[Esmeralfaf]

And what the heck is a jazz thing?

[Talicoabilk]

I believe he refers to himself as an "electric" Lenny Breau. Whatever that means.

[fount_pirat]

Dear Brian,

You crafty bugger ,you. Things get a little quiet around the old discussion board, so you come up with this piece of baldfaced polemics. It's right up there with your "Hockey" thread.

Dumping on poor old Randy is kind of like shooting fish in a barrel though. Now Rod Stewrart's burnt offering. THERE was an unmitigated piece of offal. Did you HEAR that thing? Yeesh! As I recall, Randy's "jazz" efforts are relatively innocuous. (Undun. Blue Collar) A couple of minor chords in something other than root position, dial up a little bass on the Fender Twin and presto! Ersatz jazz. Perfect stuff for the "jazz=hockey" arguefyers, actually. I mean, what could be more "Hockey-jazz" than a 10 minute, one chord wank on "Blue Collar" that sounds just like Wes Montgomery trying to play with oven mitts on after a serious head injury.

Hey, any guy who'll spend his own money to release obscure Lenny Breau tracks is allright by me. Maybe he's been practising.

[Esmeralfaf]

I don't normally read Payback Time in the Straight (in fact the only thing I read in the Straight is Dan Savage, Bill Tieleman, and the cartoons, which haven't been funny since Rand Holmes left the paper) but Gavin Walker hipped me to the following bit of pointless jocularity:

http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=2801

Personally, I'd liked to have seen Varty actually respond to this.

[fount_pirat]

You know what Brian? I was amused before. Now I'm actually genuinely pissed off. What that "pointless little bit of jocularity" seems to be suggesting" is that his royal Vartiness is in the habit of accepting "favors" in return for coverage, an accusation no serious journalist would let pass. You're damn right he should respond, or lose whatever dubious credibility he still possesess.

A while before I left Vancouver, I posted my own bit of pointless jocularity, suggesting that Mr. Varty had devoted an unacceptable amount of revue space to an album by Norwegian percussionist Terje Isungset called "Ice Is," in which the afforemention herring choker had performed on instruments made of ice, in a STUDIO made of ice. I had basically said something to the effect of "please Alex, tell us it's a put on," and then cooked up my own press release for an upcoming Cellar gig where I promised to perform on a saxophone made entirely of baloney.

Even this baldfaced gambit failed to get me any coverage in the Straight (although it occurs to me now that I neglected to mention to Varty that I do have Norwegian blood on my mother's side of the family) though that didn't come as a huge surprise. I led my own jazz groups in Vancouver for over ten years, and in all that time I'd never been able to get anyone in the "arts" dept. of that paper to so much as return a phone call. But I must have hit a nerve (and Varty obviously must read this forum) because I arrived home from a road trip to find an e-mail from Mr. Varty in my in-box. I've had a computer crash since then so I no longer possess the original mail, but as I recall the general gist of it, he basically said that "Norwegians Sound Ice Trumpet" was likely to sell more advertising than "Middle Aged White Guy Plays Jazz Standards." Hey, I can dig that. It's a business, babe. Get used to it. But as I pointed out to him in my return mail (A) I write much of my own repertoire, as he would no doubt be aware if he'd bothered to listen to my debut CD as leader "One Up, Two Back" which I'd sent him just a few months before, and (B) I may be a middle aged white guy, but I'm a middle aged white guy who spent years playing in blues and funk bands, toured with some of the premier practitioners of those genres, have had a long and varied career as a professional musician going back 30 years, and am just an all-round fascinating kinda guy.

We went back and forth a little about this, he pleaded disorganization and personal problems in somehow losing my CD, and asked me to send him another, which I did. I was quite pleased by this turn of events, feeling that, after all those years, I'd finally at least been able to open up a dialogue with "King Alex."

Long story short, I've never heard another word from him, so I guess he didn't like the record. I no longer live in Vancouver, so I guess I no longer give a "fiddler's fart" what Mr. Alex and the rest of the Straight crew do or don't think about me and my music. But I've decided to go public with what I previously regarded as private communication between Mr. Varty and myself to suggest that, given Mike Usinger's revelations, I might have had better results if I'd included a money order with my promo package.


Over to you, Alex.

