| Re: who to start listening to...
Don Ellis. Tom Farrell. Chet Baker.
If you want to communicate "musical truth," stay safe, stay within the "classical," whether it be jazz or 'legit;' if you wish to communicate deep feeling, the essence, the core of being, the thing that makes us the amazing creations that we are, humans; imperfect; full of ideas and ideals, then look to the crazy guys--they are the prophets, and jazz at its best is prophesy.
Take an idea; spin it out in all its possibilities, and then hone it in on that moment of musical satori where all the permutations come home.
Don't learn "licks." Don't play the changes, but learn to play them. Learn the scales, then forget them. It is not so much who you listen to, but how you listen to them. Ask yourself: "what are they trying to say?" If they are just filling space with cool sounding, pleasant notes, that should not be a role model, unless you want to make money.
In the end it comes down to a simple answer:
LISTEN TO YOURSELF!
Each and everyone of us has something worthwhile to say via music, yet almost each and everyone of us say what we want others to hear, almost every time.
Go for it, and I wish you every success! |