Does anyone here actually like blues?

Rubberbandits

Anytime I glance upon this forum its Jazz, Jazz and more Jazz. Are there any blues fans here? Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Son House, Charley Patton. Come on.:cool:

Killaqueen!!!

Who doesn't like blues? Everything came from the blues! Well maybe not, but I like saying that! All great artists you've listed there...I love blues music! But then again I love all genres...

Setun

I love Blues, I got a great Stevie Ray Vaughan "Couldn't Stand the Weather" off a friend. Did anyone else get the Martin Scorsese blues collection? It's excellent, really well made and so interesting aswell.

shatners basoon

What you dont dig jazz? Whats wrong with you?:p
I like old school blues alright, african blues is also class.
My only problem with the music is that alot of it is just the same chord structures over and over again. However saying that i must admit that some of my favourite music is blues stuff, more so the old school stuff.
I really do have to recommend jazz blues tho!

The OP

I dont' really like blues. It's too predictable and bland IMO.

shatners basoon

I find modern blues bland, predictable and lacking any feeling or soul but if you get back to its roots where it was the only form of expression for these musicians it can be quite the opposite. Easy and fun to play too. Diddle Wooo!

Rubberbandits

shatners basoon wrote:

I find modern blues bland, predictable and lacking any feeling or soul but if you get back to its roots where it was the only form of expression for these musicians it can be quite the opposite. Easy and fun to play too. Diddle Wooo!

Agreed, modern blues is a disgrace.
I have tried my best with a lot of Jazz and I dont really get it. I adore Django Reinhardt and Lonnie Johnson. And I have an awful amount of time for Bossa Nova, Stan Getz etc. Ye are going to murder me for this next one.
I purchased "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis and I dont understand what the fuss is about. I am not for a second suggesting this album isn't good, but going only on the praise lavished on it by numerous others. Maybe I am not listening to it in the correct way? I refuse to give up on Jazz as I am a fan of all music and I know that there is a whole world of pleasure awaiting to be gotten from the apreciation of Jazz. But when I put on a Jazz Cd I just dont get that urge to listen to it again the next morning. Can any one direct me in how I should listen to Jazz? Also, can someone recommend some of this Jazz blues ye speak of?

shatners basoon

Miles Davis is gonna kick your ass!
Jazz certainly takes more effort to listen to than most genres (for most people anyway). When you get used to the music, start following the solos to unearth all the plentiful melodies which keep cropping up everywhere, thats where the gold is. However each to their own, you're not going to like everything. Jazz is a very very wide genre. Stuff which is highly regarded might sound rubbish to you (i'm not as fond of Coltrane as most people are here!) and vice versa.
Kind of Blue is so highly regarded as there isn't a note out of place. All the soloists are at the highest level. Each single line is different, providing a brand new melody. As many put it - there isn't a single note off. (unless you don't like it that is!)
Jazz blues is all over the place in jazz. Listen to track 2 on kind of blue (Freddie Freeloader, Wynton Kelly's piano solo is one of my favourites of all time) and you'll know what i mean. Its just a slightly more complex version of the standard blues progressions i think i.e. blues jazzed up!
Give jazz time and you might just be greatly rewarded, especially if you like the blues.

ferdi

blues>jazz
howlin wolf, muddy waters,srv and rory gallagher ftw

shatners basoon

ferdi wrote:

blues>jazz
howlin wolf, muddy waters,srv and rory gallagher ftw

you're not seriously starting a jazz vs blues discussion are you?
don't be ridiculous.

nohshow

I enjoy playing Blues and Jazz, but Blues is a hundred times easier. I enjoy listening to Blues and Jazz but Jazz is a thousand times more fulfilling. Problems arise when a blues riff gets into your head, you just can't shake it for days. Not so with Jazz. Not for me. I just can't keep it there. The complexities can be that extreme.

Rubberbandits

That information was very beneficial & helpful, Nice one.:)

shatners basoon

no problem

Captain_Trips

I've been obsessive about the Blues for a few years, got started on RJ, can't remember for the life of me why i bought him in the first place though!? Mostly listen to alot of 50s/60s rnb and chicago blues. My favourites are Magic Sam, Buddy Guy, Johnny Watson, Elmore James, Little Walter and Luther Allison (to name a few).

ferdi

i'm not say blues is better than jazz, just that i prefer it.

it would be silly to say any music is better than another because its all down to individual taste in the end.

Rubberbandits

Captain_Trips wrote:

I've been obsessive about the Blues for a few years, got started on RJ, can't remember for the life of me why i bought him in the first place though!? Mostly listen to alot of 50s/60s rnb and chicago blues. My favourites are Magic Sam, Buddy Guy, Johnny Watson, Elmore James, Little Walter and Luther Allison (to name a few).

