I don't 'get' Miles Davis.

[herr_oberst]

Or, really, any Jazz.
That plug has never found a socket, even though I've tried for years to find the opening. I've got albums by Satch, Bird, Chet Baker, Dizzy, Anita Baker...I own "Kind of Blue"

Nothing. The closest I've come is Ellington at Newport, which I really like, but I have a suspicion that that album skates dangerously close to 'Jazz for beginners' because of the way it swings.

I suppose, like Dylan, or Neil Young, you either get it or you don't.

I love Steely Dan, especially Aja, so I know that there is something in me that understands the precision and the arrangements of masterful works, but when I really need music, I'm heading straight for the blues, not to the jazz.....

[Seahawk]

I grew up with Jazz...my Father and Mother were into it.

As Lenny Bruce once said, to be cool in the 50's and early 60's, you had to listen to Jazz, drive a Jaguar and have a stereo system where the weakest link in the system was the human ear.

That was him.

So I'm pretty well versed in who was who from that era. I liked Monk and Lewis and Parker. Loved Sonny Rollins, Benny Goodman. Ella. So many others.

But I never got Miles Davis either. Nor Billie Holiday.

As an aside, Aja does have perhaps the greatest lyric ever: I crawl like a viper through these suburban streets...

[Craig T]

Try "Down to The Bone" It's jazz, but leaning toward funk.

Supercharged

Down To The Bone - Supercharged - YouTube

Long Way from Brooklyn

Down To The Bone.. Long Way from Brooklyn - YouTube

[911dean]

I'm with you. I do like some jazz and had listened to Kind of Blue in my very early 20's. By this time I had already been listening to blues and seeing it live. Muddy "Mississippi" Water's live at age 16 was a favorite and had seen Buddy Guy at 18. Before I was 21, I was seeing Junior Wells and Lefty Dizz as well as others.

A friend recommended "Kind of Blue" who was more of a jazz guy. He was then hanging out with Kyle Eastwood and still does(i'm sure). That's just what they were into. I didn't get Kind of Blue then and have been meaning to give it a listen again, close to 30 years later.

Hardcore blues guy I am. I'm also quite fond of Rockabilly. Outlaw country flips my switch also. Give Dale Watson a listen.

Lately my Saturday nights have been working on my 02 with a killer blues radio program on(like 10 hours worth!), through my vintage Marantz w/ Klipsch speakers. I find it extremely satisfying.

Aja was listened to frequently in my youth and I still see way too much live music!

Dean

[Rick Lee]

I get it, but can't listen to it unless I'm watching it live. I love jazz fusion, but again, I need to see it live and it's not the kind of stuff I throw on the stereo while driving or doing stuff around the house. I went to see Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin and Dennis Chambers a few weeks ago and, honestly, it was just a little too far out there for me. I'd seen them all in other bands before and that was great. But this stuff was really abstract.

[911dean]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I get it, but can't listen to it unless I'm watching it live. I love jazz fusion, but again, I need to see it live and it's not the kind of stuff I throw on the stereo while driving or doing stuff around the house. I went to see Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin and Dennis Chambers a few weeks ago and, honestly, it was just a little too far out there for me. I'd seen them all in other bands before and that was great. But this stuff was really abstract.

I was really excited to see Scott Henderson a couple years ago and like you, found it to be a bit much. Got lucky that night and stumbled onto Samantha Fish after we left the Henderson show. Not bad for a Sunday night.
Dean

[Rick Lee]

First time I saw Scott was with Tribal Tech and, while it was out there, it wasn't too hard to follow. We ended up hanging out afterwards, he ran through his whole rig for me and we helped them load the truck. He is a monster player, but it seemed like in this last show they were all doing their own thing and not even trying to play with one another. But then they all come together a few times like it had to have been very well-rehearsed. Weird stuff.

[TheMentat]

Originally Posted by Craig T

Try "Down to The Bone" It's jazz, but leaning toward funk.

Supercharged

Down To The Bone - Supercharged - YouTube

Long Way from Brooklyn

Down To The Bone.. Long Way from Brooklyn - YouTube

I used to listen to these guys a lot!

[Nostril Cheese]

[911dean]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

Now were talking!

[Nostril Cheese]

[Nostril Cheese]

[Craig T]

Wes Montgomery...Jimmy Smith...We're goin in the right direction now!

I'm not a huge a fan of Miles Davis or most modern jazz that doesn't "funkify" it up a little. I can't listen to Spiro Gyro, Kenny G, or any of that crap.

Some of these guys from the 50's and 60's could get down on a grove...

Compared To What - YouTube

[R K T]

I used to go to The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach in the late 60s and 70s. All the greats played there. Tiny place that really got one on one with the artists. I never missed Cal Tjader! My all time favorite.

[M.D. Holloway]

To me jazz is like soccer, a blast to play but not a if your a spectator...

That said, jazz and (even blues) are typically favored by those with a serious music bent. The meter and harmonics can be complicated, the melody dramatic or obscure.

[Sarc]

Or, really, any Jazz.

Jazz is Jazz. You like what you like and make no apologies for it. If its jazz for beginners so be it. Miles is an acquired taste imo, so your not alone.

Give some Brubeck a try. Particularly his live albums. "Jazz goes to College" is on frequent rotation in our house. Never tire of Paul Desmond's fluid sax.

[wdfifteen]

Jazz includes such a broad spectrum of music that it's not hard to find something you like and something you don't. Oscar Peterson is one of my favorites. I like Miles too.

[Rick Lee]

This is my kind of jazz.

[HardDrive]

I love Jazz. But its a language that came about to describe the city. Its like urban avant garde art. Its not going to appeal to everyone, and if its not your thing, I certainly don't think its a negative. Its just doesn't speak to you.

I like Miles. His work with Gil Evans, backed by an orchestra, is some of his more approachable work. Even though its a studio creation, I love *****es Brew.

[5String43]

Don't get jazz? Me three!