Comments on: Jazz Blogging – It’s the Notes You Don’t Play

By: apocalypse due

apocalypse due — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:15:33 +0000

The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes – ah, that is where the art resides! ~Artur Schnabel

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:28:40 +0000

Michael,

A beautiful post. Leaving some things out is something I’ve been working on since about week two of blogging. Some days I do better, some days not so much, but it’s always on my mind and this way of phrasing it really clicks for me. I’m going to remember this title for a long time.

Regards,

Kelly

By: Eric Sedensky

Eric Sedensky — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:19:58 +0000

Good advice. I’ll try that with my blog. Just one thing: there’s no “oddball time signatures” in jazz unless you count Brubeck’s “Take Five”. Most jazz is written in four-four or three-four time. What I think the commentor means is, jazz happens on the offbeat. That’s “swing”. It’s what makes jazz, jazz.

And while we’re on the subject of jazz quotes, Louis Armstrong said, “If you have to ask, you’ll never know what jazz is.” Which, I disagree with, you’ve got to start somewhere.

By: Janice Cartier

Janice Cartier — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:32:43 +0000

Jazz especially, New Orleans jazz is all about the “call and response”. You play a bit, string up some structure …so others can improvise. Play upon your “bones”. Textures, imperfections, context is created on the spot. Richness amplified.
So wabi sabi jazz.. that would be a very good tune.
Bright spot today here today. Thanks.

By: Catherine Morley

Catherine Morley — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:17:25 +0000

Good post. And a needed post for me.

I’ve read a few posts on the subject of posting partial posts. And I still don’t do it for major posts (different blog than the one linked above).

Research is a passion of mine, so maybe it’s the pain of leaving some of that hard-won research out. (?)

But maybe, just maybe, if I get mashed over the head enough, I’ll get it.

Enough to do it.
Or rather, undo it.

By: Monika Mundell

Monika Mundell — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:02:58 +0000

I have to say Michael that this is the best post I read this week. It really made me think and I have come to the conclusion that I can definitely learn from this.

Here I am always striving to bring the best possible post and cover everything when in fact I shouldn’t. Ouch!

@ Sonia: Your name sounds like a jazz music name and your comment about Wabi-Sabi made me laugh. Great analogy.

By: Bill Stevens

Bill Stevens — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:42:30 +0000

I’m not bragging and I’m not making this up, but, I was a drummer for quite sometime in my youf (slang). I was playing a jazz workshop in Greeley, Colorado with a big band and Dizzy was the featured musician for a performance one night.

We were rehearsing on stage during the day when Dizzy showed up, walked over towards me, tripped, got back up, shook my hand and said, “Man, you can swing.” Unforgettable moment for me. I also smelled a breeze, ok a wind of alcohol as well.

Another great Jazz trumpeter, Clark Terry, told us when asked, do you improvise all the time when you take a solo? Don’t you play some stuff over like what you played the night before?

He replied, “Yes, when you play a solo, you’ll use some of the stuff you’re familiar with, the improvisation happens in between the familiar stuff.” Sometimes the improvisation becomes the familiar stuff and that cycle happens over and over through time.

Also, the great jazz pianist, Bill Evans said some nights he’d get up to play on the bandstand and felt like he just couldn’t play anymore, but that switch was thrown and the creative process took over because it’s been disciplined to work.

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:04:10 +0000

@ Guilherme – I love your post! You make valid points. My goal in writing this was to help us find a way to encourage comments, not wrestle with ideals of perfection. But it’s really interesting to me what others see in what I write or what it makes them think about. Thanks for commenting and writing a well-thought-out post in response!

By: Guilherme Z O'Connor

Guilherme Z O'Connor — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:53:04 +0000

I agree with you but only in part.

I agree that a post has to have something missing so the public can fill in the blanks, however, I’d say that is more in the tone of voice than in the content itself.

Since nobody will ever write a perfect post, you should not fear lack of space to do it so, but instead, fear not encouraging people to do it so.

I’ll continue as blog post

By: Zo’C » Writing the perfect blog post

Zo’C » Writing the perfect blog post — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:49:20 +0000

[...] good friend Michel Martine has written Jazz Blogging – Itâ€™s the Notes You Donâ€™t Play an excellent post in which he fiercely defends a blog post shouldn’t be perfect and [...]