My intent was to alert Jazz-haters to a style of jazz unlike the stuff they think of when they hear what most people consider jazz. (In hindsight, I could see where that mighta come off dickish. My bad.)
Every "jazz fan" I've encountered has gone "This is great you should listen to this" and they put a gigantic headset with a 1/4" jack on my head and play me a ride cymbal, a muted trumpet, a piano and an upright bass all having simultaneous yet unrelated seizures. And when informed that - through my ears that have been around power tools and airplanes for approaching 4 decades - it sounds like TV static to me, they react like a Christian fundie watching you tear a bible in half. I've been cut out of people's lives for this.
Guys, I'm American. I've been exposed to Jazz music before. A lot of the slower more mellow stuff is very nice as calm, pleasant background music for a dinner party or cocktail lounge but you climb up above 200 bpm and you just lose me.
To jazz fans reading this: When trying to introduce it to new listeners, please remember it's an acquired taste. Coffee lovers don't serve double shots of extra bitter espresso to newbies, Capcaisin addicts don't serve reaper poppers to beginners. Start someone off with something a little more melodic, something that has verses and refrains and a melody they can hum later, let them get a taste for that before giving them a taste of freestyle.
To jazz fans reading this: When trying to introduce it to new listeners, please remember it’s an acquired taste. Coffee lovers don’t serve double shots of extra bitter espresso to newbies, Capcaisin addicts don’t serve reaper poppers to beginners. Start someone off with something a little more melodic, something that has verses and refrains and a melody they can hum later, let them get a taste for that before giving them a taste of freestyle.
I agree with this, but it also frustrates me, because it could be seen as backstopping the real snobs (like that one guy who showed up in this thread, already), who will look at the awesome music in the games people are mentioning in this thread and say "ahhh, yes. The fact that you jazz neophytes are able to listen to this jazz-ish music and enjoy it? That only proves that it's low-level trash. One day, you'll be ready for the training wheels to come off, and we can get you onto some REAL music. Then you can go back and listen to the soundtrack from Bully again, and realize it's disgusting bubblegum nonsense."
See, that's my actual opinion, also. But I'm not sure if it's objectively correct. The speed of upvoting on this meme makes me think I'm not wrong, though.
Jazz has developed for over 100 years by now. If a game soundtrack is "jazzy", it's probably in the "easy listening" corner. But there aregwere hardcore musicians who tried to invent new things in the genre.
Imagine only ever playing 2D Mario games and someone shows you Dark Souls. Yeah, it's not really easy to get into when you haven't grown into the medium. But that doesn't mean both aren't valuable.
If a game soundtrack is “jazzy”, it’s probably in the “easy listening” corner
You have literally no idea what you're talking about.
Go and google the soundtrack for "Bully." Observe the funk/jazz fusion of genius composer and performer Shawn Lee. Then come back and say: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have opened my mouth when I didn't know what I was talking about."
I'm not talking about jazz-ish soudntracks. I'm not talking about jazz-like soundtracks. These soundtracks are ACTUAL JAZZ. They just happen to be on videogame soundtracks. Now, the meme is funny because it seems that jazz goes with videogames, even when you're exposing it to people who generally don't listen to jazz.
But, again, don't fucking talk about shit that you don't know about.
EDIT: also, there's no way to disgust me faster than "hey, the music I listen to is awesome because of how hard it is to listen to it." Fucking gross. Get out of here with that snob shit, man. I can't even tell if you're trolling.
EDIT 2:
Imagine only ever playing 2D Mario games
Uh-huh. And you think those can't get turbo-difficult? That's another thing you don't know about, but you've got no problem talking about, anyway. Go take a look at the Mario romhack scene. The harder levels in that scene will make any of your "git gud" Souls-like players cry like babies.
I understood fine. There's no way to misunderstand snob-ass comments like:
"jazzy," in the "easy listening" corner.
You're being a fucking snob and now you're salty because I'm calling you out on it.
Music being hard to listen to doesn't mean it's good. But being "better than the average peasants at listening to music" is probably one of the few things you think you've got going for you. So you're obviously not going to let it go, just because I pointed out how pathetic it is.
Exasperation at what? People enjoying things that are too "low level" for him to accept, without registering his disdain? People knowing stuff that maybe he doesn't know?
That's something to get fucking exasperated about?
Why can't YOU just admit that he was a fucking snob?
I realize HE never will, but that's what snobs do. They will never, ever admit what they are, because they have substituted incredibly specific preferences in place of an actual personality. They've got nowhere to run. They have to keep pretending that they're correct, for the whole of their natural lives.
But you don't have to fucking defend them. I can't think of anything more pathetic than white-knighting for snobs.
Ohhhhh, okay. I was pretty confused, actually. Sorry.
That's the problem with being a naturally angry person. When something confuses me, but also could be annoying as fuck, I don't start with the "maybe this is a mistake" option.
I think it's less "good jazz," and more 'jazz that fits the mood.'
I don't want to listen to thrasher metal when I'm sitting in an italian restaurant, introducing my date to the family, and I don't want to listen to jazz when it's inappropriate.* I remember reading the blog of the Doom soundtrack, and he talked about the difficulty in creating soundtracks because you have to take music that was meshed to visual, auditory, and psychological happenings and create 'just' a piece. Going the other way, how difficult must it be to take musical compositions and match them well to gameplay... it blows my mind that there are people out there who do it so well, because there are definitely games that I loved because it was just a perfect combo, and others where they were saved from mediocrity with the addition of the right sound.
*Aside, I was trying to think an example of when jazz in a game was inappropriate, and couldn't. Take from that what you will.
