Bill Evans: Jazz Musicians Are Better Than Rock Musicians

[Palumboism]

What's your opinion of the statement: Jazz musicians are better than rock musicians?

Do you agree?

Bill Evans is a famous Jazz pianist from the 60's.

[Humble Narcissist]

Most musicians agree with this.

[BB]

From a technical stand point, sure. Jazz has a much higher bar to get over and stay over, to be considered good. That being said, Bill Evans probably couldn't write a good rock song, etc..... Same thing with rap now-a-days, there are many genres with much harder technical knowledge, but lots don't have an ear for the cross over.

[NaturalWonder83]

Jazz is fine if you’re typing at your desk on a word processor. It’s great for focus during studying as well.

But there’s a reason not too many FM jazz stations exist or are left. Gone are the glory days of CD 101.9 in NYC. What also doesn’t help is the fact that jazz music is simply not conducive for long car rides. Sorry.  I think there may be some jazz stations left on AM. But that tells you all you need to know.

Jazz bars are also a dying breed. It’s a money draining industry and most new jazz or piano bars that are trying to survive are failing rapidly. And new establishments typically do not make it past year 1.

It’s not like the 1930s or when Ella Fitzgerald was the bees knees.

[Palumboism]

From a technical stand point, sure. Jazz has a much higher bar to get over and stay over, to be considered good. That being said, Bill Evans probably couldn't write a good rock song, etc..... Same thing with rap now-a-days, there are many genres with much harder technical knowledge, but lots don't have an ear for the cross over.

When Michael Jackson wanted to use Quicy Jones as a producer for his albums, the record company fought him.  They said he would make it sound like Jazz.  Together they produced three the top selling albums of all time, Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad.  Thriller is the best selling album of all time.

Steely Dan made the Aja album and they wanted to replicate the sound quality of Rudy Van Gelder who was the sound engineer on most of the great Jazz albums of the 50's and 60's.  Aja got album of the year in 1977 and set the standard of what an album should sound like still to this day.  Aja is very much a jazz infused album.

Regarding Rap, I listen to Lauren Hill's Killing me Softly and wonder what the rap does to benefit that song.

[SweetDaddySiki]

Billy the heroin addict. Maybe a more accurate statement would be "Jazz musicians are better at playing Jazz music than Rock music and vice versa".