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, 1 reply, 16 years ago)

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)