Re: IS STEELY DAN JAZZ?

Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 09:58:26 -0400
Newsgroups: alt.music.steely-dan
Size: 2,373 bytes

"Bass Guitar God" <email-address-deleted> wrote in message
news:email-address-deleted...
> I was listening to a JAZZ radio station they play all the time in a thrift
> store and they played Steely Dan, are they considered jazz?
>
> http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/lcsboots
>
> "I am the strongest woman in the world!" - Chun Li, Street Fighter II
>
There's Jazz and there's Jazz.
Branford Marsalis describes what some local "light jazz"
stations play as "Half baked"(i.e. Kenny G crap). I personally
find this stuff nauseating. I have some friends that think it's *cool*
to listen to this sort of thing. To each his own.
Then there's *real* jazz. Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Wes Montgomery
Dizzie Gillespie, Victor Feldman, Phil Woods, Chick Corea
Marion McPartland (just to name a few)
These guys play on a different plane altogether. I have nothing but
the utmost respect for these cats and would give my left (whatever)
to be able to play like any one of them. They are not of this earth.
Then you have fusion,
Which usually involves extremely talented jazz players like Pat Metheney.
Mixing Jazz riffs with more of a distorted guitar *rock* feel. While I don't
typically listen to this stuff. I do have respect for what is being done.
Then there's bands like
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, who are some of the most talented players
I am aware of but don't play traditional jazz but a blend of
bluegrass/jazz/world
music with no set rules for song structure. These guys blow me away
everytime I see them.
Steely Dan-
A couple guys who are talented song writers and capable musicians
who have a *vision* of music and are apparently able to communicate
that vision to some extremely talented "JAZZ" musicians.
They use allot of the same chords used in jazz and since they use
jazz musicians, their music sounds jazzy but Im not sure
it would be considered jazz. Donald Fagen once described
their music is derived from "show tunes". I know some die hard
jazz musicians who REALLY dig SD and some other jazz musicians
who think its "Not cool" to dig SD. (their loss)
Jazz is huge. Not everyone gets it. I didn't appreciate what I now
consider REAL jazz early on but I really liked SD at a young age
and I think it primed me for the real stuff later on.
Autumn Leaves, On Green Dolphin Street....Now THAT'S Jazz.
db~WJAZ