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Is improvisational jazz to impressionism art as smooth jazz is to realism art?

So, I’ll acknowledge up front, I’m an engineer. Civilian and Warfighter lives can be in the balance depending on whether our company products perform as required or not. As a result, I try very hard to drive the entropic world we live in towards black and white as much as possible. I need to put order to chaos. When i look at art, impressionistic art requires a lot of mental work to make sense of. I just don't see it or get it, appreciate it or like it. I also find, as hard as i may try to enjoy improvisational jazz, that i don't get it, appreciate it, or like it. Instead, I love Realism art and instrumental smooth jazz!!
Reading from Audiogon forum pages for a couple of years now, i feel like i should feel inferior because 1. I don’t appreciate the free flow of expression that is improvisational jazz and 2. I love that there is a tune and thread in smooth jazz. I love the guitar artistry of Chuck Loeb, Chris Standring, and Acoustic Alchemy; the trumpet expressions of Rick Braun, Cindy Bradley, and Chris Botti; and the bass works of Brian Bromberg. 
I’m curious if there are many others out there that equate order (or lack there-of) in their music tastes to that of their taste in the visual arts?
Also, are there many other music lovers who would rather enjoy a good smooth jazz listening session than improvisational jazz?  If so, who do you listen to?
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andysf
268 posts
 
How about the Scorpions "Wind of Change" being written by the CIA?  Very interesting story if you are into such things.https://crooked.com/podcast-series/wind-of-change/
wolf_garcia
6,631 posts
 
As a musician and late in life beatnik I pretty much listen only to jazz and classical. When discussing jazz, people (music fascists?) often tend to gloss over the modern guys who I think are as interesting as the classic jazz dudes with the added benefit of modern recording tech. I still "dig Bill Evans" often, as will as Monk, Montgomery, Joe Pass, etc., but Vijay Iyer (saw him live once), Craig Tayborn, John Scofield, Frisell and others who are actually "not yet dead" keep my interest adequately. Or mind blowingly. Modern orchestral music really blurs the lines with stuff jazz freaks can only imagine. Shower me with some Benjamin Britton baby! What seems to be Fusion’s purpose is to provide background music which is fine by me (in case anybody was worried about my tastes), although I can’t really "listen" to it as a thing with the depth my serious audio art geek side seems to need. I’m an old person who still drives fast cars and motorcycles and plays guitar too damn loud, which indicates possibly a "high threshold of entertainment personality disorder"...I  went surfing yesterday (9’6" Gordon & Smith "Team Rider" fiberglass). Beach vacation...gotta have it...Where’s the ibuprofen? Get me my cane! Wheel me into the shade...

stuartk
2,421 posts
 
@wolf_garcia:

The last Jazz show I attended was an all-star group that included, among others, Billy Harper and Eddie Henderson-- two giants. Altogether, there were four or five horns and reeds, piano, bass and drums. Everything was mic'd. This was in a small concert hall and it was waaaayyyy too loud. I talked to the sound guy and he said the band insisted on that volume at sound check.. After about half an hour, I couldn't handle it any more and went out into to the lobby, where I remained for the remainder of the performance. I've never done that at any rock show!  

There's not a whole lot of Fusion I enjoy but I do like the original Mahavishnu stuff. . . I have a hard time relating to that as background music.

Having said that, I find most Fusion is akin to watching someone lift weights-- it's seems to me to be mostly about testosterone, flash and exotic scales. It doesn't provide anything that engages me, emotionally, so I don't listen to it. 

I had to stop playing guitar "too damned loud" as I didn't want to further damage my hearing. What I want to know is-- even with amps that have power-scaling, why do they make them so they only begin to sound good if you turn 'em up? ? ?  
stuartk
2,421 posts
 
@wolfgarcia:

Took my 65-year-old brain a while to recall the name...

The group was The Cookers.

You've been warned! :o)
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa
4,867 posts
 
  
  • Where’s the ibuprofen? Get me my cane! Wheel me into the shade...

Man, can I ever relate.
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