A Dozen Greatest Living Jazz Musicians? Hancock would be on it; that was a no-brainer. But who else would make the cut? Why bother with such a list? Its a good way to generate conversation and debate, to shine a light on this ever changing river of music that has largely fallen out of the mainstream. When I was a kid, you could turn on the television and see Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald or Duke Ellington. Things have changed -- and, so, here we have this list, my attempt to stir the pot. Ive decided to focus on musicians who remain active and whose contributions have shaped the work of significant numbers of other musicians, if not the entire jazz landscape. Octogenarian legends who no longer are touring -- Ornette Coleman, Horace Silver, Cecil Taylor -- are not on the list. Neither is my favorite living musician, pianist McCoy Tyner, whose sound permeates much of jazz, but whose playing lately has been compromised by age and health issues. Inevitably, my choices have been subjective, even random. There are so many possibilities, as the music is deep and wide and now international. But in the end, this is my list. No smooth jazz. And for one reason or another, it doesnt include Keith Jarrett, Eddie Palmieri, Anthony Braxton, Esperanza Spalding, Vijay Iyer, Roscoe Mitchell and 50 other worthy candidates. Next time. Richard Scheinin of the San Jose Mercury News. What do you think?
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 01:03:56 +0000
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