Why I love… Jazz

Manager of the UoM Big Band Society, Ollie Cartwright, gives us his opinion on why jazz deserves more attention:

Jazz has got an image problem. Just reading the word sends people scurrying away in fear. It shouldn’t be this way. I was bitten by the Jazz bug early and I’ve loved it ever since. Hopefully by giving some reasons why I can encourage those more open-minded readers to take the plunge and learn to love Jazz too.

What people always seem unaware of is the sheer variety of musical styles that come under the umbrella of Jazz. It’s a musical style straddling more than 100 years so it’s quite a large umbrella with something for everyone. Robert Glasper is a pianist and producer whose hip-hop infused Jazz has seen him collaborate with everyone from J Dilla to Jay-Z. Glasper gigs often turn into impromptu jam sessions with the likes of Mos Def and Kanye-West. He even plays Radiohead and Nirvana. Not the realm of the cocktail pianist I’m sure you’ll agree.

For the fans of the more aggressive genre, I offer up Pharoah Sanders. As well as having one of the coolest names you’re ever likely to hear, this saxophonist coaxes screams from his instrument that wouldn’t sound out of place in the most depraved of horror films. In ‘Olé’ from the album Heart Is A Melody, ‘The Pharoah’ builds his improvisation to an emotional intensity and then, with nowhere else to go, takes the saxophone out of his mouth and bellows into the audience. Why? That’s for the listener to decide.

Jazz is an anything goes genre. Quite literally anything can happen and that’s the excitement. This isn’t a music where the band turn up and crank out their hits. This is a music that dares to be different, every single night. Give it a try.

Robert Glasper – Downtime

Pharoah Sanders – You Got To Have Freedom