Artists you know well but have never really liked

[David Ayers]

I've assiduously hoovered up dozens of titles by or featuring Jackie McLean over the years. But in fact I have never really liked him or thought much of him. Usual objections - repeats himself a lot, gimmicky sharp playing, etc. So what was I thinking when I bought all those records and why do I still listen to them. [crosses stage slowly, appearing to ponder]

I probably have other artists in this category, if I put my mind to it. Am I alone?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I've bought a few Jackie McLeans and have a number with him as a sideman. Don't really like him much. The only ones I play much are "Tippin' the scales" - for Sonny, really - and "Jackie's bag" for Tina.

I think, with hard bop musicians, there are quite a few I don't really like much but, when I feel like it, I really want to hear their stuff. Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan fall into this group. It's not their music as such that I don't like; it's more their personas as they come through the music.

MG

[Brad]

If I don't like an artist, I won't be buying his output and or selling his CDs. However,there may be times when I don't care for him but others when I do.

Not sure how one cannot care for Art or Lee but we all don't like the same thing do we

[AllenLowe]

please don't come to my house with torches, but I've never had any patience with Zoot Sims.

[Dan Gould]

Lately I've been wondering what the hell I ever heard in Gene Harris. I mean, shit, the dude just plays the blues on damn near every thing, and talk about repeating yourself.

[jazztrain]

Allen:

I've called off the mob (although they were very angry).

Some of his later recordings on Pablo are awfully good.

please don't come to my house with torches, but I've never had any patience with Zoot Sims.

[flat5]

I consider Herbie Mann to be the most over rated jazz musician. I hate his flute "playing". He has no sound on the albums I've been forced to hear him. Like the one he did with Clifford Brown.

He may be a great organizer or band leader...I actually like his bass clarinet playing more than his flute. Ok, enough.

I don't listen to Scott Hamilton either. He can play, of course, and is a good tenor saxophonist, but I find him passionless and very "pre-thought-out". I can't think of a word for that :-) I could bore you with more.

[Dan Gould]

I think this is turning into a typical "I don't care for X" thread when David's question is, "do you own a substantial number of recordings by an artist you don't really like?" So unless flat5 buys or has bought a lot of Scott Hamilton, he doesn't really qualify for the topic at hand. And does Allen keep a lot of Zoot on hand, or does he happen to have some Zoot recordings because he's on with artists that he does like?

Like Brad, I tend to not buy or keep artists I don't enjoy. Makes it a lot easier to concentrate on people I do enjoy.

[AllenLowe]

well, as I understood, he wasn't saying we had to have a lot of recordings by the artist, but had to have known him/her well - and I have heard tons of Zoot, in person, on record, and CD. He's brilliant. Just does nothing for me.

I tend to like musicians with more tension in their playing. He sounds too happy. I want a guy who sounds like he's about to snap and take hostages -

[.:.impossible]

Allen, that last sentence is fantastic.

Feel free to add this quote to your "signature".

[AllenLowe]

thank you - it's also the title of my upcoming autobiography -

[BillF]

Considering that I'm very keen on fifties' jazz, Brubeck is a notable omission from my likes. Thirties' jazz is further from my tastes, and I have greatest difficulty with Reinhardt and Grappelli. God may have been in the room when Tatum played, but not for me. (Just realised that last sentence would have an entirely different meaning if you changed the punctuation.)

[David Ayers]

Well yeah I asking about perverse persistence - I reckon I own about fifty items from the Jackie Mac discography, if not more. That's a lot of records by someone I basically don't care for. Ok so one or two are with Miles or Mingus, so they pass muster for other reasons, but even so...

There should probably be another thread on artists you love but you never really buy their records - hmmm, let me think... for me that might be Benny Goodman...

Edited June 9, 2010 by David Ayers

[BillF]

There should probably be another thread on artists you love but you never really buy their records - hmmm, let me think... for me that might be Benny Goodman...

