extra backbeat.
4. Whip until smooth.
5. In a small pot, boil solos until they're soft and have turned the color of Don Johnson's t-shirts in Miami Vice. Strain and remove.
6. On a cutting board, cut boiled solos to approximately ¼ normal length
7. Blend into whipped mixture to a smooth, even consistency.
8. Scoop into small desert dishes and chill in the refrigerator for roughly 20 minutes.
9. Start the Jacuzzi and change into your Speedo. Enjoy!

[karlhenning]

Little joke i found on another forum:

Smooth Jazz recipe:

1. Pour jazz into a bowl.
2. Extract jazz rhythm; replace with pop rhythm.
3. Add extra backbeat.
4. Whip until smooth.
5. In a small pot, boil solos until they're soft and have turned the color of Don Johnson's t-shirts in Miami Vice. Strain and remove.
6. On a cutting board, cut boiled solos to approximately ¼ normal length
7. Blend into whipped mixture to a smooth, even consistency.
8. Scoop into small desert dishes and chill in the refrigerator for roughly 20 minutes.
9. Start the Jacuzzi and change into your Speedo. Enjoy!

Very nice! Anyone to credit for this?

[Dr. Dread]

Little joke i found on another forum:

Smooth Jazz recipe:

1. Pour jazz into a bowl.
2. Extract jazz rhythm; replace with pop rhythm.
3. Add extra backbeat.
4. Whip until smooth.
5. In a small pot, boil solos until they're soft and have turned the color of Don Johnson's t-shirts in Miami Vice. Strain and remove.
6. On a cutting board, cut boiled solos to approximately ¼ normal length
7. Blend into whipped mixture to a smooth, even consistency.
8. Scoop into small desert dishes and chill in the refrigerator for roughly 20 minutes.
9. Start the Jacuzzi and change into your Speedo. Enjoy!

Ha!

[Ciel_Rouge]

I must admit that Tord Gustavsen clicked with me instantly and so much so that I hardly took time to take a good look at the rest But I will and since I am warming up to the whole swing factor and improvisational aspect, I guess there is hope ;-) Just stop beating the dead horse - by smooth I do not mean "fake" or dumbed down by pop attitude, I just mean not too harsh ;-)

[karlhenning]

Whay, that's just what Magic 106.7 means, too!