Bill Nelson Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 RE: "Other charlatans and poseurs to the throne" Upon further review -- seeing the name of Keith Jarrett to be rated as a jazz vocalist is bizarre. I suppose his 'humming along' with his piano is perhaps easier on the ear than, say, Oscar Peterson's grunting. I'm sure neither of these keyboard geniuses would claim they are attempting to sing as jazz vocalists. In my previous comment of 8:20 PM, let me affirm there is no knocking of Keith Jarrett whatsoever. Quote
take5 Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Connick is not by any means the greatest vocalist, but neither was Sinatra, yet he's considered one of the greats. Singeres like these bank a lot of their success on "personality," an almost extra-musical quality that people either connect with or they don't. He breaks no new ground, but neither do the overwhelmingly vast majority of performances. And most people don't need INNOVATION every time they listen to music, they're happy with something pleasant that they like, and there's nothing wrong with that. It seems the ire against him is because he's good looking and makes a lot of money. Well... so what? Bashing him for superficial reasons is just as gross a musical "crime" as praise for similar reasons. The only time Connick pissed me off a little was when he received top billing at the Newport Jazz festival a few years ago over Hank Jones, but that of course wasn't his fault. And then when he took the stage, it was obvious that he agreed and brought Hank out on the stage to bask in the accolades- a classy act, IMO. Quote
neveronfriday Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Flak me if you like, but I like Harry Connick. Hell, I actually saw him live and he's not only a fine pianist but also knows a lot more about music than many other half-assed jazz artists (nope, you won't get me to mention names). He knows his New Orleans stuff and has got some damn good players in his big band ... who usually drop everything they're doing if they get a chance to play with him. I have no idea why one would want to trash-talk an artist like him. Pretty narrow-minded, if you ask me. Cheers! Quote
RDK Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Connick is a pleasant enough vocalist. Seems to have gone the NKC route for the simple reason that people dig his singing. He's also modest to a fault. Read some of his liner notes a while back and all he did was sing the praises of other jazz artists that he considrerd "better" than him. Quote
couw Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Keith Jarrett to be rated as a jazz vocalist is bizarre. fegh! maybe it was a joke then? Quote
cannonball-addict Posted November 28, 2004 Author Report Posted November 28, 2004 I don't like negativity either and I didn't see your post or thread about Hutcherson being a terrible vibist but if you think that and haven't experienced Bobby in his many settings, then I have serious doubts about your ability as a listener. *$%^ YOU! I assure you, you're the charlatan when it comes to listening, man. Quote
JSngry Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Any list of this type that excludes Bob Dorough is one that I refuse to take seriously. Quote
couw Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 *$%^ YOU! ...and RELAAAAX. that's easy for you to say. twaaaaaiiiingggggggtwooooiiiiiingggggg hummmmmmmmmmm Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 I don't like negativity either and I didn't see your post or thread about Hutcherson being a terrible vibist but if you think that and haven't experienced Bobby in his many settings, then I have serious doubts about your ability as a listener. *$%^ YOU! I assure you, you're the charlatan when it comes to listening, man. Might be time to follow the advice of your signature. Quote
7/4 Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 *$%^ YOU! ...and RELAAAAX. that's easy for you to say. twaaaaaiiiingggggggtwooooiiiiiingggggg hummmmmmmmmmm Quote
JSngry Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Any list of this type that excludes Bob Dorough is one that I refuse to take seriously. And Dave Frishberg as well, although he's written some ok tunes, I guess. But for me, the list of worst begins w/Bob Dorough. Loved his production work with Spanky & Our Gang, though. Very nice stuff. But as a singer? #1 Worst says it all for me. So why's he not on the list? Quote
Brad Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 I don't like negativity either and I didn't see your post or thread about Hutcherson being a terrible vibist but if you think that and haven't experienced Bobby in his many settings, then I have serious doubts about your ability as a listener. *$%^ YOU! I assure you, you're the charlatan when it comes to listening, man. Dude, I think you're the one who needs to follow your own advice and relax. Now, charlatan means quack, imposter or fraud. So to say I'm a fraud (or a mountebank, also a synonym for charlatan) doesn't seem the correct word. Maybe you meant I wasn't a good listener. Perhaps you should consult a dictionary. Quote
