Jazz is not a genre that sells, but that doesn't stop musicians from wanting to play it. Even those who don't desire to play it on the bandstand still try to learn from it. It is those wonderful colors from jazz harmony which have elevated every genre of music it's touched.Lyle Bradford wrote:Is Jazz still a product that sells or are they shut out by the industry as is what we call true country music. By far some of the most interesting reading I have seen in a long time. Just makes one wonder where is the steel really going to end up in the whole scheme of things. If one is not pursuing their own musical desires how can our instrument grow in other genres of music.
The steel guitar may not be the right instrument in the context of the traditional jazz instrumentation, but the scope of jazz music is so wide that there certainly is a place for it, as has been already proven. Guitarists from the ECM label (Frisell, Terje Rypdal, etc.) and guys like Holdsworth all bring elements of sound borrowed from steel guitar. A steel guitar in the hands of someone with the ability to improvise and a thorough knowledge of harmony is even better. But there is a huge stylistic gap between that and what is usually considered jazz by steel guitarists.