What is jazz?: “I don’t know, and I don’t care.” – Charles Mingus
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This is a k u and v studios original program. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more the University of Nevada Las Vegas or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education
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Good morning and welcome.
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You're listening to beside morning brew would be at Niles had
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coffee, chat.
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chillin on the corner of lifestyle app
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and music stream on 91.5k would be jazz.
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enlighten them in the morning. Let's start with our sip of coffee going. Oh, yeah, that's it.
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recording in progress.
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Bar. Please remain seated.
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Keep your arms inside the vehicle
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at all times. Like you had to tell me that. For some people you
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do it's a metaphor for life, bro. You know, I'm saying when our kids get on ride, you know, hey, what does that mean? Well,
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I have like today's conversation could be a bumpy ride as well
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as wrapping folks this year's wildest ride in the West
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are you doing this?
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Good do you do it's been
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a minute likewise,
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we talk all the time, but we don't see each other all the time. Except for when we do these. You know? What
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if? Because you're hitting the slopes all the time. That's why you snow bunny and why now
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man? Snow. Snow bunny Sexton Yes. Right.
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Filming you going down the mountain and whatnot. Man. I'm out here working with doing the Lord's work working with kids and whatnot. Teach
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me this dichotomy. That is the Lord's worked on man. If he's gonna be providing beautiful mountains and stuff like that, I gotta you know, take advantage of that. Oh, yeah, right. You know, you know, kinda play in his playground, so to speak. Yeah,
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I get that. Naropa
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please don't say that.
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comedic relief.
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I know. It's such a snowboarder thing and me as a you know, the the purest, the purest skier. You know? Okay, we
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can still be friends.
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I know. It's tough.
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I do I do. To that day when the two of us are on the slopes. Me and my snowboard. Yeah.
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The two of us.
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Yeah. I do too, man. It too. Yeah, it'll happen. You just got to come out or you daddy doesn't come out to Vegas anymore. It's cool. It's fine, man. It's all good. Whatever you want to do. I'll
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be there. I'll
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be there in September. I'll be there. I'll be there before that. But I think so.
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Barbecue here at the house?
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I do. I do think so. I definitely
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use that espresso machine you bought me
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that looks beautiful paperweight on your right counter piece man.
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So stupid.
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Every time I go to the market, I forget to buy espresso beans, which would then provoked me to, you know, to actually learn how to use the machine and look at this thing. And I don't want to I don't want to age myself. But I almost feel like the old man is saying I don't know how to use this. And it has some kids use which is so ridiculous of me
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to do I got you a knife with too many. You know, I didn't get you know, be I know,
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I literally I was making coffee this morning. I mean to this thing. Now, I always have two cups. Now. It's a thing. didn't used to be that way. But I love my two cups of coffee. And, you know, in honor of beside morning brew with these denials,
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1.5k u and v. Jazz
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and more and more. Yeah, it's, you know, it's wondering for me wondering for you, you know, I'm saying thanks, man. So, I think we should tell our lovely listeners that be transparent with them that literally up what a lot of people don't know and maybe don't need to know. But putting putting together these radio shows. It's not easy, right? In terms of we're trying to always come up with topics that are either relevant to what we think might be educational, to what we think the audience or our audience or listeners might want to hear at 8:30am on a Sunday, right? And it's, we just don't know. So we try to find the topics that we feel are truthful to us and things that we feel are important to discuss are not important. But this last go a couple days ago. Like man, I got nothing. I got nothing to you know, what do we do here? And it's in Oh, well,
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what do we do? You know, is this a Seinfeld episode? I don't know where.
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And the reality is, is that, obviously we have lives that we do together with jazz Republic, together as collaborators and stuff, and then we have our separate lives where we're working with our outside businesses and things that we do. And so, you know, hey, let's be real life is life. Yeah, you got to live life. That's what this is about is that balance of lifestyle, and arts and music and us doing it? And quite frankly, we just, we just didn't necessarily have the content that we thought we wanted to have?
Unknown Speaker 5:41
Well, because we're always trying to go ahead. Well, and the
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reality is, there's so many conversations that Niles and I have, that we say, man, we should, we should have taped that for the radio show.
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It's always that with us, you know, it's that thing where I go through this all the time, you know, like, you know, all the restaurants around your area or something, or you pass bicycle, yeah, remember, you know, next time, something, you know, you're like, I'm gonna go to that restaurant. And every time you think about what am I hungry for, and all of a sudden, I draw a blank, I can't think of any of the restaurants around town. And I think we do that with this radio show where you and I have these really amazing conversations off air all the time. And we got why are we putting this on air. And it's almost like we overthink it for the radio show. So this time, we thought, You know what, let's just, let's just do our thing. But what was interesting is on Instagram, I sometimes send you these really cool little jazz clips of things that are either inspirational or just funny, or whatever it is. And then as you and I were talking the other day, well, maybe you know, the thing I just sent you have a Charles Mingus, right? I mean, and go ahead on that, like when you got that. So the clip is we're actually let's let's, yeah, for our listeners, let me pull this up and play this clip. And then we can discuss it because it's, it's something we've actually discussed before, probably many times before. So I got both these so so this is from I don't know what year this would have been. But it was back then. What is jazz music?
