August 2000

Contemporary Jazz
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By Dave Hughes

I’ve been reviewing contemporary jazz CDs for well over four years now. During this time I have reviewed over 300 CDs. While this is certainly nowhere near the number that have been heard and reviewed by long-time professionals such as Stanley Dance, Gene Lees, Bill Milkowski, and Bret Primack, I think it does provide me with some level of experience to draw upon.

I often reflect on what factors make the difference between a decent contemporary jazz recording and the more formulaic, commercial, “cloned” CDs which tend to be favored by the purveyors and promoters of so-called “smooth jazz.” The one characteristic that surfaces more than any other is live drums vs. programmed drum loops. To these ears, when a song begins and the repetitive, mechanical drone of the loop kicks in, it robs the music of its creativity, spirit and vitality and turns it into a calculated, manufactured commodity.

Over the years, many people have attempted to define what jazz is or is not. While I won’t attempt to offer a specific, rigid, black-or-white definition, I think I can articulate a couple characteristics that are common to most good jazz.

First, of course, there’s improvization. Usually this takes the form of a musician spontaneously creating new musical lines over the established foundation of a chord progression, but it may simply involve taking expressive liberties with a melody in the form of stylistic interpretation (as in when a vocalist sings a standard).

Next, there’s the rhythm. While jazz rhythms have taken many forms over the years, the most common is the infectious, finger-snapping, toe-tapping style called “swing,” which drives everything from the 40s-era dance bands to straight-ahead combos (usually in conjunction with a walking bass line). Jazz rhythms have also been influenced by other genres, including the samba and bossa nova, and by the somewhat more rigid backbeats of rock. But in almost all cases, these rhythms are characterized by syncopated beats and accents, with kicks and fills added when interacting with the other musicians in the band. The very nature of the pre-programmed, mindless, trance-inducing sameness of the drum loops is the antithesis of all these properties of jazz drumming. It may be well-suited for the techno dance hall, but it is anathema to jazz.

There’s something else that deeply troubles me about drum loops. What are they contributing to the legacy of jazz that will be passed on to future generations? Throughout the twentieth century, we have been blessed with a progression of great drummers who have thrilled us with their consummate skill and explosive excitement, while advancing the technique and art form of great drumming. Consider the contributions made by great drummers such as Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Steve Gadd, Billy Cobham, Peter Erskine, Dave Weckl, and Dennis Chambers, to name but a few. Where would we be without them? They contribute to the fabric of jazz in a way that no drum loop will ever approach. Twenty years from now, what names will we be able to add to this list? Will the masses who are being spoon-fed “smooth jazz” ever know of these artists? Will human drummers even be able to find employment in order to continue practicing their craft?

I will gladly trade the perfectly regulated time and precision of the drum loop for the excitement, creativity, and spontaneity of a live drummer. The cost of paying a human drummer can’t be that much higher than the cost of paying the loop programmer, and it’s worth every penny. And finally, do you hear drum loops in rock, alternative, country, or any other genres (except, perhaps, electronic dance hall music)? All of these genres outsell jazz. Why do we need it?

So please, contemporary jazz musicians, producers and labels: Stop insulting us, offending our sensibilities, and dumbing-down jazz! Lose the drum loops!!!

Please feel free to send me email if you have comments.