[Dixielandjazz] Horizontal - Vertical - etc. The Gunter Queries

[dingle at baldwin-net.com]

Steve barbone wrote:

>Bill Gunter asked the below questions and here is my simplistic 2 Cents
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>>1. What is "horizontal" jazz?
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>That which Titan Hot 7 plays while rolling around on the floor. :-) VBG.
>Just kidding. Horizontal jazz lines are those which follow an orderly
>procession of notes and silences (keeping time) through the song pattern.
>Someone mentioned Paul Desmond who IMO is a perfect example. Davern too.
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>>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)?
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>That which explores the chords. e.g. Harmony is vertical. Vertical jazz is
>when the orderly procession of notes (time) is interrupted to explore up and
>down structure of the chord. Bebop went in this direction, changing the
>rhythm to explore the chord structures, as did John Coltrane early on. Then
>Coltrane went even more complex vertically by exploring the up and down
>structure of the various scales to produce his "sheets of sound".
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>>3. When someone says to me the music is "melodic" what am I to make of this?
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>Depends upon how musically educated the speaker is. Basically it probably
>means that person can hear a melody in the music. Melodic improvisation is
>the creation of a "new" tune during the improv. In effect the player becomes
>an on the spot composer. Kind of like when Bill Bailey chords are used to
>play Wash & Lee Swing, Bourbon St Parade, Tiger Rag etc. After whichever was
>first, the rest become melodic compositions/improvs on the original chords.
>Very possibly ALL music is melodic depending upon the listener and how
>he/she "hears" melody.
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>One device to tie melody together for the listener is to play a chordal note
>on the first and third beat of each measure. Even Charlie Parker did this
>almost all the time and so for some listeners, especially other musicians,
>it is easy to hear melody within his music, while for others, whose ears are
>not tuned in that manner, not at all possible.
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>>4. Is being "challenged" the preferable state for musical enjoyment?  What
>>does this mean?
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>Only if the listener enjoys being challenged. It depends upon how the person
>listens to music. e.g. If you do not understand the vertical "sheets of
>sound" music of John Coltrane, but wish to learn about it and possibly
>develop a taste for it, then "being challenged" is your thing. If you don't
>give a rap about it, and do not wish to be challenged, that that is your
>thing too. Who can fault you for either? Some, who enjoy challenged
>listening, listen for improv ideas, and will analyze how the player gets
>from A to B, etc. Others just listen for a pleasing melody they recognize,
>or good tone, etc.
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>>5. If I don't appreciate certain forms of music am I stupid?
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>Of course not. What type of music you do, or do not appreciate has nothing
>to do with stupidity. Each to his/her own.  BUT, IMO, the caveat is that;
>putting down a form of music, or a musician who plays it, or deriding those
>who enjoy it . . . as being stupid, is often a beacon pointing squarely at
>the ignorance of the person(s) casting the aspersions.
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>Cheers,
>Steve
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Horizontal jazz -  Exampled by yhe late Pete Daily's band at the Canyon 
Room on Santa Monica in the 50's -- many of the players, having exceeded 
their libation limits lng before, had already become gassed to the 
eyeballs; nevertheless still attempting to play while flat of the their 
backs -- except little Skippy who could only rest his head on the piano 
keyboard in a last attempt to remain upright,  hands poised over the 
keys in a a valient attempt to play an A flat intro.  No doubt, this 
band could play great jazz when the evening was young, but you had to 
get there early as the last sets were mostly horizontal jazz.

Vertical jazz -- played by a 16-piece band on a  stand meant for no more 
than eight. With no room for chairs, the players had to cram tightly in 
what can only be described as a musical blivet. That is horizotal jazz.

Fusion jazz is a mix of both in what can best be described as a 
leaderless mass of energy with no forwarding address and no return 
label. It just is.

I will no attempt to describe Dixlieland jazz -- only a fool or hopelss 
optimist should attempt that, and that ain't me!\

Don (You had to start this, didn't you Gunter!) Ingle