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Yeah. I mean, what's I mean, it's, it's hilarious. You know, the way he first of all, he's just chillin, wherever he's at. He's taken a puff of his cigar. And that, you know, that thing where those cats back then most of them hated the word jazz. And they're just musicians, man, they're just playing music. And I love that. I don't know. And I don't care. You know, you're overthinking it. You know, people are asking that question.
Unknown Speaker 8:02
At that time. What I always find interesting about these is those clips of you send me is that you have to understand now is is is I don't want to say new to this thing. But this is a rabbit hole that Niles went down. I'd say what, four years, five years ago now? Right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And prior to that, of course, he had, you know, knowledge of jazz and, you know, but he went on a deep dive. And he would. And it's interesting, seeing someone who is who has committed themselves to learning the jazz language and learning the jazz theory. Find these nuggets of information from these pioneers in the forefront of bringing jazz to the mainstream in America and in Europe and beyond globally. Yep. And, you know, it was as his want to do with media and the way that America operates, everyone wants to answer to it. Well, what is jazz? Yeah, and you gotta remember, jazz is an appropriate word that was used to describe the music that has very Afro centric, blues roots, you know, coming from through the slave trade to down the Delta. You know, and when you listen to the blues and things like that, which, which ultimately developed into what we call in America or started calling America as jazz. You know, there's so many other prongs to that, that where it came from. And a lot of those musicians that time were getting tired of being asked what it is, it's like, why does it have to be put into a box? And so these pioneers these people, you know, Mangus monk, Duke, Yeah, basically, miles, miles, you know, go down the list. Yeah. Why do I have to categorize? You know, why do I have to be put into a creative capsule? So you can understand it? And
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that's what it ultimately is. It's a, so others can answer the listener, if you will, what we think understand it, you know, you put a label on it, you know, which is, it may
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come promoted, you know, from a commercial standpoint. Well, this is how we have to promote this, you know, rock and roll is one thing, r&b was another thing. Yeah. Really, which they're wondering the same. They are,
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but and what's Yeah, you're but you're right, man, in terms of like they're trying to market to what they think is a certain demographic. And instead of blurring the lines and letting anybody in and listen, I hate to go down the show. But the kind of segregating what music, you know, category music is by what they think a certain a certain demographic is gonna listen to
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it. But this type of conversation that we're having, is the reason why we formed jazz Republic. I know, because we wanted to welcome one of our missions is to welcome everyone to the table. Yes, physical table as it were. Yeah. And we've been successful in doing that. And people have embraced it. Because it's like, I don't want to, you know, I hate to use some of the lingo of the day, but it's a safe space for musicians to come in. Right. You know what I
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mean? Yeah, I mean, it's, it's a blank canvas, and you can come in and color it any way you want, you know,
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and enjoy it. And feel free to enjoy it without any type of musical retribution. If you haven't. Oh, you like jazz? Oh, it's like, right. No, I like good music. Yeah. Yeah.
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Or there are those that go, oh, I don't, you know, you just hear the word jazz. And I go, I don't I don't like that. And fair enough on whatever genre, it might be, you know, but it's a you may
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have been one of those people in that camp at one time as well. Well, the
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funny thing is, is, I've always been a fan of I grew up with my father, you know, albums that that we had was all Motown, a handful of jazz, and country music, which is kind of an interesting, those three genres, if you will. And I've always heard the Coltrane's and miles and stuff in the background of my life. And I didn't really understand like, you're saying, I started taking a deep dive just a few years ago of what all this really means. Because if you're going to, if you're going to, if you're going to start working on something, you should understand it. You know, I don't care what industry you're in. It's like, if you want to own a company, you need to you need to learn how to sweep the floors of your industry, before you can just go owning a company. I mean, in terms of any relative success, you know. And so it's been an interesting thing. And to your point, I just happen to adhere more to the class the stuff in the 60s, than I do what some jazz artists are doing today. There's a couple that I like, but otherwise, to me, they just don't have the same attitude. And I those guys in the 60s to me are just, they were rock and roll. Those guys are punk rockers. You know, I mean, in terms of the attitude of like, I'm gonna do whatever I want. And either you're in or you're out. And you hear that in the music, all those cats, man, all those guys on blue note, you hear that in every artist? And I think I missed that idea. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 13:26
That's the difference, right? Is that they were taking chances then they were recording prolifically album upon album. Let's just go in the studio and create. Yep. And too much of today's quote unquote, jazz is relatively contrived. It is trying to cater to a particular audience, or it is a regurgitation of stuff that's already been done. Yeah. As opposed to really taking chances and moving forward. So yeah,
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man. Yeah, it's, it's interesting to be at this point, I kind of, I feel sometimes just on the sidelines, you know, watching and going, Wow, what? What's going on? You know, and
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so when I liberated, it's very lip reading what we are doing, because we're not beholden to that we decided we weren't going to be beholden to that. And I think the listeners and our audience appreciate that, because it is accessible to them, not because it's a watered down version of what the jazz beliefs might consider jazz. It's because it's, it's a comes from a place of integrity, where we're truly creating based on what we are influenced by, yeah, we'd love to play. Yeah,
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man. That's an interesting topic to the jazz police.
