Why Are Jazz Standards All Old?

Adam Neely video on Copyright Craziness - He Actually Unlisted it - sorry :(

3 Videos in 3 Weeks -

The Music -

1. Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Next Step -
2. Mark Turner - In This World -
3. Robert Glasper - In My Element -
4. Seamus Blake - Way Out Willy -
5. Dave Holland - Prime Directive -
6. Avishai Cohen - At Home -
7. Gerald Clayton - Life Forum -
8. Terence Blanchard - Flow -
9. Brad Mehldau - Places -
10. Jason Moran - Facing Left -

The Abstract -

Jazz Standards have been on my brain this past week. Maybe blame Jacob Mann, who's currently crushing the wedding/bar mitzvah game with his Jazz Standers Trio.

I have friends who tell me "jazz is dead". Whether it's magical thinking or confirmation bias born of spending 6 years of my life and a consequential sum of money on my "jazz education", I'm not ready to say that by a long shot.

Nor am I fully on-board with the thesis that Kneebody and Snarky Puppy are the "jazz" now. Those are two of my favorite musical acts, but I don't think even they'd say they were "jazz" - definitely "jazz influenced", but not "jazz" per se.

Nor am I ready to say the only "jazz" is completely repertory. Rehashing the 1950s like zero time has passed. I think we've come too far since 1990 to go back.

The "sweet spot" - one some friends insist is so small as to be inconsequential (and obviously I disagree) - is jazz that isn't fusion, but isn't repertory either. And I assert there are *plenty* of records in that vein.

Which begs the question: why aren't any of those tunes in real books?

Seamus Blake's Badlands.

Terence Blanchard's Wandering Wonder.

Zhivago by Kurt, f@#$ sakes.

This video simultaneously catalogues ten records I think we should add to the real book, and my climate-fueled retreat to the west coast for a few days.

Hope you enjoy.

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