First real contact with JAZZ

So, about a year ago, early 2023, I was pondering whether I'd try and get into jazz, kpop or black metal next. And then hiphop happened and stole my attention for a year.

I'm still into hiphop, and black metal has been slowly creeping it's way into my playlists as well, but today I really feel like going for jazz for the first time.

I do like some jazz, but it's very unclear to me which artists and groups are jazz and which are blues or R'n'B. 

When I was pondering if I'd try and get into jazz more, I watched a YouTube video called 'Every single jazz subgenre in a nutshell' and left a comment where I told I'm a metalhead, maybe trying to get into jazz. And I got a bunch of comments back, people recommending songs and bands to me. 

Here's the list I'm starting from:

- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue. I've heard his name before, but none of his single releases sound familiar... Apparently this is "modal jazz" and a must listen for anyone getting into jazz

- Art Blakey - Moanin', apparently this is "hard bop" and a must listen to anyone getting into jazz; these first two were a response from the YouTuber

- Panzerballett's first self-titled album (not on Spotify, not on YouTube, not in my local library = too complicated to find). I looked into the band a little bit and they have crossed over to prog metal, which is my jam, so... Can't do the first album, but they deserve a chance. I'm taking the top three songs from Spotify: Mind Your Head, Take Five & Typewriter II. If Typewriter or Typewriter I exists, it's not on Spotify, so...

- Mahavishnu Orchestra, is apparently jazz rock with a "thrash" approach and Indian influences... I'm not sure about this, doesn't sound like me, but I'll give their most popular song on Spotify a go. That's called You Know, You Know. If I like that one, I'll listen to Vital Transformation and Meeting of the Spirits as well (the 2nd and 3rd most most popular songs).

- Hank Mobley - Soul Station

- Chet Baker - Almost Blue

- Streetlight Manifesto - Everything Goes Numb. I've heard of this band, but I don't remember the context.

- Mephistopheles - God Bless Satan. Ok, cool band name and song title. Very metal of you, I like it.

- The Slackers - Redlight

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Ok, Kind of Blue is an album, not a song. I'm not doing a 45min album to get to know an artist. I'm doing the A-side, which, back in the day when A- and B-side were a thing, was considered the best songs on the album, and the B-side was the "not-so-good-but-good-enough-to-make-it-into-the-album". This was the thing in metal, at least. I'm so young I've only listened to children's music on C-cassettes before CDs came and was over 20 when I used an LP player for the first time.

So What. 9min 22s long.

Starts off kinda boring, repeating the same melody over and over... There's a wind instrument later, or several taking turns, making it a bit less boring, adding melodies I haven't heard before in the song. Still feels like mandatory music lessons in school, though. Not exciting in the least.

Exactly what one would think jazz sounds like, and not at all what I'm looking for.

I'm actually pretty sure we've listened to Miles Davis on our high school music class.

I'm so bored in the last two minutes I just want to skip to the next song already... No offense, just not my thing at all. 

Freddie Freeloader. 9min 46s.

No difference compared to the previous song. Just as stereotypical "this is a jazz song" as it was.

No singing, I'm starting to believe that is big deal for me. Singing is something I can latch onto, since I sing a little bit myself as well.

Wind instruments, not my favorite, apart from flutes. I like flutes, like the ones Nightwish uses in some songs (Irish folk music influences). I don't really like trombones of trumpets or those kinds of sounds.

On these two songs, the drums, bass and guitar have too small of a role and the wind instrument has too big of a role, for my personal taste.

Blue in Green. 5min 27s.

I liked the piano. But I don't like how it was pushed to the back when the trumpet (checked on Wikipedia which instrument it is) came in.

I'm sure Miles Davis is a great musician, he wouldn't be as appreciated today as he is, if he wasn't. He just REALLY isn't my thing.

Art Blakey - Moanin'

Also an album, I'll start with the title track.

Moanin'. I've heard this? Maybe in school?

Again, with the wind instruments.

Is it like the electric guitar is in metal? Like, it used to be what the entire genre was based around, but nowadays, it isn't even a necessary component in modern metal.

Not a fan of this.

This will be the only song I listen to from Art Blakey. Again, not saying he's bad. Just that I really don't vibe with this kind of music.

All Miles Davis and Art Blakey have managed to do to me in the past 45min+ has made me question if trying to get into jazz was a mistake in the first place... I'll check the rest of these songs on today's list and then give my verdict.

Panzerballett - Mind Your Head

IMMEDIATELLY more into this. It's like prog metal... but barely counts as metal.

I love this.

...and then it got all jazzy around 1min, with wind instruments and everything... stop it! Keep it with the cool instruments and you got me!

I clicked "like" on Spotify anyway. This is the coolest jazz I've ever heard, thus far.

Panzerballett - Take Five

The beginning is ok. I liked Mind Your Head more. The metal influences worked better.

The use of guitar on this one is cool, though.

The longer duration on this (over 7min, Mind Your Head was under 4min) gives more room for experimentation. I like how they emphasize the guitar and drums instead of the wind instruments, as the song progresses.

