When Did I Become Old? (Long Post)

[7615]

Yep. Became a big fan of all these cats plus some of the more "out there" Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Sam Rivers, Albert Ayler in jazz, Alvin Lucier, Pauline Oliveros, etc., etc. back in my late teens.

Always been hungry for new music.

Love all of the above - but I would consider being more "out there" than Cecil is a tough call. Taylor did play with Ayler, Rivers and Oliveros. Taylor eliminates all references to antecedents in music - in harmony and rhythm.

Taylor as Ayler is largely rooted in blues however I find Taylor's is more oblique.

 

[Muddslide]

Love all of the above - but I would consider being more "out there" than Cecil is a tough call. Taylor did play with Ayler, Rivers and Oliveros. Taylor eliminates all references to antecedents in music - in harmony and rhythm.

Taylor as Ayler is largely rooted in blues however I find Taylor's is more oblique.

Agree with all of this. I didn't phrase or punctuate it well, but I meant the qualifier "out there" to refer specifically to some of the work of Mingus.

 

[7615]

Agree with all of this. I didn't phrase or punctuate it well, but I meant the qualifier "out there" to refer specifically to some of the work of Mingus.

Mingus moved back and forth from out to more traditional. Love his stuff. For strictly bass playing - Money Jungle with Ellington and Roach - his playing is exceptional. As Roach tells the story Mingus thought Ellington would play some of Mingus' compositions but he had only reached out to Roach and Mingus to be his rhythm section. Mingus in anger overplays - to wit Ellington commented - isn't his playing fantastic. Roach tells it as Ellington manipulated Mingus to be angry as Ellington knew that an angry Mingus would play all out.

 

[bass12]

I think my wife’s definition of “new” music is Top 40 stuff, which is fine for her if that’s what she likes... It just is not what I like, but that’s fine. If that makes me old in her eyes then call me a fogey.

There's very little (that I'm aware of) in modern top 40 that has really interesting or fun bass lines, so it makes sense that you, as a bass player, probably don't get off on much of that stuff.

 

[Matthew_84]

There's very little (that I'm aware of) in modern top 40 that has really interesting or fun bass lines, so it makes sense that you, as a bass player, probably don't get off on much of that stuff.

I agree fully. She plays a bunch of stuff that has very little melodic bass movement, or long drone notes and rolls her eyes when I say it's not interesting to me... Oh well.

 

[Basshead247]

I'm 44, with an incredibly broad range of musical taste, and haven't gotten in to many new bands since the 90s. The exception last year was discovering Royal Blood, which impressed the poopie out of me.

 

[mongo2]

I officially started feeling old on July 4, 2018 at approx. 4:00am when I suffered a minor stroke in the left portion of my thalamus that affected feeling on my right side.

 

[Durham52]

I'm weeks from being 66 and don't feel old most of the time. Musically I have pretty wide tastes, I'll give just about any type of music a shot. Having always had a strong interest in song writing, melody and rhythm, the quality of the composition and lyrics (if any) really determines what I find worth listening to. Most pop ranges from mediocre to junk, but then that has always been the case. I grew up on my parents big band and first half of the 20th century jazz and blues records and was eleven when The Beatles hit and a new musical world opened up. All through my teens new sounds and musical steps happened almost weekly, why ever stop listening to what's new and enjoying what resonates?

 

[Matthew_84]

I officially started feeling old on July 4, 2018 at approx. 4:00am when I suffered a minor stroke in the left portion of my thalamus that affected feeling on my right side.

Sorry to hear that Mongo.

 

[Bizorballs]

I officially started feeling old on July 4, 2018 at approx. 4:00am when I suffered a minor stroke in the left portion of my thalamus that affected feeling on my right side.

So sorry for the event! It’s a real “ come to Jesus” for those who have it happen...BUT you’re still you, still in there. Rehab may help, but pursue your interest. Maybe not as before, but from a different angle. Old? How about Dented.

 

[No Treble]

I'm 51... don't feel a day over 25 ,play in an Alice in Chains tribute band and a classic rock band LOL ... you my friend are NOT old.

Nice. My band of choice. It would seem that since youre here, they don't need a bass player. What about a singer? Where are you gigging?

 

[Calexia13]

I'm 43 and dig Mingus, my favorite is Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, and I love King Crimson too, Red is one of my favorite albums, and I also like the groove side of things like Zero 7, Groove Armada, other assorted "techno" music, and also believe that a little bit of reggae everyday is good for the soul, however, I am a rocker at heart and the last bands that I got into were Arctic Monkeys, Vaccines, Libertines, and those guys are now in their 30's. It's not that I neglect getting into anything new, it's that nothing new grabs me. I will say that there is one new thing that I really dig, it's a guy named Hamilton Leithauser, but, his music is more of a throwback combination with new stuff. I think that I may be officially at the start of my old phase. Any of you other guys have similar situations?

