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Janeks new album

#21
Barkless Dog said:
Sometimes I really am taken aback on how close minded the bass community can be, the majority that is, in my opinion.

He considers himself a MUSICIAN creating MUSIC. Roles do not mean anything, it's the vision in the end that matters. He learned a long time ago to stay away from the close minded bass community and its associations.

Just my opinion & observation.
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That's the nail on the head for me. When I stopped being infatuated with an instrument, and became infatuated with music (which was always there, just subverted by competitive ********) THAT is when I considered myself to have become a MUSICIAN. Whatever it is that I make music with now doesn't matter, bass, guitar, or a tambourine, if it's something I like hearing and was true to my intent, then I have been a successful musician.

I often think the simpler the instrument, the more expressive you can be and the less obsessed with all the trappings of virtuosity and 'pride' in technical ability.
 
#22
and the thread continues in a positive manner!

great to read some of these posts and see the discussion developing.

And here's some visual stimulus for you guys! we just launched a short trailer for the upcoming documentary about the new album...

Check it out here: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Janek
 
#23
silddx said:
That's the nail on the head for me. When I stopped being infatuated with an instrument, and became infatuated with music (which was always there, just subverted by competitive ********) THAT is when I considered myself to have become a MUSICIAN. . . . . the more expressive you can be and the less obsessed with all the trappings of virtuosity and 'pride' in technical ability.
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this rules.

words to live by.
 
#24
Since I was unfamiliar with Janek's work, I went back & sampled his earlier work.

I really enjoy his new direction much more than his previous recordings. Really they are just different ideas. Saying that, I felt his new direction is a more of the music I prefer, which more free experimental music & ideas. I just find most modern jazz very similar sounding and not standing out from one artist to the next, solos being boring at times, this coming from me being a listener, not a musician.

Don't get me wrong I like jazz, but prefer music that is more experimental in nature. I guess for jazz it's more Jack DeJohnette for me, where straight up jazz, often reminds me of New York diners where jazz musicians play while you eat & carry on conversations.
 
#25
I just bought the new album. It's erm, ok. Not really fiery enough for my tastes, and I find the harmony aspects uninteresting. For what it is, it's nice, I found it relaxing but not particularly stimulating. But it's Janek's vision, and a lot of other people will really dig it.

However, from being a bit of a JG dissenter (basically because of my assumptions and some sh*te other people were saying), I'm now a bit of a convert. I signed up on the mailing list and I'm getting some excellent free lessons, really really good! And this thread has actually made me much less negatively judgemental about Bass virtuosos. Although I still think bass is a rancid instrument for soloing, the timbre is horrible, and the tone required to solo always seems to have a horrible hollow honky sound, I hate it! That tone represents an awful lot of wannabe virtuosos who seem to follow the hifi version of Jaco and want to win the imaginary TV show 'IRON BASS!!'. There's no sweetness to it, no real expression. We can all play scales and arpeggios dead fast if we practice, but it says nothing about the player other than 'LOOK LOOK LOOK! SEE THIS!' Where's the music?! This rambling post is meant to illustrate that I really respect Janek for actually having the self confidence to make the listener do the work, instead of the sports fans :)

Barkless, I'm with you on that, except for the jazz bit ;)
 
#27
First of all, Janek, I appreciate you making your album available for free! You didn't have to.

Second of all, I'm digging the project-some tunes more than others-at the moment. I stress at the moment because when I purchased you first project, Mystery To Me, some cuts really grabbed me while others didn't. Also, I remember thinking, "This is cool, but it sounds like Matthew Garrison's stuff (not a bad thing, mind you-I'd like to get that comparison). I then went back and listened to Matthew's projects again and then revisited Mystery To Me. It's amazing how the same music that I had checked out before didn't sound the same. Or shall I say, how I perceived the music wasn't the same. What became more apparent was that your songs were grooving because your bass lines were grooving, maybe even more so than Matthew's, whose virtuosity can be very intimidating-at least to me! But not only did the grooves grab my ear, your mastery of the bass was very evident. Now, as a more "seasoned" listener and bassist (hopefully), you sound like you and Matthew sounds like Matthew-at least to me.

Last of all, it's cool to not be bombarded with bass solos! While you are so very capable of sending me scurrying to the shed, your new project is about the songs, the band and speaking through your music.

So, thank you, Janek, for doing what you do and being a source of inspiration to many of us!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste! :cool:
 
#29
I just bought this the other night and only heard it once so far but really dig it. I always dig it when during improv a left turn falls out of the sky unannounced and seems perfectly orchestrated. That seems to be abundant here. Very cool sounds and textures as well!
 

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