Should Jazz Have a Make-Over?

La La Land, the film that Got Ryan Gosling dancing, Emma Stone singing, broke Golden Globes records, and got us talking here at Chooniverse...

While the rest of the world has been busy in the 'was La La Land overhyped?' debate, we're busy with our own heated discussion inspired by the film. *Spoiler alert*

When Seb (played by Ryan Gosling) auditions for Keith's (John Legend) band, he is completely blind sided by what he hears. Keith's band perform a 21st century interpretation of jazz, with electronic sounds and pop edges. After the audition the two talk about jazz, and it got us thinking, is jazz better traditionally or is it time for a make-over?

Emma: Yes let's mix it up!

I'm not here to argue that jazz is boring or that I think it's terrible, I genuinely like jazz, but I understand that's not a common thing for a 20-year-old girl. What I am here to argue is that jazz is falling on deaf ears.

There's nothing wrong with riffing and trying something new, in fact, call me crazy but isn't that what jazz is all about. Now while La La Land doesn't display a perfect example of where the genre could head, it present the argument well, that music in its entirety is not about be safe.

La La Land, directed by Damien Chazelle, has echoes of his last film, Whiplash, about a jazz drummer who strives to be like Charlie Parker. The very reason we know and appreciate the saxophonist's work now is because he did something different. Jazz is, rather depressingly, becoming a genre in which people are just copying their heroes rather than creating their own work.

Any genre which is tied to an era, will die. If generations that come after don't pick up the baton and keep the creative process churning then it will become dated. It's out of love for jazz and what it stands for that I believe it needs some young blood injected into it, for someone to break convention and get everyone pumped about some funky jazz again.

Josh: Let's keep it traditional

“Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” –Miles Davis.

Jazz is all about taking one idea, one instrument and one feeling and stretching it to it’s furthest point. If you look at how Jazz evolved into other subgenres, it was never about technology or new instruments. Jazz was never at the whim of electricity or science; it was basic, stripped back and poor.

Having the view that putting new sounds or instruments into jazz will improve it, or that jazz might die off if it doesn’t embrace new sounds defies the very essence of the genre itself. When the Telecaster came along and offered Jazz a great new sound, did the genre use it? Of course.

Did it need it? No way. A ‘modern’ version of jazz might be good, but it will never replace the original material. When rock ‘n’ toll began, it sounded like blues, if blues had money and a huge recording studio.

Did it sound great? Definitely. But it never killed jazz. Jazz still went on regardless, not changing itself to suit the masses, never compromising and always being sure of itself. That is the truest form of jazz and always will be.