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I need meaningful lyrics.
A great audio system is nice, but there's nothing like the real thing to remind us of why we love music. One of our readers, sporting the moniker "]-[arry", comments, "I'd be very interested in learning how many readers actually attend classical or jazz concerts on a regular basis. I suspect the results may be shocking."
Since I play four times a week (in a jazz group) I find that no stereo even comes close to the sound of live music! Don't kid yourself. When you hear music through a stereo, you are hearing the stereo, not real musical instruments. A stereo will never,never sound like a musical instrument becuse it is . . . (drum roll please) not a musical instrument! Get it?
Classical,jazz, and blues are all, in my opinion, more of a mood. I gotta have rock and eclectic fixes more. I feel they are more relaxing and enjoyable. That's what I grew up listening to. And as I grow older, I am developing a taste for classical and jazz. No country though, my taste buds haven't aquired much of a desire to go there. I have noticed that the audiophile world seems to center on classical and jazz. It is so appearant in the "high-end" shops, that the inference is that "you can't be an audiophile, if you aren't into classical and jazz." My bottom line is that I listen to what make me ]-[appy.
Jazz 50%, classical 25%, & misc 25%. We have a jazz(?) FM station here in Atlanta which claims to be smoother jazz, but they play as much R & B, and pop as they do jazz (Sanborn, Culbertson, Benoit, James, Krall, etc), and they play very little older jazz (Miles Davis). To me, the musical lines are not that blurred. Too much pandering and marketing I believe. Is it a jazz station or not? Not!
Once a month I'll go to a classical concert. This includes childrens' concerts, free outdoor pops concerts, as well as nights at the opera and symphony. Within the last two years, I've heard Renee Fleming, Andrew Manze/Richard Egarr, Stephen Hough, The Tallis Scholars, Anonymous 4/Lionheart, and Arcaidi Volodos. The last time I saw live jazz was two years ago at a free concert. I haven't paid to see a jazz concert in over 10 years.
We subscribe to 10 classical concerts and 6 pops concerts of the Virginia Symphony, in addition to an occasional chamber music concert. Classical music lovers should keep their eyes/ears on conductor Joann Falletta, who has turned the VSO into a first-rate orchestra. However, we never seem to get to any live jazz sessions.
I play in a jazz trio. One daughter plays clarinet, one plays flute, my son plays trumpet. I have never missed one of their performances. Our school system is one of the lucky few with a stringed instrument program, so I get to hear everything from Vivaldi to Sousa, from Leroy Anderson to Neal Hefti, and most everything in between. I play bass with a jazz guitarist and drummer. Sometimes my daughter sits in on flute or my friend's wife will play her violin with us. Think Django! Hope this establishes my credentials. I have a nice c-j, VTL, Alon, Rega, Benz-Micro, Meridian, etc system. I heard HP's dream system and Carl Marchisotto's Grand Wazoo speakers last year at HE2001. But nothing, repeat nothing, sounds like a full orchestra playing the "William Tell overture" at full blast or a jazz band with full sax and brass sections swinging "In The Mood". Sorry, that's just the way it is.
Kansas City is still a great place for live jazz. Many underrated players: Danny Embrey, Todd Strait, Bob Bowman, Paul Smith, Karrin Allyson (once in a while), Rod Fleeman, Steve Wilson, Mike Metheny, James Carter, the list goes on and on. We are very fortunate, I would go much more often if I could. The KC Chorale has some interesting events also. And the great Bill McGlaughlin also!
Hard to say. Don't know if my five year old daughter's piano "improvisations" count as jazz. Along with my own personal playing and jamming with friends. If so, then I listen to live jazz daily. Otherwise, I do go to the odd concert or jazz club every now and then. Probably not quite every week. Otherwise I won't have time to listen to all the music I've collected.
We have a subscription series to "visiting orchestras." This year we got to see both the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Symphony twice. That's right, back to back, we saw each orchestra twice. After that, who needs a stereo, huh?
I regret that I am only able to get to a live performance once every other month or so as it is always such a wonderful experience. A far cry from my college days as a music student and the daily exposure to live jazz and clasical music!