For me, that would mean blues artists - Jimmy Reed, Lightning Hopkins, Champion Jack Dupree, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker, B B King, etc etc

[Dave James]

I'm assuming this can apply to sidemen as well as leaders. That being the case, I've never cared much for Philly Joe Jones. I find him too busy and way too repetitive. If I've heard his typical opening drum sequence once, I've heard it a hundred times. I own a fair number of CD's that include him simply because he played on so many classic, gotta-have-'em dates, but, in almost every instance, I would have preferred someone in the drum chair with less of a "look at me" style.

Also, and I'm going to slide this in here and hope not too many people notice, but try as I may, I don't get Monday Michiru. I have four of her CD's, Routes, 4 Seasons, Delicious Poison and Episodes in Color. I've listened to all four extensively, but I can't get beyond the canned, overly processed sound of her music. I keep wishing she would tone it down a bit and spend a little more time on melody. Something along the lines of Sade.

Fire when ready. Just one guy's opinion.

[carnivore]

After not hearing it for quite a few years I recently bought a new CD of 'Brilliant Corners' and found it less interesting, moving or satisfying than I remembered (or thought I remembered. ) Ernie Henry is a particular pain in the arse on the album, rendering some of it almost unlistenable.

I am profoundly moved by Zoot, particularly on the Pablo sets but Dexter does little for me anytime. Love the thirties stuff, Bill!

[jazzbo]

Freddie Hubbard. I've lots of his appearances on disc, and I want to like him. Perhaps my favorite by him as a leader is the latest on Blue Note, the live recording. . . and that may be more due to Roland Hanna than Freddie. But I do like his playing on this one.

[CJ Shearn]

Peter Brotzmann........ I try, but I just can't. Oh wait, this is for artists I really know, but still.

Edited June 9, 2010 by CJ Shearn

[umum_cypher]

I love many of my Miles records, but hardly ever the bits where Miles is playing.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I know I'm supposed to like them, but I still can't spin many of Andrew Hill's CDs without wondering why I bought it. "Point Of Departure" gets the most playing time, but others... not so much. Even "Grass Roots", a CD that I nearly held a party for on its release date, rarely makes it into the player. I think I've played "Passing Ships" halfway through twice. It's been a long while since I've spun "Dance With Death". I'll have to rectify that tomorrow.

I think I'm learning though. I didn't buy "Pax" and I held off on both Mosaic Selects.

[jazzbo]

Huh. Point of Departure is the one I don't listen to or like! I'm very keen on the others.

[fent99]

I can get this. I keep buying records of folks that I want to like, David Murray is one, even though I never warm to them all that much. Some of them do of course and I can appreciate them but then you have more of the records of folks you want to like than some artists you really like. Inspires me to do some selling!

I have similar things going on with Warren Zevon, I'm sure and many others.

Maybe related to this is the way I pick up records since I want to have heard them not always that I really want to keep them.

[Joe]

Bill Evans (the pianist).

I own virtually all of his "classic" Riverside trio dates, plus a smattering of the Verve, Fantasy and other releases, but more out of a vague sense of obligation than because I especially enjoy them, or listen to them all that frequently, actually. Like, I should own these because the day will come when I do appreciate them. Only that day has not quite come.

Ultimately, I prefer his sideman work with George Russell just about more than anything else in his discography... back when he was far more under the spell of Tristano than [insert reference of your choice here]. And I have to say I find the coked-out energy of the late 70's - early 80's trios much more compelling than the the LaFaro trios. But my listening of the former has still been fairly superficial.

[papsrus]

Geez. I had this completely ass-backwards.

I thought we were supposed to sell stuff by artists we didn't really enjoy, not buy more.

I need to get back over to the Offering-Looking For forum, pronto!

[BeBop]

I was surprised to see some of the names mentioned. Some are close to the core of my jazz existence. But that doesn't mean anyone else has to dig 'em. Just a reminder how important it is to connect (or not) with the improviser. Non-verbal communication. Storytelling. The best storyteller won't reach me if the story's in Finnish. (Never got anywhere with that language. Alas.)

My list includes Dave Brubeck. I think he's on another plane.

Pat Metheny. For me, a whole bunch of tones, but no message.