Music, like other art forms, you either like or don’t like, one you start on the ‘get’, or ‘understand’ you’re on a very slippery slope into pretentious twaddle, trying to intellectualise something that is fundamentally about emotions.
Speak for yourself. There aren’t many things as ignorant as a person who “knows what I like”. What is this ridiculous notion that if you like it, it’s good; if you don’t, it’s not? And all art is self-indulgent – that’s the **** point of art. Or do you think it’s there just to entertain you?
Jazz is a complex mix of rhythms and melodies, timings and impetus – it’s hard to play but incredibly enjoyable and always challenging. Sometimes the relationship between the instrument parts is clear-cut, or at least relatively so; sometimes it’s a bit harder to hear. You have to remember that, whether you like what is being played or not, the player is highly skilled. That alone can take a piece away from the casual listener, especially so if they don’t play. A good way in is usually through the drums – they’ll (usually) be the simplest musically, so you just need to identify and follow the beat. The same is true of pretty much all music, by the way. If you concentrate on the drum’s cycle, then you’ll hear how the rhythm instruments (bass, keys, r.guitar, for example) follow and how they create a link to the melody of the lead instrument – with Miles Davis, that’s the trumpet; Coltrane it’s the sax. Whatever, it’s the instrument carrying the most distinctive melody. The lead instrument often has a vocal quality to it. Coltrane, for instance, often has a really ‘vocal’ technique to his playing, and I understand he often wrote poems that he would build a piece on. The lead will tend to be the most emotional, or expressive, as the musician is, dare I say it, indulging themselves. But don’t forget that what they’re playing is supported by the dynamic created by the rest of the band.
As you learn to follow a single rhythm, the roles of the other instruments becomes clearer. You don’t have to ‘get’ it all – how would you? – but you’ll start to understand more as you hear the interplay between instruments. As you become more experienced, you’ll begin to hear some absolutely amazing routes, arcs and departures that different parts take before converging onto a single beat. That’s the beauty of jazz. And it’s like life: the more you know, the more you have to appreciate and enjoy. Just remember to allow yourself to be amazed and surprised by what you don’t know, rather than pour scorn on it.