[Esmeralfaf]

Quote:

[foltdan]

I think the "taste" or "respect" ship left the dock a long time ago for anyone who overdubs on a dead artist's track. If they'd wanted you there in the first place, they probably would have asked you to do the session. Even if he knew the guy and they hung out when they were kids and played guitar together. Even if your name is "Natalie" and your dad was Nat. Even if it (by some grace of god) actually sounds good. No matter who told you it's a good idea. It's not. I haven't heard it, but I'm sure it sucks almost as much as G/Armstrong, and Bennet/Holliday. But hopefully Cory will get a packed, big money crowd out of it.

[fount_pirat]

I'd like to make it clear I'm not dumping on Bachman in my previous post. At worst he's guilty of naivete in presuming to step into a career in jazz without paying any dues. What I'm objecting to is a media cabal that falls all over itself to give coverage to a guy who's spent the last 45 years playing some pretty unchallenging music. There's an article in the Edmonton Sun that even suggests Bachman's "lowering" himself to working in the jazz market is the equivalent of Michael Jordon's quitting the NBA to play minor league baseball!?!? Is there ANYBODY out there besides me who doesn't think that analogy is exactly backwards?

It's not a level playing field here. Bachman can afford to hire press agents and publicity people to get his product before the public. Most jazz musicians do that stuff themselves. And the degree of coverage one receives is rarely predicated on the music in question, but rather on how marketable a "personality" the musician is, or whether there's a "hook." "Rock Star Turns Jazzer" is an easy sell, regardless of whether there's any substance behind it or not. Even in some of the "jazz press." I noticed Gregory J. Robb in "Allaboutjazz.com" thinks the album is swell.

Brian, maybe you ought to take the shrink wrap off that "Thing" and let us know what you think. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Randy's the hottest thing since James "Blood" Ulmer.

[Esmeralfaf]

Quote:

[foltdan]

Hey, no disrespect to the Bach-man... I'll sing along with Takin' Care of Buisness until the day I can't remember the words anymore. But when it comes to overdubbing on dead people, I'll call that shit as I see it; it blows dead goats, and nobody would ever do it if it wasn't for the sad fact that it happens to sell records.

[fount_pirat]

Well if we're gonna critique BTO (or as my good friend John Burton of Doug and the Slugs dubbed them back in the 70s "Bacon and Tomato Overdrive") then THAT I feel emminently qualified to do. I don't know what Bachman's playing is like nowadays, but in the seventies it was some truly sad ass shit.

Burton and I worked on a band called "Burning Ground" that was handled by the Allen-Feldman Agency, who were instrumental in developing BTO, way back when they were still known as "Brave Belt." We opened some shows for them, and it was an excruciating experience, let me tell ya. Robbie Bachman was utterly incabaple of even playing time. Everytime he attempted a fill it was anybod's guess where it would end up. Randy's singing voice was always cracking on the high notes like a 12 year old boy's, I remember wondering out loud why they didn't just do the tunes in lower keys, and Burton informing me that doing so would place them in uncomfortable areas for their limited musicianship. Long "jazz" excursions on one chord vamps were predecessors to later efforts by Spinal Tap. Fred Turner could sort of play, and was a better singer than Bachman, but watching these chubsters essay "rock star" moves with beer bellies a-flappin almost had us wetting ourselves with laughter. And live, the whole mess was often horribly out of tune.


BTO and the Guess Who may be beloved Canadian icons today, but their fan base in the seventies was suburban, pick-up truck types. Anybody with aspirations towards being hip avoided them like a bad smell. As I get older I realize that life is long and strange, but if you'd told me back in 1973 that in the 21st century I'd be competing for press coverage and a gig at the Yardbird Suite with RANDY freakin BACHMAN, I'd a said you were stone crazy.


p.s. I know it's rather cowardly to snipe at these guys from 3,000 miles away. But I'll be up in Canada for a few gigs this summer so they can get their licks in then.

[baskentt]

Hi all,


I just wanted to drop a quick line on the Randy Bachman album. The review speaks for itself but I would only add that, for me, the record works "in places." The way I told it to my brother was that there was some stellar playing "in spots" and that Bachman's ambition as a jazz player was realized in a very limited way on JazzThing. Naturally. One has to play this type of music for a long, long time to be able to do it well.

I suspect Bachman knows that but pressed forward with the record anyway.

Cheers,
Greg Robb

[fount_pirat]

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who actually made the gig. As I've said, I haven't heard the album, but I have a meeting tomorrow down at Virgin Records in the Quarter and I'm sure they'll let me give it a spin on one of their listening stations, that's assuming Universal/Maximum-Jazz has distribution in the U.S.