 

[Tim AC]

I'm 64, and while I still like and listen to the music I enjoyed when I was 14, I'm always looking for new stuff. That doesn't mean keeping up with commercial trends, though--I'm not that impressed with most of what I hear on the radio, and not in a "the crap kids like these days..." kind of way, but just because it doesn't sound that new to me. I usually feel like I've heard that kind of thing before and it was better the first time. (I think this is in part due to the fact that rock--using the term in its very broadest sense to mean everything that can trace its ancestry to Elvis--is such a conservative genre that just keeps cycling between ultra-polished dance/pop sounds, and revivalist movements of rawer and more roots-oriented music. We seem to be in the former part of the cycle right now). I do like some R & B (Beyonce is seriously good), but hip-hop doesn't interest me that much, though I've heard some that I like--I can appreciate it, but I can't see myself listening to it as a regular thing.

So I'm currently listening to a lot of new North African music (Tinariwen, Bombino, etc.). I've also been discovering music that's older than I am, but new to me (e.g. gypsy jazz). I stopped trying to be hip when I had teenage children (don't even try--it's probably child abuse anyway . Who actually wants cool parents?) When you're in your teens and 20s, musical taste is about so much more than what you like to listen to--it's a social identity marker, tied up with who your friends are, what you wear, what parties you get invited to. If you're seriously musical, you outgrow that pretty fast, but some people never do (I didn't get invited to many parties when I was 16--I don't know if that was the cause or the effect of my eccentrically broad musical taste).

I still listen to the Beatles, but I wouldn't be caught dead playing in a classic rock band--I'm not that ready to embrace geezerhood...

 

[Muddslide]

...because it doesn't sound that new to me. I usually feel like I've heard that kind of thing before and it was better the first time.

Hear, hear. Nailed it.

 

[Felken]

I like Ghost and Tool a lot, but I don’t think either of them are too new.

You're right. They aren't very new. What I meant is that they had a career for a while now, but recently have a surge in popularity due to internet exposure.

I mean, Tool is recording a new album...

 

[Badwater]

You become old when you make noise bending down to pick up something. And when you smell like your parents did when they got old. It's all in the DNA.

 

[Budget Bass]

When I was young, older musicians playing contemporary rock music turned me on. I couldn’t get enough of Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, ZZ Top, Santana and of course, Led Zeppelin (among thousands of others). When I got to my mid-thirties, I no longer was able to connect with the new generation who were introducing hip-hop. All my heroes had moved on too but not the music they left behind. I listen to it all the time on my Walkman (cassette player) and it continues to influence my playing no end. I’m now well into my sixties. The beat goes on.

 

[Ian Lewis]

I took the week off to do some yard work before the summer is over and my wife was joking with me as we ate breakfast, “When was the last time you listened to new music?”

I laughed and said “Well, I listen to a modern jazz radio station (Jazz FM 91 The Grooveyard, which plays more jazz fusion/jazz-funk kind of music. I highly recommend it if that’s your thing) and they play newer stuff. I also listen to Esperanza Spalding, and other newer jazz stuff.”

She laughed, “That’s old people music. When was the last time you listened to new music? When you started being a musician did you ever think you would not be on the cutting edge of music?”

I had to think, and she was right. What got me to buy a bass was learning Pink Floyd’s bassline to “Money” on my acoustic 6 string, but the band I really cut my teeth on were the Arctic Monkeys and at the time (their first and second album) were really different to everything I had heard before and it was real refreshing. At the time, I was playing towards joining a band of that style.

My music taste evolved as I got older to 70’s Prog Rock (Rush, King Crimson, Yes, etc), older Rock/Metal, Classical Music, and Jazz. I pretty much despise all new music (except for new releases of the older styles I like). In my teens, I also loved 90’s hip hop/rap, but feel that hip hop has also tanked since around 2005.

Anyways, after I ate breakfast, I went outside to do my yard work. I turned on this Grooveyard station on my iPhone. A few hours later, my wife came out to see how I was doing, and joked around about listening to this old music again.

A minute later, a real sweet neighbour we have (a married, Christian couple in their 60’s, give or take), came over to talk to use and the wife screamed, “Oh, you’re jazzing it up back here!” And she put her hands in there air and started dancing.

