Date:	25-Oct-1998 21:33:21
From:	Earl L. Dachslager (eldphd@infohwy.com)
	For openers, Dizzy Gillespie (who clowned away his early promise), Kenny G. (ugh), McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Billy Taylor, and everything by the Modern Jazz Quartet.

 

Date:	26-Oct-1998 03:17:47
From:	Paul Abella (Pabella3@aol.com)
	two names come to mind double quick: Miles Davis, for reasons which can be looked up by checking out what I had to say in the Davis thread, and Wallace Roney for sounding exactly like him. There's also Keith Jarrett, whose music I adore, but I don't find him to be quite the genius that seemingly every critic who has ever picked up a pencil makes him out to be. Ornette Coleman became immediately overrated the second he started writing symphonies. Ornette was cool because his tunes are fun. Fun to listen to and fun to play. Ornette is fun because you mention his name and you can watch people cringe instantaneously. But the second he took himself too seriously (harmelodic theory? YAWN!) He ceased to be of musical interest in my book. Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Greg Osby are all also overrated in my opinion. (obviously, no one else is writing this) And to Earl: Saying Diz is overrated is like saying that you are an alien sent here by your master to destroy us all; you can believe it and say it all you want, but there's no way that it's actually true. Keep Your Ears Open, Paul

 

Date:	26-Oct-1998 10:29:22
From:	Alfred Samuel
	Definitely, Kenny G.(Is he really playing jazz?) By the way Paul, your last irrelevent comment on Miles Davis was that he was a great pioneer.

 

Date:	26-Oct-1998 13:55:40
From:	Chris Genzel (stamil@t-online.de)
	Oh dear, this is a possibility to shoot those performers you just don't like. Well, I'd say Michael Brecker is overrated, but who cares? His playing just leaves me cold, this needs not necessarily mean he's bad. Yeah, Kenny G.'s overrated, but for other reasons of course. Don't really like this topic. Most probably there'll be someone who says that your favorite performer is overrated. (Maybe I just did this by mentioning Brecker). We could compare this list with the "underrated performers" list and probably find a lot of names on both. - Chris. Herbie Hancock & Michael Beinhorn discography at: http://home.t-online.de/home/stamil/

 

Date:	26-Oct-1998 18:35:31
From:	Paul Abella (Pabella3@aol.com)
	Alfred-- If you must jump on someone, make sure you know what you're jumping on first. I agreed that Miles' (more emphasis put on his groups actually) was a pioneer, if it is understood that pioneers didn't discover or do it the best. His popularity allowed him to make listeners aware of others' innovations. I think that's accurate. I'm sorry I don't fit your ideal of what a jazz listener should be. Keep Your Ears Open, Paul

 

Date:	27-Oct-1998 12:42:30
From:	Malcolm Prince
	Who are we to judge the work of people who are dedicated to their art? While I may not care for Kenny G.'s music, It provides many people with pleasure and a small appreciation of what instrumental music is capable of when given a chance. Listeners should concentrate on what they like and leave the rest to others instead of fueling negative fires which could turn away younger listeners from a potentially positive listening experience. Oh, and by the way, just cause you bought an album of Miles' don't make you the man's equal as a musician!

 

Date:	27-Oct-1998 12:47:39
From:	Andrej Barbic
	Sonny Rollins. Heard him in concert last fall. While I like saxophone a lot, he just do it for me. He played tunes I liked follwed by tunes I couldn't stand. A very mixed bag and ultimately a big disappointment.

 

Date:	27-Oct-1998 18:47:58
From:	Chris
	Everyone has their opinions on this topic gauged mainly on personal interest as opposed to historical or sociological impact. (I personally dispariginly refer to most jazz post hard-bop as "Porn-jazz" because it all sounds like the music from pornos and trade shows to me.)-But that doesn't mean it lacked influence. So my thought is, what if we set someone like say-The Spice Girls as the metric for overrated and let's see if we can still come up with any jazz musicians for this list. :)

 

Date:	28-Oct-1998 02:45:52
From:	Pabella3
	Just a quick thought -- can someone be overrated if no one is saying that they're any good in the first place? All of the people saying Kenny G are preaching to the choir around here...

 

Date:	29-Oct-1998 21:38:31
From:	Tod
	There seems to be a lot of confusion about this topic. Just because we may not like or understand an artist's music does not mean that individual is overrated. Now my question to those commenting about Miles Davis, why do you consider him overrated? I would venture to say that there is something about his music that you didn't like and therefore you consider him overrated. The fact is, the subjective nature of art is such that these conversations can never be resolved.

 

Date:	31-Oct-1998 10:16:18
From:	jerry lynn
	overrated usually means guys who confuse fast and complex with taste and depth of feeling. Or else try to impress with wierd scales, multiple tempos and compositions with titles like "Synchronicity" or "Equinox" For me the best jazz is honest and doesnt require a Diploma or a competetive attitude Play from the heart have something to say

 

Date:	31-Oct-1998 10:16:19
From:	jerry lynn
	overrated usually means guys who confuse fast and complex with taste and depth of feeling. Or else try to impress with wierd scales, multiple tempos and compositions with titles like "Synchronicity" or "Equinox" For me the best jazz is honest and doesnt require a Diploma or a competetive attitude Play from the heart have something to say

 

Date:	31-Oct-1998 12:59:17
From:	christopher patrick
	you people are nuts. diz was a pioneer. miles could make one note sound like a thousand. mccoy tyner played chord fragments and voicings in fourths like nobody else. keith jarret is perhaps the most creative improviser (for good and bad) that ever lived. etcetera etcetera. no wonder nobody likes jazz, with pretentious busy bodies quibbling about shit like this. if there is one thing that is overrated, it is the self image and importance of almost every jazz fan out there. pipe down and enjoy the music, please. these people all brought something unique to the form, while you all are staring at your computer screens, feeling important. thank you.

 

Date:	03-Nov-1998 00:18:00
From:	reggie
	This is a completely useless topic. The question in itself is asking for negativity. This space would be better spent uplifting some lesser known artists.This is music. Cynicism is played out.

 

Date:	03-Nov-1998 02:56:04
From:	jim dunbar
	i agree with reggie's comments... that said, i vote for me as most overrated because my listening chops have not been the same since mr hemphill went over to the other side.