Adult Jazz

**Firth** · 07-29-2014

To music obsessives of a certain age, the current generation of listeners sometimes appears as lightweight grazers at the Internet smorgasbord who seem unwilling (possibly unable) to focus attention at depth on a single piece of music. The summary dismissal: The kids today, they can't handle all of what somebody like a (or a band like King Crimson) throws at them. It's a reckless, ageist generalization. But as often happens, it carries a shred of truth. Zappa exists now as a ghost, a figure on the margins of music discourse whose significant contributions are savored by an elite few. That's perhaps because his intricate, idea-crammed compositions require a bit of patience and listening skill to fully appreciate. And let's face it, those skills are in short supply — listeners want the hook that arrives right on schedule. Even indie-rock snobs have a soft spot for the instant eureka moment payoff.

http://www.npr.org/2014/07/27/333716...t-jazz-gist-is

**wideopenears** · 07-29-2014

fuck yeah.

**Jerjo** · 07-30-2014

This is why I find more interesting music through NPR online or on World Cafe than anywhere else (other than PE, that is)

**Dave** · 07-30-2014

"It's a reckless, ageist generalization. But as often happens, it carries a shred of truth". Some truth, but just another ageist generalization. The more things change, the more they remain the same...

**rcarlberg** · 07-30-2014

I dunno -- kids these days have the entire history of recorded music at their fingertips. I find a surprising number of them dive DEEP into the ephemera, going deeper and wider than I ever went.

I think like most generalizations this one fails on closer examination.

**Firth** · 07-30-2014

Originally Posted by rcarlberg

I dunno -- kids these days have the entire history of recorded music at their fingertips. I find a surprising number of them dive DEEP into the ephemera, going deeper and wider than I ever went.

I think like most generalizations this one fails on closer examination.

Did you actually read the intro at the link. Apparently not.

**Jerjo** · 07-30-2014

Originally Posted by Firth

Did you actually read the intro at the link. Apparently not.

I did. A bit disappointed that no one is talking about the music.

**PeterG** · 07-31-2014

It's not just kids though. Whenever I have party at home, my adult neighbours who are all younger than me, all about 40-45, simply can't listen to a single song all the way through without changing the music on spotify or the CD or shouting out suggestions for other music styles or songs or simply saying "this is boring, change the music" or the one that annoys me the most, "next! we've heard the best bit of that song now"

The internet as a whole with easy instant access to most things, streaming services for music, TV and films, mobile phones, youtube etc. have all really damaged the collective attention span of people across the board and not just in relation to music and film, also in the rest of their everyday lives.

**PeterG** · 07-31-2014

Originally Posted by Firth

That's perhaps because his intricate, idea-crammed compositions require a bit of patience and listening skill to fully appreciate. And let's face it, those skills are in short supply — listeners want the hook that arrives right on schedule. Even indie-rock snobs have a soft spot for the instant eureka moment payoff.

Exactly! Spot on!

**Firth** · 07-31-2014

Originally Posted by PeterG

It's not just kids though. Whenever I have party at home, my adult neighbours who are all younger than me, all about 40-45, simply can't listen to a single song all the way through without changing the music on spotify or the CD or shouting out suggestions for other music styles or songs or simply saying "this is boring, change the music" or the one that annoys me the most, "next! we've heard the best bit of that song now"

The internet as a whole with easy instant access to most things, streaming services form usic, TV and films, mobile phones, youtube etc. have all really damaged the collective attention span of people across the board and not just in relation to music and film, also in the rest of their everyday lives.

Well musical attention deficit (mad) has all ways been around, it's just seems to the older generations that it is more present today than in the past. I wonder how much drug use including tobacco has affected generations. I think the theme here is that youth don't have as much MAD as older folks think. Another interpretation is that proggers are MAD, and they get bored with simple repetitive music, like pop music. More recent pop music seems to be adopting electronics in one direction and folk aspects in a different direction.

**klothos** · 07-31-2014

Originally Posted by Firth

Well musical attention deficit (mad) has all ways been around, it's just seems to the older generations that it is more present today than in the past. I wonder how much drug use including tobacco has affected generations. I think the theme here is that youth don't have as much MAD as older folks think. Another interpretation is that proggers are MAD, and they get bored with simple repetitive music, like pop music. More recent pop music seems to be adopting electronics in one direction and folk aspects in a different direction..

Im sure trombone players all grumbled when those crazy electric-guitar oriented combos arrived by the droves in the 1960s. Technology has always been a factor in the evolution of music -- the fact that the last sixty years has seen technological improvements that make the Renaissance look like the Dark Ages only reinforces this fact.

Computers/electronics are merely a natural progression in musical evolution -- many of the older generation, used to their vernacular standards, simply wants to frown at this simple fact

**mogrooves** · 08-03-2014

Originally Posted by klothos

Computers/electronics are merely a natural progression in musical evolution -- many of the older generation, used to their vernacular standards, simply wants to frown at this simple fact

Yeah, gimme the good ol' days......

**rcarlberg** · 08-05-2014

Wow, that's hilarious.

**NogbadTheBad** · 08-05-2014

Nice stuff, I'm certainly going to pick this up.

**No Pride** · 08-07-2014

Originally Posted by klothos

Computers/electronics are merely a natural progression in musical evolution -- many of the older generation, used to their vernacular standards, simply wants to frown at this simple fact

Speaking on behalf of the older generation (of which I'm a member), it's not all advancements in technology that makes us frown, it's the ones that allow "cheaters" to make music without having had to pay their dues; learning technique, theory, and all other aspects of developing into a true musician or composer. And even that would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that the technology is actually pushing real musicians, singers and composers off the cliff. Much of today's mainstream pop doesn't even use real instruments played by real musicians anymore; it's a bunch of sequenced machines, fronted by auto-tuned vocals. Machines doing the labor that humans once did is nothing new, but as always, a much bigger percentage of humans pay consequences than that of the ones who reap the rewards.

Originally Posted by mogrooves

GREAT photo!

If that had been Jimi's axe, we would've never heard of him.

**BobM** · 08-07-2014

He's playing it left handed too, in typical Jimmy juxtoposition.

**wideopenears** · 08-07-2014

What's funny about this thread is that it's about a band, called "Adult Jazz," but the review is a sort of meta commentary on music and attention spans.....and some of the comments here indicate that a few of us didn't really read the article. I will leave it to others to comment on what that means about the attention spans, and depth, of some of our members.

I really like the music, by the way. It's right up (one of) my alleys.

**No Pride** · 08-07-2014

Originally Posted by wideopenears

What's funny about this thread is that it's about a band, called "Adult Jazz," but the review is a sort of meta commentary on music and attention spans.....and some of the comments here indicate that a few of us didn't really read the article. I will leave it to others to comment on what that means about the attention spans, and depth, of some of our members.

I really like the music, by the way.

The streaming isn't enabled any more and I missed my chance to hear them.