Cl;assical and Jazz are viewed as the most "advanced" of all musics. It takes years of study, training, and practice to become proficient enough on an instrument (or voice) to perform it well.
I find those two musics very different in major ways. As others have noted, Classical is for the most part (excluding lots of 20th Century compositions) written, the performers "merely" providing their interpretation of the notes in the score. In Jazz, the composition is often just a basic outline, the players taking the song structure and doing with it as they wish. It is what the musicians add to the basic song that Jazz fans are listening for, often more so than the song itself. It seems to me.
At the far left on the dial of my car radio are two stations, one Jazz the other Classical. I’ve been listening to them as I drive a lot, and switching between them has made the differences between the two musics stark. A Jazz song can have a complex chordal structure and progression, or just a single chord played for an extended period of time, the musicians improvising "over" that one chord. Being first and foremost a song lover, I don’t find that interesting.
Though Rock ’n Roll, Blues, and Country & Western/Hillbilly/Bluegrass are viewed as "primitive" musics, some songs in those genres are fairly sophisticated in terms of composition/chordal and harmonic structures and development, more so that many Jazz songs. Listen to Brian Wilson’s "God Only Knows" (found on The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album) for a prime example. Very sophisticated chord structure, harmonic development, and use of counterpoint. Paul McCartney has characterized it as the "best" song he has ever heard.
I find well-written "Pop" (non-Classical and Jazz) songs to have more in common with "traditional" Classical compositions than do many Jazz "songs". Heresy? ;-) On the other hand, what a superior Jazz musician plays on his instrument can transcend the notion of "the song", taking music to a different, higher plane. Such music is often of the abstract variety, asking much of the listener. One must "let go" of the objective, rational view of consciousness, letting the music take you where it wants. The Shape Of Jazz To Come by Ornette Coleman is such an album; hearing it was a transformational experience. It made Jimi Hendrix sound downright pedestrian. ;-)
I find those two musics very different in major ways. As others have noted, Classical is for the most part (excluding lots of 20th Century compositions) written, the performers "merely" providing their interpretation of the notes in the score. In Jazz, the composition is often just a basic outline, the players taking the song structure and doing with it as they wish. It is what the musicians add to the basic song that Jazz fans are listening for, often more so than the song itself. It seems to me.
At the far left on the dial of my car radio are two stations, one Jazz the other Classical. I’ve been listening to them as I drive a lot, and switching between them has made the differences between the two musics stark. A Jazz song can have a complex chordal structure and progression, or just a single chord played for an extended period of time, the musicians improvising "over" that one chord. Being first and foremost a song lover, I don’t find that interesting.
Though Rock ’n Roll, Blues, and Country & Western/Hillbilly/Bluegrass are viewed as "primitive" musics, some songs in those genres are fairly sophisticated in terms of composition/chordal and harmonic structures and development, more so that many Jazz songs. Listen to Brian Wilson’s "God Only Knows" (found on The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album) for a prime example. Very sophisticated chord structure, harmonic development, and use of counterpoint. Paul McCartney has characterized it as the "best" song he has ever heard.
I find well-written "Pop" (non-Classical and Jazz) songs to have more in common with "traditional" Classical compositions than do many Jazz "songs". Heresy? ;-) On the other hand, what a superior Jazz musician plays on his instrument can transcend the notion of "the song", taking music to a different, higher plane. Such music is often of the abstract variety, asking much of the listener. One must "let go" of the objective, rational view of consciousness, letting the music take you where it wants. The Shape Of Jazz To Come by Ornette Coleman is such an album; hearing it was a transformational experience. It made Jimi Hendrix sound downright pedestrian. ;-)