couw Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 so, how is this Hutcherson dude on the vibes then? Quote
GA Russell Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Well, he's deceased now, so maybe he doesn't count. But I would listen to my Tony Williams Lifetime records more often if he didn't sing on them. Quote
EKE BBB Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 ... He's cheesy as hell and brings nothing original to the table, whereas Bey, Hendricks, Williams, and Scott are the originals of male jazz vocals. I've yet to see someone come close to any of these guys except for Gege Telesforo, who was introduced to me in BFT 19 by Mike Weil. ... Have you ever heard/heard of Mr. Five by Five? -_- Quote
BruceH Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Any list of this type that excludes Bob Dorough is one that I refuse to take seriously. And Dave Frishberg as well, although he's written some ok tunes, I guess. But for me, the list of worst begins w/Bob Dorough. Loved his production work with Spanky & Our Gang, though. Very nice stuff. But as a singer? #1 Worst says it all for me. So why's he not on the list? I've never heard Bob Dorough sing. Am I lucky? Quote
JSngry Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Well, he does have a following, so mine is obviously not a unanimous opinion, but, yeah, I'd say you were. Quote
Bright Moments Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 much as i hate to disagree with the master, i dig Bob Dorough! B-) you do too if you ever heard conjunction junction and/or i'm just a bill from schoolhouse rock! btw i voted for elling. hes pretentious and just plain bad! Quote
DrJ Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 (edited) Wouldn't call either Bob Dorough or Dave Frishberg great singers in terms of chops, for sure, but I find both of their styles kind of endearing. On the surface both could be criticized for being "cute" or overly clever, but I personally find there's a depth to both of them that allows them to (usually) avoid that trap. I'm personally a far bigger fan of Frishberg's, because I find him warmer and to have a little more depth - and he's a very fine pianist as well by the way. Not an all-time favorite, and a little goes a long way, but not my "worst ever" by a long shot! I voted for Connick, which could I suppose be called kicking a puppy - he's ostensibly harmless, but the thing that bugs me about him is that he sounds to me to be getting a whole lot WORSE at what he does as the years go by, which is kind of inexcusable. That new album of holiday music he's pitching on TV sounds truly insufferable. Edited November 28, 2004 by DrJ Quote
JSngry Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 much as i hate to disagree with the master, i dig Bob Dorough! B-) you do too if you ever heard conjunction junction and/or i'm just a bill from schoolhouse rock! Oh, Dorough's a talented cat alright, and in lots of different ways. It's just his "jazz singing" proper that give me the willies. That unidentifiable "twang" in his voice is pure emetic for me. Worked great on kids songs and such, but tell me you can't listen to "Nothing Like You" w/Miles and not wonder who and why the hell? Quote
DrJ Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 I agree that Dorough with Miles was a real odd pairing - perhaps one of the oddest in history. Still, I have a soft spot in my heart for that anti-Christmas tune they did, somehow it works for me and it's great to spin it after several weeks of Muzak'd holiday tunes piped in to malls, elevators, etc have you in a homicidal rage. And a Happy New Year! Quote
JSngry Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Wouldn't call either Bob Dorough or Dave Frishberg great singers in terms of chops, for sure, but I find both of their styles kind of endearing. On the surface both could be criticized for being "cute" or overly clever, but I personally find there's a depth to both of them that allows them to (usually) avoid that trap. I'm personally a far bigger fan of Frishberg's, because I find him warmer and to have a little more depth - and he's a very fine pianist as well by the way. Not an all-time favorite, and a little goes a long way, but not my "worst ever" by a long shot! Yeah, Frishberg's got the distinct advantage of being a genuinely clever lyricist, and a somewhat "urbane" vocal style. But Dorough (and this is strictly when he sings jazz, btw) sounds to me like a darkly private Mose Allison joke that somehow got made public, and at face value. Quote
JSngry Posted November 28, 2004 Report Posted November 28, 2004 Still, I have a soft spot in my heart for that anti-Christmas tune they did, somehow it works for me and it's great to spin it after several weeks of Muzak'd holiday tunes piped in to malls, elevators, etc have you in a homicidal rage. And a Happy New Year! Yeah, "Blue Xmas". That's a great tune, but Dorough's delivery of it virtually defines "disconnect" for me. Quote
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