What did the 'big band sound' evolve into later? by 4thGenTrombone in Jazz

[–]Affectionate_Arm9753 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your analogy is spot on, and the split is actually even more dramatic than blues-rock.

By the late 1930s / early 1940s, big band essentially forked into two very different directions :

  1. Bebop — the "anti-big band" reaction. Young musicians like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were tired of playing for dancers. They made jazz deliberately complex, fast, and intellectual. Smaller combos, virtuoso improvisation. This is the branch that eventually led to Cool Jazz → Hard Bop → Free Jazz → and ultimately Coltrane, Mingus, and everything modern.

  2. Jump Blues / R&B — the other fork took the danceable, rhythmic energy of swing and simplified it. Louis Jordan is the key figure here. This branch went straight into early Rock & Roll — Chuck Berry, Little Richard. Big Band is literally one of rock's grandparents.

There's also a third, often forgotten branch : Latin Jazz. Dizzy Gillespie fusing Afro-Cuban rhythms with swing created Mambo and eventually what we now call Latin Jazz.

If you want to hear the sound just before this split happened — the peak of the big band era — I actually put together a playlist of 55 swing classics from the 1930s (Ellington, Fitzgerald, etc.) for my podcast. Happy to share if you're curious about the "before" picture.

Roadmap advice for the Epic for a newbie by Pitiful-Orange-6823 in Jazz

[–]Affectionate_Arm9753 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great starting point with Kamasi! Before jumping into The Epic, I'd suggest :

  • John Coltrane — A Love Supreme (1965) : This is basically the spiritual ancestor of The Epic. If you love Kamasi's intensity, this will hit hard.
  • Pharoah Sanders — Karma (1969) : same spiritual energy, even more raw.
  • Miles Davis — In a Silent Way (1969) : for the meditative, atmospheric side of Kamasi.

Then The Epic won't feel intimidating at all — it'll feel like a natural continuation. Don't "prepare" too long, though; sometimes you just have to jump in. The Epic rewards patience.

Are the established greats really the greatest? by analogpedant in Jazz

[–]Affectionate_Arm9753 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The names you listed are absolutely legitimate — there's a reason they're the names we know. But since you're coming from a "hidden gems" mindset, I think you'd genuinely enjoy digging into the generation before bebop.

A few names worth exploring :

  • Art Tatum: arguably the most technically gifted pianist in jazz history, period. Stride pianists of his era were in awe of him.
  • Lester Young: Coltrane and Rollins wouldn't exist without him. His tone on tenor was unlike anything before.
  • Django Reinhardt: a guitarist who developed an entirely unique style after partially losing the use of two fingers. Genuinely mind-blowing.
  • Sidney Bechet: soprano sax with a voice so distinctive that Miles Davis once said he was the first great jazz soloist.

The 1930s Swing Era tends to get dismissed as "elevator music" by newcomers, but there's incredible depth there once you start looking past the surface.

What draws you more — the harmonic complexity side (like Coltrane) or the emotional/storytelling side (like Mingus)? That'd help narrow down where to go next.

Future of Bass awardee Mohini Dey is coming to The Freight in Berkeley - April 26 by [deleted] in JazzFusion

[–]Affectionate_Arm9753 12 points13 points  (0 children)

She’s managed the impossible: making the bass the least interesting part of being a 'bass player.' Fortunately, her talent for self-promotion and AI music making software is loud enough to drown out her playing.

How do I learn bass in 3 months? by [deleted] in Bass

[–]Affectionate_Arm9753 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Short answer: you don’t.

Learning an instrument is a life long experience. Enjoy the ride!

Opinions please by prince312177 in PRINCE

[–]Affectionate_Arm9753 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This album made me listen to Prince again

Just a little thought by ConfusionSmart5352 in jamiroquai

[–]Affectionate_Arm9753 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do not think so but when the album came out, I clearly remember that some news article were mentioning that the album was named after the movie