[Dixielandjazz] Horizontal music

[Bill Gunter]

Hi Listmates,

Larry Walton wrote (regarding Kenny G's music):

"Kenny's music in addition to the elements (ie syncopation etc.) . . . is 
also melodic, and the Jazz is horizontal vs. some of the newer forms and 
does not challenge the listener."

Whoa!  That raises a bunch of questions:

1. What is "horizontal" jazz?

2. What is "vertical" jazz for that matter (if there is "horizontal" jazz 
there ought to be vertical, and perhaps even "slanted" and/or "diagonal" 
jazz)?

3. When someone says to me the music is "melodic" what am I to make of this?

4. Is being "challenged" the preferable state for musical enjoyment?  What 
does this mean?

5. If I don't appreciate certain forms of music am I stupid?

You'll have to pardon me on this . . . but I'm rapidly approaching old age 
and it seems to me that much of contemporary musical presentation and 
commentary is pretentious.

I didn't feel this way when I was younger - I just sort of felt that one day 
it would all become clear to me as I matured.  But somehow it never has - 
much of modern composition seems even more unlikeable, it simply strikes me 
as boring or, even worse, absolutely irrelevant.

So when I'm told that someone's music is "horizontal" I don't know whether 
to:

1. giggle,
2. nod sagely in agreement
3. look up the word "horizontal"
4. wonder just what the hell people are taliking about
5. all of the above

Respectfully submitted,

Bill "straight ahead" Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com