You must get an album by Son House called "Original Delta Blues", it was recorded during the blues "rediscovery" period of the mid sixties. Son House was the man who taught Robert Johnson how to play. The recordings are primarily just Son on his dobro with the exception of the phenomenal "Levee camp moan" which has Canned Heat's Al Wilson on harmonica. These recordings are so unique. They have that 1920s/30s delta energy with 60s studio recording technology. In terms of fidelity they are an absolute island of beauty amongst Delta Blues.
If only Robert Johnson got to re-record in the 60s, its depressing to think about.

Captain_Trips

Speaking of the "rediscovery" period, have Today by Skip James,its very very good! Been meaning to get Mississpipi John Hurt's recordings from this period too. Have you seen Son House on the the american folk blues festival dvds?

Savman

"modern blues" - you might as well just say "pop music"

to the OP, of course people like the blues but agree there's an imbalance on the Jazz/Blues forum dunno why

I actually think a lot of jazz is bland and boring and I'd prefer Blues anyday, but to each his own

Rubberbandits

Captain_Trips wrote:

Speaking of the "rediscovery" period, have Today by Skip James,its very very good! Been meaning to get Mississpipi John Hurt's recordings from this period too. Have you seen Son House on the the american folk blues festival dvds?

Ive got skip James "today" aswell, brilliant album. You can hear where Randy Newman got his style on the piano tracks. Unfortunately the Mississippi John Hurt "rediscovery" stuff is not to the same standard as Son or Skip but worth buying nonetheless. I havent seen the folk festival DVD but I did recently get a savage "Son house and Bukka White" rediscovery DVD callled "masters of the country blues". Its basically television appearances that the two lads made during the sixties with commentary by Taj Mahal.
Bukka White is another man worth a listen, makes great use of a washboard.
Has anyone heard "the Reverend Gary Davis" his acoustic blues picking is comparable to Lonnie or Django in terms of complexity. IMO

Captain_Trips

Rubberbandits wrote:

Ive got skip James "today" aswell, brilliant album. You can hear where Randy Newman got his style on the piano tracks. Unfortunately the Mississippi John Hurt "rediscovery" stuff is not to the same standard as Son or Skip but worth buying nonetheless. I havent seen the folk festival DVD but I did recently get a savage "Son house and Bukka White" rediscovery DVD callled "masters of the country blues". Its basically television appearances that the two lads made during the sixties with commentary by Taj Mahal.
Bukka White is another man worth a listen, makes great use of a washboard.
Has anyone heard "the Reverend Gary Davis" his acoustic blues picking is comparable to Lonnie or Django in terms of complexity. IMO

Django? Acoustic stuff isn't my favourite(as you could probably tell), do like it alot though, like Big Bill Broonzy or Sonny and Brownie. The reverend is cool,haven't got much of him though.

The folk blues dvds are a must have. For me they were worth buying just for the two Magic Sam tracks!

Rubberbandits

Captain_Trips wrote:

Django? QUOTE]

Django Reinhardt, a three fingered Romanian jazz guitarist that recorded primarily in the 1920's. Quite fantastic, even for the likes of me who dosent really get jazz:p

Thomas_S_Hunterson

I love Delta Blues with a passion!

Killaqueen!!!

does anyone like Peter Green? I saw him live, he's awesome. He's classified as blues, I think!

Amazotheamazing

So where does Dylan's latest stuff fit in?

Rubberbandits

Amazotheamazing wrote:

So where does Dylan's latest stuff fit in?

Thats a tough one, you cant call Dylan anything really. You could certainly say Dylan played in a blues style, especially the mid sixties "highway 61" era.

Rubberbandits

Killaqueen!!! wrote:

does anyone like Peter Green? I saw him live, he's awesome. He's classified as blues, I think!

Peter green is an outstanding player, I would recommend "the best of peter greens fleetwood mac". Himself, Rory Gallagher and Mike Bloomfield would be my faveourite modern blues guitarists.

MonkMuffet

shatners basoon wrote:

you're not seriously starting a jazz vs blues discussion are you?
don't be ridiculous.

Have to agree.....

for some quality jazz blues listen to a bitta Oscar Peterson...great stuff!

humph

someone asked for jazz-blues , blues-jazz?
kenny burrell's album midnight blue is a perfect combnation of the 2 genres.
so good stevie ray covered a tune off it!

deaddonkey

Donkey likes the blues.

Yessum.

dragona

Well, I love J J Cale and listen to something or the other DAILY!