After they left and my wife went in, I couldn’t help but feeling like my Dad. I’m 34 years old, and while that number sounds old to my old teenage self. I don’t feel old at all. I’m immature as hell. I still watch Marvel movies and saw the new trailer for Bumblebee (the new Transformers spin-off movie NOT directed by Michael Bay), and was very happy to see OG Starscream will be in it.

So, when the hell did I turn old? If I had to pin-point it to an age. I’d say it was around the time I turned 30...

I’m curious if generations before me found themselves listening to similar type music they grew up on, or matured and listened to older music around the time they turned 30; or if the good music of the day kept their interest in new music?

My wife is my age and she loves new music, but we don’t listen to music the same. She listens it to it passively as she drives or works out. She likes uptempo stuff that gets her dancing. I don’t dance. I listen to stuff that inspires my musical endeavours.

Thoughts?

In Australia the majority of radio stations play the same tracks, over & over again, interspersed with inane chat. I just can't stand them. One station plays new music, with a lot of Australian content, but I find I dislike most of that too. Being a bass player I'm drawn to music with great bass lines. I've just sorted my iTunes by release date - interesting - There's quite a lot from 201x, increasing each decade back, dropping to a low plateau pre '64. Old? No, just discerning.

 

[Scribbler]

I took the week off to do some yard work before the summer is over and my wife was joking with me as we ate breakfast, “When was the last time you listened to new music?”

I laughed and said “Well, I listen to a modern jazz radio station (Jazz FM 91 The Grooveyard, which plays more jazz fusion/jazz-funk kind of music. I highly recommend it if that’s your thing) and they play newer stuff. I also listen to Esperanza Spalding, and other newer jazz stuff.”

She laughed, “That’s old people music. When was the last time you listened to new music? When you started being a musician did you ever think you would not be on the cutting edge of music?”

I had to think, and she was right. What got me to buy a bass was learning Pink Floyd’s bassline to “Money” on my acoustic 6 string, but the band I really cut my teeth on were the Arctic Monkeys and at the time (their first and second album) were really different to everything I had heard before and it was real refreshing. At the time, I was playing towards joining a band of that style.

My music taste evolved as I got older to 70’s Prog Rock (Rush, King Crimson, Yes, etc), older Rock/Metal, Classical Music, and Jazz. I pretty much despise all new music (except for new releases of the older styles I like). In my teens, I also loved 90’s hip hop/rap, but feel that hip hop has also tanked since around 2005.

Anyways, after I ate breakfast, I went outside to do my yard work. I turned on this Grooveyard station on my iPhone. A few hours later, my wife came out to see how I was doing, and joked around about listening to this old music again.

A minute later, a real sweet neighbour we have (a married, Christian couple in their 60’s, give or take), came over to talk to use and the wife screamed, “Oh, you’re jazzing it up back here!” And she put her hands in there air and started dancing.

After they left and my wife went in, I couldn’t help but feeling like my Dad. I’m 34 years old, and while that number sounds old to my old teenage self. I don’t feel old at all. I’m immature as hell. I still watch Marvel movies and saw the new trailer for Bumblebee (the new Transformers spin-off movie NOT directed by Michael Bay), and was very happy to see OG Starscream will be in it.

So, when the hell did I turn old? If I had to pin-point it to an age. I’d say it was around the time I turned 30...

I’m curious if generations before me found themselves listening to similar type music they grew up on, or matured and listened to older music around the time they turned 30; or if the good music of the day kept their interest in new music?

My wife is my age and she loves new music, but we don’t listen to music the same. She listens it to it passively as she drives or works out. She likes uptempo stuff that gets her dancing. I don’t dance. I listen to stuff that inspires my musical endeavours.

Thoughts?

I'm 62 and I like stuff that gets me dancing... My wife is 52 and she prefers stuff that hits her emotionally.
I started playing guitar and bass in 1976 when I was 20... I'd been at a London Art School for 2 years, Punk was kicking and I'd only played flute up to that point. The difference is that then I felt uncool and out of touch whereas now, 42 years later as a pensioner, I don't give a monkey's what anyone thinks.

 

[Ian Lewis]

I'm 62 and I like stuff that gets me dancing... My wife is 52 and she prefers stuff that hits her emotionally.
I started playing guitar and bass in 1976 when I was 20... I'd been at a London Art School for 2 years, Punk was kicking and I'd only played flute up to that point. The difference is that then I felt uncool and out of touch whereas now, 42 years later as a pensioner, I don't give a monkey's what anyone thinks.

Totally off the subject Matthew, I finished a 6 day cycle tour of the Cotswolds in Oxford in September. Lovely town