Well all right--a very cool thread. Whoever dredged this up from the vault...thanks. Don't have time to read all of it right now (but will when I get some time), but just from the last couple pages...
Yep, use those voicings all the time, along w/ the 11, 13, half-dim, sus4, flat5/flat7, 2/3/4 inversion, etc...which is what jazz is all about, at least to me. Like the 6/9, Mu Major...but I digress. Harmonic dissonance has it's place; I listened to a lot of the avant-garde stuff (i.e., Monk, et al) when I was younger, but could see not many folks 'got it'--it's not that accessible to the masses, I guess. Still, there are some cool elements. I'll play a chart straight up the first time, then look for ways to economize movement (inversions) and modify the voicings to put a personal stamp on it. A little embellishing is a good thing, and lots of fun.
Pilbymon's point about rattling off esoteric chords and expecting everyone to instinctively follow...just doesn't happen, unless you're in NYC, LA or Nashville. I just give the root and let folks go where they will. That's the value of rehearsal--finding what works. So few guys wanna do that these days; it's all 'bout the money.
HowlinJ's point about chording w/ the left and running the melody w/ the right is a standard jazz technique (for ex., check out Porkpie on my page)--the progression/tonal center can be whatever you want. Sometimes I'll take a triad, drop the 3rd and make it a 1/5 bass (adds a tonal quality and economizes movement), or for a 7 chord, drop the 3rd & 5th. This makes it less muddy and lets the melody come through better, while still adding the tonal quality. We don't all have the left hand Oscar Peterson did, but experimenting w/ the voicings can turn out some interesting--and unique--sounds.
Didn't know there were so many jazz players around here--but I still seem to be the lone poster in Tampa. I think you're right, Jook--gotta go where there's folks who wanna hear it. If I didn't own property here and the weather wasn't so favorable, I'd blow this 'burg faster than you can say 'jazzman.' Meanwhile, P-guy sits up there in BFE, Mizzou and gets away w/ it. ARRGGHHH!
Yep, use those voicings all the time, along w/ the 11, 13, half-dim, sus4, flat5/flat7, 2/3/4 inversion, etc...which is what jazz is all about, at least to me. Like the 6/9, Mu Major...but I digress. Harmonic dissonance has it's place; I listened to a lot of the avant-garde stuff (i.e., Monk, et al) when I was younger, but could see not many folks 'got it'--it's not that accessible to the masses, I guess. Still, there are some cool elements. I'll play a chart straight up the first time, then look for ways to economize movement (inversions) and modify the voicings to put a personal stamp on it. A little embellishing is a good thing, and lots of fun.
Pilbymon's point about rattling off esoteric chords and expecting everyone to instinctively follow...just doesn't happen, unless you're in NYC, LA or Nashville. I just give the root and let folks go where they will. That's the value of rehearsal--finding what works. So few guys wanna do that these days; it's all 'bout the money.
HowlinJ's point about chording w/ the left and running the melody w/ the right is a standard jazz technique (for ex., check out Porkpie on my page)--the progression/tonal center can be whatever you want. Sometimes I'll take a triad, drop the 3rd and make it a 1/5 bass (adds a tonal quality and economizes movement), or for a 7 chord, drop the 3rd & 5th. This makes it less muddy and lets the melody come through better, while still adding the tonal quality. We don't all have the left hand Oscar Peterson did, but experimenting w/ the voicings can turn out some interesting--and unique--sounds.
Didn't know there were so many jazz players around here--but I still seem to be the lone poster in Tampa. I think you're right, Jook--gotta go where there's folks who wanna hear it. If I didn't own property here and the weather wasn't so favorable, I'd blow this 'burg faster than you can say 'jazzman.' Meanwhile, P-guy sits up there in BFE, Mizzou and gets away w/ it. ARRGGHHH!
