Henry Hay, your soon-to-be favorite jazz man, has been getting attention lately for his YouTube videos. But why should you care about his decidedly white jazz? It's easy to appreciate late-’50s hard bop, partly because the sound is so damn good, but what about the era's aesthetic? Whenever I hear modern jazz simply mining those old sensibilities (call it lounge jazz, I guess) I vomit in my throat. Why? Well, since the popularization of jazz, emerging from ‘sophisticated’ classical music's migration to the Southern USA, the art form has never stood still for very long. You could even go so far as saying jazz as a genre is an illusion -- based on certain harmonic principles, yes, but never relevant without progression.
Some would say that the likes of Henry Hey and his brand of jazz are simply aping a sense of nostalgia long forgotten by the public at large. Others would say like-minded musicians are just keeping the dream alive... and you know... I couldnt agree with them more.... I couldnt disagree... with you... I couldnt agree... with you more, than the fact that--
Just watch the videos:
*These videos were solely responsible for this article being written.
