More 8th Notes
Posted on February 8, 2010 with 0 commentsI've been struck again by just how much contemporary jazz is played mostly in rhythms consisting of 8th notes. It seems that in the rush to find 'good' notes and hip harmonies many soloists have forgotten all about rhythmic variety. Hardly surprising given how much time is given over in jazz education (which most jazz players are products of these days) to harmony and how little to rhythm. The result of this is a rhythmic conformity that is incredibly widespread - 8th notes leavened with the occasional triplet.
Like so much else a certain model seems to have been used - the Mark Turner/Rosenwinkel bands - but only examined in a very perfunctory way, hearing the general 8th note milieu in which Mark and Kurt play, but missing the rhythmic variety used within that. Compare the typical 8th note brutalism of much soloing these days with the wonderful variety delivered by Joe Lovano on pretty much any solo - such as the one below. Let's have more of this please..................