Not everyone likes jazz. Yes, I know that’s hard to believe. But it’s true.
Case in point. A blog post by Ottawa Citizen jazz blogger Peter Hum, "This One’s For All the Jazzophobes." It starts like this:
“A colleague of mine received a CD the other day. I saw it on her desk and figured I should let her know: ‘That’s a jazz disc,’ I said, quite innocently. ‘Thanks for the warning,’ was the cool, cruel reply. Zing!”
Hum goes on to passionately make a case for why jazz-haters should reconsider. He touches on something you often hear spouted by non-believers, along the lines of this: jazz is too serious. And so are the people who play it.
But that’s kind of like saying Shakespeare is too deep. Or the Bible, why it sure is awfully long. No doubt it's true that lots of jazz isn't designed for laughs. But some of it is. And when it is, and it's played at the level of a Slim Gaillard or a Mose Allison, why then you're laughing.
So here, for both jazz lovers and less-than jazz lovers, is some jazz for laughs.
1. Slim Gaillard.
Why watch: Crazy piano playing. Flamenco guitar gag. “Cement Mixer, Putti Putti.”
2. Louis Jordan.
Why watch: So many Moes.
3. Jay Leonhart.
Why watch: Standup bass, standup comic.
4. Mose Allison.
Why watch: Piano chops; therapist's delight.
5. Dave Frishberg.
Why watch: Poignant lyrics entirely made up of weird baseball player names.
6. Clark Terry.
Why watch: Mumbling all the hell over the place.
7. Dizzy Gillespie.
Why watch: Speaking of Shakespeare.
8. Ken Nordine.
Why listen: It's just so weird.
Do you know any jazz for laughs? Share with the class in the comments below.
Related:
Jazz Faceoff, the violin edition: Joe Venuti vs. Stéphane Grappelli
Perspectives on jazz from The Simpsons, Spinal Tap and more