musical genius

[astroglide]

i'm sure if you asked some of the other punk crap like green day they'd surely be aware of and owe props to minor threat. bands like rage against the machine would credit them as a huge influence too, it spreads a pretty wide gamut.

[Danenania]

I don't think Clapton has been mentioned.

[Legend27]

Hans Zimmer.

[Legend27]

"I think people greatly underestimate the impact that music has on motion pictures, and well, on life."

I totally agree with that.

[nothumb]

Well, having read this whole thread, I am very disappointed to see that nobody bothered to second the Prince nomination. He is a true pop genius and a great performer and guitarist as well. One of the greats to be sure.

Bach was always the composer who blew me away most in terms of genius. Trouble is that the guys who followed in his footsteps were able to be much more tonally ambitious because of him - but he didn't really push it as far because of the context and restrictions on him at the time. So now, Mozart and Beethoven and a slew of others sound fresher and more adventurous, even to me. But until you understand what it means to improvise a 4-part fugue based on a modulating theme, you really can't step to my son J.S. Bach.

I'd throw a vote out there for Tom Waits. People have really struggled to expand on the folk/songwriting idiom and to broaden it sonically while still retaining a core of great composition. Waits does this brilliantly. Of course, I'm a Waits junkie right now, so keep that in mind.

I'm not that impressed with the bassists brought up so far. Flea is good put not groundbreaking. Not to say I don't love his playing. Wooten is technically mind-boggling but lacks a true spark. Jaco was great, and Claypool's a lot of fun. I'd be remiss not to mention James Jameson - listen to the bass line on "What's Going On," and then realize that he played it so coke-addled and drunk that he couldn't stand up. Most of it with one finger. Also, Will Lee and Geddy Lee are great electric players, my favorite upright players would be Mingus and Ron Carter.

Genius to me in jazz is Miles, Monk, Blakey, Mingus, Ellington, Armstrong, and most of all Coltrane. When he recorded "Countdown" he was soloing at 220 BPM and changing keys every other measure. He pushed the envelope so far but still retained that core of musicality - that's what genius is to me.

Johnny Cash is my favorite singer ever, I don't know if you'd call what he did genius, but it was irresistible. To me he brings up the question of, do you really need genius? Or is genius always the most approachable thing? I think it's not. I think he was just a great person, a populist.

I could go on forever, but I won't.

NT

[Legend27]

Prince is horrible.

[dsm]

[ QUOTE ]
look at the garbage yngwie malmsteen pumped out. who would ever call his music great?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like the type of critique Van Gogh was famous for receiving before his death.

Who would call Malmseen's music great? I guess all his fans.

-dsm

[nothumb]

You are wrong. For so many reasons.

NT

[wacki]

I agree with NoThumb. Prince is much more talented than people think. I've been told he is a great song writer and has written many songs for many other artists.

To bad the only song I like of his is 1999.

[astroglide]

prince has more or less pulled a david bowie. nobody nominated him either.