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That's for another show, dude.
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It's like almost like what quantifies that one and where did that even start to? And you're right that's probably is a different show. But man, I get faster. aided by that, because you hear all these, you know, I know your professor music over Berkeley and I love you and I respect you. But some cats are that are teaching, it's like whatever if that if jazz please starts there, so to speak, teaching certain things and trying to go through the lyrics of certain songs back in the day. And then it's like, well, that's those guys are just improvising. You know, I mean, stuff was written down when you're soloing and stuff like that. So it's, I find, it doesn't, it doesn't have to be just in jazz, this goes even to into rock and roll. And, of course, you know, that kind of stuff where, you know, these guys are trying to psychoanalyze, why did why did this artists go here and that solo, so they wouldn't even be able to answer that. The other thing? You know,
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it's like telling someone to play the same solo they just played over.
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Unless it's a malady, and that's something different. But a solo
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that's a melody, correct? Yep. So I hear you. Yeah. I think we've solved the world problems. Let's move now.
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And that's all folks. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks for tuning in.
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Man. Moving on. There was another clip I sent you have on Instagram. Since we're on this kind of clip ideas. I sent you the, the one of Duke Ellington because there was his interview interview. Back in the day with his trio. He's on this, I forget, I don't know what television show was. But man, what I love about this clip, you know, let's play it for the people and then we'll talk about it real quick. Where
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did you get your ideas from? Your ideas. Oh, man, I got a million dreams. That's all I do is dream all the time. I like to play piano. No, no, this is not piano This is dreaming.
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Streaming,
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I'll be honest, man, that gets me emotional. I mean, the choice of chordal movements he's playing, I mean, just pulls at my heartstrings right away. And it just defines what he's saying. Especially as a as a writer, you know, and just, he's, to me, he's dead on and that it's not about what you play in terms of an instrument as a writer, but he's right. It's dreaming, you're dreaming ideas up. And it is just incredibly beautiful. And you know, he was just such a sophisticate, in my opinion, how he spoke and dressed and played and just carry through in his whole everything man, it he's, he's definitely a hero of mine on many levels, but man, it's just beautiful. But you know, the interviewer saying, Well, I thought you just played piano, it just sounds so like, threw it out there. Like it's nothing, you know, nothing against the interviewer. But it's like, God, I thought you played piano? No, man, this is dreaming. And he goes into that first chord.
Unknown Speaker 18:33
Come on. Well, it speaks to that, as musicians as artists, whatever instrument you're using, yeah, it's a vehicle to express yourself. Right? Yep. So the more knowledge and language you have on that instrument allows you to express yourself that much more. Yep, I think that's what you've found as a guitar player, evolving from your songwriting roots and having a band, you know, which is probably more rock, alternative, rocket centric, to grasping this new language for you, which is understanding more of the jazz theory. You know, Western, you know, AF for black American music, theory and terminology understanding has added another layer of language to your playing, which has allowed you to express yourself that much more. Yeah, and that's the way I think that's the way if, if, from me as a professor of music, yeah. That's the way I approach it. I'm providing the aspiring artists, the language or the the ability to express themselves at the highest level.
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Well, you're saying it's a tool, right? I mean, understanding,
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you know, and so I think if, if if In academia, that bridge is, you know, you know, brought together between treating it as a language as an art that allows for a musician to express themselves more freely. But that's when you're actually teaching something, you're not saying, hey, learn these 50 licks, and suddenly you're, you're a jazzer, you know, right. Now, here's, here's, I'm gonna teach you this, I'm gonna introduce you to these different influences. So you can take this material and do with it what you will, yeah, to your job. Yeah. And it's my job to just introduce it to you have you have an understanding of how this was created or where this came from? Yep. And then it's up to you as the artists to take it to the next level, and
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how to make it even look or sound effortless. There's that other level of that from you know, it, you know, it's you know, we see guys all time live, even something like this, watching that video clip, and just seemingly so like he just turned his swivels as swivels on his chair and just goes to the piano and just starts playing that incredible, beautiful piece. I'm like, Man, even knowing he was going to be less than a minute of doing it and knowing how it was going to end. Even if it was an improvised. I'm like, what a beautiful intro and outro either way.
