Blog 5: jazz

Today in class we were talking about jazz music. I have very little experience with it, but from what I have gathered, especially about the more Avante garde pieces, jazz is about not just the music, but the music and the performer. The improvisation is intensely personal, and live performances are so much more than anything on a cd. I really don't think it fits into the theory that music should be heard from behind a veil. The instruments used and the people playing them are key parts in the equation. Without those parts, much of the effect can be lost. Fans of jazz enjoy seeing the performers and associating them with what is being heard. In my own experience, I prefer seeing a video of the performance or going to a live one over listening to a cd, while it doesn't matter nearly as much with the typical music I listen to.