The wind instrument reminds me of Cowboy Bepop for some reason (the anime OP). It has a similar sound.

I like the menacing sound near the end.

Panzerballett - Typewriter II

Yeeeey, guitar and drums!

It gets a bit repetitive later, though. But I guess, so does a literal typewriter (the same clickety clackety over and over again).

If I'm getting more into jazz at some point, this band is definitely a good starting point.

This song has it's moments, when it gets very metal and cool... like 5:12 to the end! 🖤 the "descending" melody that sound off key, with the thuck-thuck sound in the background and ah <3 so good!

Mahavishnu Orchestra - You Know, You Know

Oh wow. Ok, this commentor really got what I meant. They suggested both Panzerballett and Mahavishnu Orchestra.

This sounds like the metal I listen to, but instead of metal it's jazz. Definitely listening to the other two songs from them as well.

Don't like the sudden noises in the song, though. I like the steady, melancholic progression. I don't like the drum solo in the end either. The song would be better as a calm piece of it's own.

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Vital Transformation

Yes. If you want to do chaos, do it in a different song than the calm melancholy.

I like this, but not like I liked You Know, You Know. You Know, You Know, apart from the minor changes I'd make, was MY THING. This is good, but not as good as that.

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Meeting of the Spirits

In the beginning, there was nothing to latch onto, it was too chaotic. But within the first 1min, it got better.

I like, again, how central the electric guitar is on this song. That's an instrument I'm used to listening, being a metalhead 20+ years.

Their songs have actually been a pleasure to listen to. I want more songs like You Know, You Know, if I'm getting more into jazz some day.

Hank Mobley - Soul Station

An album. This seems to be a jazz thing, recommending people albums instead of songs. I don't like it, it puts too much pressure on the listener.

Started from the first song on the album, was going to listen to the entire A side, but then...

Remember. Lenght: 5:42

Why? Why recommend me this? It's just as boring as the first two artists. I'm not doing this again, fuck this. I'll finish this song and then move on to Chet Baker.

Chet Baker - Almost Blue

A song, not an album! Wow!

Singing! Already like it!

He could have more pathos in it, though. It's too pretty and too nasal for me to believe what he's saying.

Streetlight Manifesto - Everything Goes Numb

An album. And it's ska punk, I'm not so sure about this... (For context, my only touch with ska is Valvomo - Mikä Kesä, which was a huge hit song in Finland one summer in the 2000s.) I'll listen to the first 1-3 songs, depending on how good they are...

Everything Went Numb. 

Ok, pretty fun! More like The Offspring or even Korpiklaani and Alestorm than Valvomo.

Definitely checking two songs more. I've never heard this before, but based on the connections my mind is making to bands I do know, I like this.

That'll Be the Day.

Definitely similar to The Offspring. If someone likes one of these bands, they should check out the other.

Point / Counterpoint.

It's fine. First two songs were better. This reminds me of the not-as-good punk rock songs of the 2000s. Except this is twice as long.

Mephistopheles - God Bless Satan

Album. And it's ska :/ I'm going with the first three songs on this one.

Not on Spotify, that's a bummer. That's where I listen to most of my music on. It's on YouTube, though.

I'm listening AND typing on my phone, and I can't do those at the same time if the sound is coming from YouTube, so I typed some notes down on paper, here's a word-to-word copy:

Mephiskapheles

- too bouncy and happy

- borrows the metal aesthetics, but... idk

- it's weird, in a good way

- I'm not sure if they're "metal" because it's "edgy" or because they actually like metal and it's imagery

Satanic Debris

- yeah, I'd listen to this as a weird anomaly someone suggested, but not on my own

- the saxophone or whatever AGAIN... jazz musicians really seem to like it

- I prefer ska punk over this

- the music is boring and too happy

Bad John

- I'm glad I don't like this, otherwise I'd be bummed it's not on Spotify

- reminds me of Valvomo. Way too much. Mikä Kesä is an ok song, but I've heard TOO MUCH of it for one lifetime. Last 1min of this song was pure torture.

The Slackers - Redlight

Album, going with three first songs.

Cooking for Tommy.

Bored.

Your average jazz again.

Watch This.

Intro sounded like a video game song.

When the singing started, it reminded me of reggae. It's the rhythm.

A slight improvement to Cooking for Tommy.

Married Girl.

Nah. Average. Doesn't make me feel anything.

In summary

I liked Panzerballett, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Streetlight Manifesto.

Panzerballet were doing a lot of things right, their love for metal and metal influences were evident.

Mahavishnu Orchestra's You Know, You Know was the best song on this list. If they'd skipped the sudden loud sounds and did something interesting as a group instead of a drum solo, it would be a full 10/10 from me, I love it. The other two songs were good as well.

Streetlight Manifesto was fun, and reminded me of The Offspring a lot, so it was also nostalgic.

Chet Baker and Mephistopheles were ok.

The Slackers was partially ok.

The rest were boring. The kind of music one imagines jazz to be, and then it is, and then one's bored. One being me.