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And what we have to realize about Ellington is that he was a student of all music, Western, European, everything. I mean, he was a huge fan of Stravinsky, and Mahler, and all these European composers, him understanding those languages as well just allowed him to even more integrate that into his, you know, jazz sensibility?
Unknown Speaker 21:49
Well, it's funny, because on our, on our website, the Jazz republic.com, we have a quote, of Ellington's that we kind of have lived by for what our mission is with jazz or public. And he says, and I quote, and this is from an interview, a television interview back in the 60s, says, I think music. I think that I'm sorry, I think the music situation today has reached a point where it isn't necessary for categories, right, which is what we've been talking about. He goes on to say, I think what people hear in music is either agreeable to the ear or not. And if this is so if music is agreeable to my ear, why does it have to have a category? I don't see the reason. I mean, it either sounds good, or it doesn't end quote. And it says it all or like what we were saying earlier in the segment today about manga SC, you know, like, what is Jas Pac Man? I don't know. And I don't care. It's just it's he they're kind of saying the same thing. You know, I mean, oh, they are saying the same thing. Just, yeah, man. You know, me though. I'm always like those guys. I'm always for that. Like, I wish we didn't have to, I mean, even with the stuff you've done, and like when you go, man, I want to do this new recording. But I want to go more down, let's say a Latin jazz kind of thing, right? And when I've heard you do Latin jazz, yeah, I hear elements of that. But it's not like you're sticking to what what one would consider a traditional Latin jazz, let's say, you know, I mean, like the Latin jazz police. Right or me doing rockabilly. You know, it now with the new rockabilly swing thing. It's like, well, I could go down a full on swing path. But even when I say the word or the term, rockabilly, yeah, well, here, we are even still having to categorize it for people go, what do you do now? What's going on? And, and I do understand that, like, we can't just say, I'm just recording a new album and record a new tune, or what is it? You know, I get the label of it. But it's unfortunate, because there's so much more within whatever the label is, you know, I mean, there's so many other you know, when you're going to make us spaghetti bolognese, you know, it's like, not every one person makes it the same. I'm going to put in a different spice than you are, or add some extra salt that you might not, or whatever the case is. And to me, that's what music is, man, we're adding different spices to what you could say I'm making spaghetti bolognese all day long. But like what's in the spice though? What are you really doing? What's going on? In what's in
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the bowl? Is it lamb? Is it beef? Is
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it vegetarian, like, you know, veggie meat or whatever. So again, I'm really glad that we've just solved the problems at the music world today in our second it's,
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that's right. If you have any questions, you can come to us.
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We'll be feel free to add your complaints and answer Yeah, and put all your complaints the complaint box. You're
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listening to beside morning brew with big nails on 91.5k u and v. Jazz and more. Man,
Unknown Speaker 24:53
I think that's going to wrap up our segment today and what a fun today felt like it was a jam session. Like we just like, Okay, let's just get in the studio and do some stuff and see where it leads. And this is actually more fun just trying to come up with, you know, well what we call contrived because we don't, we never want to come off contrived, but sometimes, you know, you try to, you know, we're thinking of what are the topics and what we want to go into, but we do bet this is like how we talk on the phone, man. You know, I've almost feel like this is, this is better, but for our listeners out there, let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to learn more about us, feel free to check us out at www dot the Jasser public.com. It's been a fun morning. It
Unknown Speaker 25:46
has, it was great, very thought provoking. And there's a few people we'd like to thank before we bid you adieu, we'd like to thank Of course, our radio sponsor, 91.5k, u and v, jazz and more, as well as high note roasters for bringing us the phenomenal coffee.
Unknown Speaker 26:13
We do that again. So we'd like to thank a few people. Before we bid you adieu. We'd like to thank 91.5k u and v jazz and more for being such an amazing partner with us. And we look forward to many more events with them. And we'd like to thank high note roasters, coffee. And we'd like to thank you the listener for tuning in and keeping us honest, keeping us on our toes. We appreciate that. And of course, we'd like to hear from you once again. If you're interested in finding out more please go to www dot Bucha jazz republik.com We look forward to seeing you in person somewhere down the line. And until then, have a phenomenal weekend. Have
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a great Sunday everyone. Good morning
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you been listening to besides morning brew with beach and Niles chillin on the corner of lifestyle app
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and music stream on 91.5k u and v jazz
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
