Avant-garde Jazz strikes me
as one of the clearest examples of 'Emperor's New Clothes' music ever.

Everyone knows it's shit but some people are afraid to be the first one to say so, in case people think they don't 'get it' and it's somehow their fault.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Wed 19 May 2010, 16:45, 1 reply, 16 years ago)

One of the best jazz bands I saw
was the Humphrey Lyttelton Band. Now there was some good, straightforward, enjoyable jazz. A nice blend of swing and trad played by a superb team of musicians (of a very wide range of ages). No snobbery, nothing 'highbrow' about it, nothing you had to 'get.' I appreciate that a genre has to progress, and new and more inventive writers would be welcome to try and throw it around a bit, but I really wish some players would just stop, mid-saxophone wank and say,
"Guys, sorry, but this really is just shit, isn't it? Can we just play a bit of Gershwin for a change?"
(Now that I would pay £30 to see)
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 19 May 2010, 16:53, Reply)

there's a presidents of the USA song called Jazz Guy
it has some great lyrics some of which I will now relate:

"I wanna be a jazz guy and play black music for white people,
I wanna learn all the chords and solo till everyone in the room,
is bored,
beyond,
belief,
I can't wait,
for the end of my solo,
sweet sweet relief"
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 19 May 2010, 17:12, Reply)