So, today I'm going to do something a little different. I'm going to issue an album warning. The album I'm referring to is "For Musicians Only," released in 1956 by Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, and Sonny Stitt. Like the record in my last post, this album is saxophone crazy. I've been listening to this album the past few days and no matter how hard I try, I cannot get into it.
Really, the only problem with this album is it is flat out too fast. Each song is played at roughly the same blistering tempo. As a matter of fact, I find that they are played so fast that they cease to swing (although they are technically swung). The music is played so fast that it does not groove. To really hear the swing you have to have a very sensitive and precise ear. It is also played so fast that the melody is emotionless and almost meaningless. The solos, too, lose emotion and, to the untrained ear, sound simply like an instrument running mindlessly through the scales. Overall, you really have to have a jazz musician's ear to appreciate to any length the contents and intricacies of this music.
The one thing that anybody will, and should for that matter, appreciate is the technical ability of the musicians. It is mind-blowing how dexterous the musicians are. They manage to somehow play so fast and still play precisely. However, it is hard to really appreciate and enjoy music based on this quality. The musicians almost remind me of Yngwie Malmsteen, who has amazing technical ability, but only plays scales. I can't stand listening to him for an extended period of time because it is just so bland. This type of music lacks the emotional quality that makes music interesting to listen to. As much as I hate to put down these three musicians in particular, since they are all great (material like this is unusual coming from them), I have to say that this album is not worth listening to. As the title implies, it is "for musicians only." And even then, it is hard to appreciate.
