The only thing more disheartening than someone asking "Can you explain jazz to me?" or "Can you teach me how to appreciate jazz?" is when a jazz person starts explaining how jazz isn't for everyone or how you need to really work at it to enjoy the music. It's as if it's some kind of nasty medicine that you have to learn to tolerate before you can extract any pleasure from it. Yeah, that's really a way to turn people on the the music that you supposedly love. Come on, people!
I admit, I started listening to jazz many years ago because I had heard it was "cool" to do so. I listened, listened some more, listened to John Coltrane play "My Favorite Things", really started to listen, and haven't looked back. I subscribed to Downbeat and read books and reviews, but I never had to have anyone "explain" it to me or had to take a course in Advanced Riff Physics" to enjoy it. What you need to do is listen. As Duke Ellington said, "If it sounds good, it is good." Does anyone have to have rock explained to them? You either like a particular piece of music or you don't. If you like enough stuff that's labeled "jazz", you're a jazz fan. You don't have to read music or know what a chord progression is. Does it really matter what Coltrane is doing technically when he hits the last note of "Naima"? It either moves you or it doesn't. Let's try to make jazz sound like it's listenable and pleasurable and listeners will come, is the hope of everyone here at Stolen Moments World Headquarters.
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