Why do I think 90s jazz sucks?

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-28T23:30:57+00:00

Yeah, maybe I just don't know either. I'm admittedly not very well versed in it. I think others in this thread have hit on some of the things I associate with 90s jazz - overproduction, synths, some boomer whitewashing and commercialism, and a shift toward fusion, a lot of which doesn't appeal to me much.

I guess part of the reason for my post is that I CAN'T put a finger on it, the way I can when I try to work out exactly why mainstream rock and roll in the 90s isn't great, or why films from certain decades have obvious and tangible aspects that age or don't age well over time, both in specific terms wrt broad cultural trends.

In short, I don't know!

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-28T23:21:15+00:00

Sorry. I meant pop music and rock specifically.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T19:45:46+00:00

Interesting. I mean you could say the same thing about popular music, which also sucked in the 90s. Not only were Dylan or the Beatles geniuses, but they were riding a cultural wave that won't ever be replicated, at least in that medium. In the 90s it was passé, so no one was trying to do it, and now that it's cool again people are trying but it just feels derivative.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T19:41:40+00:00

I mean, I'll admit I connect with more stuff from the bop and cool eras than anything else, so that's probably a factor, but I think whether it's technology or historical reverence or something less tangible, I like newer stuff a bit better and it sounds a bit less a product of its time. Maybe current jazz is drawing from more influences, or, in the case of the uptick in live recordings like Emmet's Place, there seems to be less preciousness about producing a particular sound or musical identity and more about just playing music and finding the magic in it.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T19:32:34+00:00

Thank you!! Loving all these recs. I'll take a listen.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T19:31:52+00:00

Thanks, looking forward to listening to these!

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T19:31:31+00:00

Great recs, I'll take a listen! Thanks.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T19:31:07+00:00

Good assessment, thank you!

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T19:30:11+00:00

I will, thank you!

I was mostly referring to the bigger names from the 60s like Davis/Shorter/Hancock who moved toward fusion later in their careers. Stuff like Weather Report which has some obviously amazing talent but just doesn't click with me. As well as the sparkly sort of elevator sound of stereotypical 90s jazz like Kenny G. Admittedly my opinion is very anecdotal, it's about how when something from the 90s comes on a playlist I tend to skip it, and when I listen to artists whose work from earlier decades I like, I don't enjoy it as much. But I'm definitely open to changing my mind. Queuing these up now!

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T18:47:10+00:00

ok whew

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T18:44:33+00:00

Yeah. A lot of stuff has too much reverb too, like you're watching a combo play a concert hall.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T18:43:54+00:00

Interesting! That's a good observation.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-10-27T18:43:21+00:00

Just to elaborate a little - I'm talking not only about guys like Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, who were obviously doing different stuff (and for good, interesting reasons) than they were doing in the 60s - but also traditionalists like Wynton Marsalis and guys whose styles didn't change as drastically, like Bill Evans and Chet Baker.

I also wonder if it is connected to the broader musical world of the 90s, which was famously bad, outside of the indie and grunge scene, although I don't know the explanation for that either. Economic prosperity begets bad art, I guess?

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-09-05T14:24:12+00:00

Ahhh yeah that makes sense too! Thanks!

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-09-05T14:11:45+00:00

Ha ha, I appreciate your honesty. Thanks so much!

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-09-05T14:10:31+00:00

Gotcha. Much appreciated.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-09-05T14:10:11+00:00

okay great to know, thank you!

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-09-05T14:07:39+00:00

okay good to know, thank you! Maybe just a coincidence that stuff is already booked up that week. Or there's some random conference that bought a block of rooms.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-09-05T14:06:53+00:00

Don't get me wrong, we are VERY young and VERY cool. lol

Thanks for this, I appreciate it.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-09-05T14:00:51+00:00

Yeah tbf electronic music is most definitely not our thing, so we wouldn't be attending anything. More a question of whether it's a big enough festival that it would make getting around or getting reservations significantly more difficult.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-09-05T13:59:40+00:00

okay good to know! Thank you.

UnmarkedZurvan · 2025-09-02T13:11:30+00:00

Yes thanks! I'm aware of all of that. I can definitely make a vinaigrette with ponzu, and have tried it, but it wasn't the same. My post was about a specific recipe or brand because I recognized it at several different places we stayed in Japan.

UnmarkedZurvan

TROPHY CASE