I must admit my initial reaction to this (after being "amused") was one of resentment at this relative neophyte who presumes to parachute into a career in jazz without paying any dues. A national tour of premier jazz rooms, wall to wall coverage in the mainstream media, and an hours worth of national exposure on Bravo television are not things that most freshmen jazz musicians are privileged with ( How about an hour of Dave Say on Bravo? Or Stu Loseby? Or Darryl Jahnke?). On the other hand, Bachman is being subjected to a level of critical scrutiny that I would have been profoundly uncomfortable with at my first appearances as a leader.

By all accounts, Bachman in person is a nice guy. I'm sure he's not unaware of the free ride he's getting. It would be great if he used his (so far) unearned prominence as a jazz musician to bring attention to the many other Canadian artists who've been playing this music in obscurity for peanuts all these years, in the same way he has commenably raised Lenny Breau's profile through his work with Guitarchive Records.

[fount_pirat]

My computer doesn't have a sound card, so I'll have to wait till tomorrow to have a listen down at Virgin.

I am confused, Yodi. Aren't you the same person I was jousting with in another thread? You know, the one who was suggesting I stop playing all that "old" stuff and get with the program, maybe play some hip-hop or techno? Hire a DJ? Learn how to 'play' the lap-top?

Why is it that when I play straight ahead stuff I'm clinging to the past, and playing "retro-jazz," but when Bachman does it he's "developing his artistry and exanding his expression with his instrument"?

[Esmeralfaf]

What's the opposite of "elitist"?

[fount_pirat]

Okay. Let me see if I've got this straight. Rather than advocating for a greater awareness of the arts, scheming up marketing strategies, and continuing to play the music I love, I should immediately start playing 3 chord suburban butt-head rock, keep it up for the next 30 years to build a fan base, then switch back to playing jazz at age 80.

I'll get right on it.

[UriyVlasov]

Quote:

[fount_pirat]

Hi guys. How was it.

Hi Buff. You and I played in Junior Symphony. I was known as Pip then.

[JulieSmithXIV]

In answer to the question, who is Randy Bachman, it should be noted that he, Burton Cummings and other rock moguls, lobbied SOCAN to cut royalties to jazzers. Their argument, and I have this on the authority of people who were there, is that experimental and other pure jazz forms, have such a small percentage of the market share, we basically are not worth processing.

This may be one reason I haven't had a cheque from them for either air play or concerts in decades. Or it may also be because nobody plays my albums on any station that logs SOCAn royalties. I'll be amazed if I get anything from the Bravo TV documentary that I supplied my own and others' music for. It's just too small to bother with I guess.

Or the lack of royalties may be because I haven't played anywhere in years, a result of being somehow sidelined by those who used to provide and encourage, like with gigs, tours, recordings, etc. My fault undoubtedly, but I still remember how it felt as the 90s came on and any vampy vocalist, or guys in hats doing steps, was "jazz". That's when I bailed out. I guess Post-Modernism may have won after all!

On the question of Bachman's "jazz thing", I think I'd rather listen to BTO, not that I ever did, except by accident, but at least that was his real "thing". Marketing rules....

[Peapeuddedbaw]

Excuse me guys - excuse me! I believe I have something to add...

I like what Gregg had to say - and I always like what John has to say. You're like the people I've grown up with John - it's the fight - pushing that rock up the hill - and I respect that otherwise we give in to the apethy as dictated by some other infuriating points of view.
Gregg's recollection of the Socan lobby is accurate in my memory and really, it's something that we ought to consider when pondering this issue. That begs the question of - would this have made such an impact in the world that Bachman has been thriving in for all those years, if an honest to god Jazz musician were to cross the preverbial line and started 'medling' in his world of music - and I think the answer would most certainly be no. And why is that?

It's as if these sorts of things cut right to the bone as a personal afront or a virus of somekind to the Jazz purist. But, I believe he'll get tired of this and he probably won't be interested in dedicating anymore energy to it than he is right now. This isn't the first time we've seen this. It's just a bit hard to swallow if you're the kind of Jazz musician who's really passionate about this artform. But in time this too will go away and nobody suffers too much, jazz just takes another little swipe that's all.
The only point of view that ever really affected me anyway is that of the people I respect who do what I do anyway - it 's a smaller crowd to be sure but there's nothing wrong with being a musician's musician. As far as what's
popular at the moment - hey, I've seen people - friends even - who I respected at one time blatently sell themselves short talent wise to catch the preverbial wave and in the long run they find that it can be an empty game.