Viva Lì

I'm going against the tide, but I've gotten used to it: I quite like jazz, but I don't obsess over it, and among all the musicians, my favorite remains the unforgettable Bill Evans. I know very little about John Coltrane, to say the least, and Duke Ellington, the world-renowned pianist, has always somewhat disappointed me, if not bored me. I find that the very early Carosone (perhaps the one you don't even know, and I'm not sure if the extremely popular songs like "Ho giocato tre numeri al lotto" or the magnificent "E la barca tornò sola" mean much to you) sounded at times much better, or at least much more genuinely, than Duke Ellington. Then again, of course, everyone praises Ellington, but in this case, I really enjoy going against the grain. Ipse Dixit.

Grasshopper, I don't want to get angry anymore. Everyone has their own ideas, and let them hold on to them as long as they can. I won't repeat that you're snobbish (because it's not true), and I happily read this wonderful review dedicated to Bill Evans, whom I love dearly. I don't have the album, and I don't know if I'll get it, especially since the two anthologies I own from when I was a child are more than enough for me (my uncle liked him a lot and he played me all sorts of tracks). I do, however, have a dream, which I know will be unachievable (but as long as I can, I’ll keep dreaming): I would love for you to one day write a slightly mean review (or even a really nasty one, you decide) about an artist that you just can't stand (like Marco Masini or Luca Carboni). I have a feeling you would do it just as well as your usual reviews, perhaps with that touch of acidity that I would enjoy seeing you let fly free every now and then. I’m serious, I thought you were a completely different person: I stand corrected, and I publicly acknowledge my mistake. Ipse Dixit.

A somewhat lengthy review, but I still sincerely thank the reviewer Symbad Bassist (hey hey, that nickname must mean something!), and I swear I will inform myself a bit more about this extraordinary, as everyone says, multi-instrumentalist musician. However, I believe I won’t mind the listening experience at all since, as you say at the beginning, I don't want to learn how to play the guitar. I wish the reviewer a good holiday (lucky you who are away for three months) and promise that in September, when he returns, I will discuss extensively about the music and art of Wes Montgomery. Ipse Dixit.

Ah yes, I’ve already expressed my opinion on Bill Evans, but I’ll never tire of glorifying his greatness and genius: the black jazz, the pure one, born in New Orleans, grown with the brass instruments and then the trumpet of Louis Armstrong, is not the jazz played by Evans. Bill's music is something absolutely unclassifiable: brilliant, imaginative, passionate, warm, in a word, unique. However, regarding this great artist, I keep repeating, there are only two reviews. That's a bit too few, and in the end, it’s not even a nice thing for a site that proclaims itself as free and independent. Is jazz not, between the lines (but not even that subtly), freedom? I leave it to you to take the initiative, if you feel like it. Ipse Dixit.

Bill Evans is not just a jazz composer; he is jazz itself. As a creator and shaper of sounds and voices typical of the purest jazz, Evans has managed to enchant generations of die-hard music lovers with the sound of simple, trumpet-like jazz vocal manifestations (and in this case, the term simple is anything but derogatory). I have finally discovered what I Love Music enjoys: jazz. Perhaps a bit limited, but definitely a great choice. By the way, why are there only two albums by Evans? And for Oasis, there are at least a good fifteen? In this case, though I take no responsibility, even a duplicate would make the cheerful sitar happy. Ipse Dixit.

Oilalà, it's Miles Davis again. But this time, Edoardo, you've done a good job: perhaps you got carried away by the emotion and the responsibility of reviewing not just an album in itself, but having to, and wanting to, review Miles Davis. A task not easy, but you, with just a few lines but great effectiveness, managed to hit the mark, to lock away in a drawer the following phrase: "If the album could be summed up in one word, it would be: elegance." In my opinion, for its technical consistency and impact on first reading, it’s one of the most beautiful phrases ever appeared on this site. Everyone can say what they want, but knowing how to review albums with elegance and grace is always a challenging and dangerously fascinating endeavor. Ipse Dixit.

Congratulations on the review: you have shed some light on what jazz is, but you hardly mentioned anything about the album or who this mysterious (at least to me) Charles Mingus is. However, I see that with just a few words, a few ideas, and a few concepts, you managed to score an average of 4.17. And then they give me a 1 when I try to write a slightly longer and more articulated review: maybe it's enough to write a couple of words about a jazz record and mention an author who is easy to rave about (even I Love Music raves about him, and that says it all) to gain fame and honors. All this, I swear, will be a lesson for me. But I will never put it into practice: I would rather write reviews and take a 1 as my average than earn a 4.17 without even making an effort. Sorry for the outburst, but when it has to be said, it has to be said. Ipse Dixit.

This time it's better, I know Chet Baker. And I have to say a couple of things to the reviewer: let's stop with this fixation on telling the little story of Baker the junkie, he may have been one, but what does it matter, what’s the point of remembering it? So, every time we talk about Jimi Hendrix, should we say, very talented, but a junkie? Why? Second: Baker didn’t revolutionize anything, what are you talking about? In my opinion (yes, I have a thousand names, call me whatever you like), Baker revolutionized jazz, and anyway the way of playing the trumpet, more than Glenn Miller and Miles Davis did. Why do you always idolize everyone and then when it comes to raising a great artist to the altar of glory, you stay quiet and don’t have the courage to go all the way? Presumed arrogance? Lack of courage? 4 stars, come on, that’s really too little, what would it have cost you to give 5? Too much mental effort? Ipse Dixit.

Alright, I won’t bore you this time: I’ve learned, the hard way, that jazz is an excellent vaccine against the curses of the modern world. I publicly confess, I don’t know Charles Mingus, I’ve never heard of him, but I promise I’ll try to understand who he is and what exciting things he composed in his rich, or so you say, career. I apologize in advance if, once I listen to it, I don’t end up liking the album. Everyone has flaws, some have few (and they are few), while others have many (and there are many). I belong to the second category, but as Billy Wilder taught, nobody’s perfect. Ipse Dixit.

John Coltrane? A great crazy genius of jazz? Blue Train? But excuse me, maybe you’re right too, but is it really possible that anything that is jazz on this site is idolized to the point of shamelessness? Is it possible that only jazz is the highest, most cultured, most noble musical art? Alright, John Coltrane may have been a great artist, but if he had made rock, what would you have said, that he was decent but lacked a bit of talent? So be it, jazz all the way: when are we going to get a nice review of Stefano Di Battista Jazz Quartet? They too, albeit in a somewhat superficial way, make jazz, so what are you waiting for, give them a nice review too, slap a good 5 on them and we’ll all be happy and content. Let’s be clear, I have nothing against jazz, which I actually quite like, but constantly praising everything and everyone can ultimately be exhausting. Not so much because of the review on John Coltrane, but because of the ecstatic and raving comments: "I have no words," "Immense," "A genius is an understatement." Calm down, people, calm down: if you were listening to Beethoven, would you throw yourself on the ground in joy and wag your tails like dogs? If the answer is yes, I lose all hope, if the answer is no, maybe you’re not as closed-minded as I thought. Ipse Dixit.