Plenty of us go on about the greats we really like but what about the ones we really can't bear to listen to?
So who are they?
No slagging off please. They're greats (or at least well known) for a good reason. They can all play very well but there's something about it that doesn't gel with you. What is it?
For me it's mostly the sound they make rather than any style aspects. An awful lot of smooth jazz players fall into this category, KG being the most obvious example. Awesome technique often but my ears scream, "Fergawdsake shut up!". I've got a Snake Davis cd that I can't listen to for that reason. Not sure exactly what it about the sound but it may well just be the tortured soul vibrato. Certain voices have the same effect on me - Heather Small springs to mind.
Eric Dolphy. I've tried many times to like old Eric but I can't. I really should like him because I usually go for a degree of edgy, dissonant stuff. There's just something about his style of improvisation that my head can't put up with.
Apart from the above there are many players who I have a massive amount of indifference to. Virtually all players up to 1960 (Coltrane excepted - don't ask me why - I don't know) and anyone who plays in the style of someone from around then. There's loads of the buggers - I blame the colleges
.
So who are they?
No slagging off please. They're greats (or at least well known) for a good reason. They can all play very well but there's something about it that doesn't gel with you. What is it?
For me it's mostly the sound they make rather than any style aspects. An awful lot of smooth jazz players fall into this category, KG being the most obvious example. Awesome technique often but my ears scream, "Fergawdsake shut up!". I've got a Snake Davis cd that I can't listen to for that reason. Not sure exactly what it about the sound but it may well just be the tortured soul vibrato. Certain voices have the same effect on me - Heather Small springs to mind.
Eric Dolphy. I've tried many times to like old Eric but I can't. I really should like him because I usually go for a degree of edgy, dissonant stuff. There's just something about his style of improvisation that my head can't put up with.
Apart from the above there are many players who I have a massive amount of indifference to. Virtually all players up to 1960 (Coltrane excepted - don't ask me why - I don't know) and anyone who plays in the style of someone from around then. There's loads of the buggers - I blame the colleges
