Is Laufey jazz?
2023 ж. 25 Қыр.
1 348 487 Рет қаралды
Laufey is the world's most famous living jazz musician (according to Spotify streams). What does that mean for jazz?
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Adam
Laufey is actually Norwegian death metal but you guys aren't ready for that conversation.
I would love to hear that take though tbh
The facts.
frfr
teellagrammz gitz 2 winn U az a prieze
finally someone who tells it like it is. I m sick of people trying to dodge the obvious.
Maybe the real Jazz was the friends we made along the way.
🥺
I don't know what that means?
@@thomasdequincey5811 a joke about pirates who couldn't find any treasure after travelling so much, "maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way." adjusted neatly lol
@@thomasdequincey5811it’s a play on the trope in children’s media that “the thing we were chasing was never real, but the real treasure was friendship”
The story ended, and we're Just Friends
god this video was perfect. love how subconsciously there’s not one diss to her as a TALENT. because that’s clearly obvious. But wow, the topics you touched on and painting a perspective on how easy it is to throw around genre titles just because it “sounds like this” is very eye opening. I can totally see how it comes off as gatekeeping and a bit pretentious, but it’s kind of like you can’t call Gatorade, water, just because it contains water. same goes for sports, occupations, etc. In the end though, Laufey is an extremely refreshing sound for the pop world. period.
exactly! was basically bouta leave this exact comment xD
Fr
What does "love how subconsciously there's not one diss to her as a talent" actually mean?
@@thomasdequincey5811 i think what's trying to be said is that no one is every going to deny Laufey's talent as a musician, and that the point of the video isn't to bring her down, but rather to shed light on what the jazz community in 2023 really looks like
this right here, well put LLusion ☝
I'm 50, and my 17 year old son played Bewitched for me a few days ago, and I was blown away. It was an absolutely delightful surprise. I am becoming a fast fan.
I'm 60 and came across her. Yes, Bewitched is something, isn't it? That's a song that cries out for a video with classic dancing, complete with twirls. Watching/listening to Dreamer and I'm thinking of Dad playing music HE listened to as a young kid--songs from the 40s. She sounds similar, a soft, romantic jazz.
Too me last year 2023. My list album best this year and album jazz year
now listen to bewitched by candlemass
Now check out Goddess. Just released. So good
Me too and I’m 74 . My 16 year old granddaughter is a huge fan and has got me listening too . She is lucky to be seeing her in September at the Sydney Opera house .
How can Laufey save jazz, when Ryan Gosling already saved it?
Your comment made my day 😂😂
Genius 😂
fucking facts. Ken saves the day again.
And again it was actually more musical theater. Funny how that goes
If Ryan Gosling has already saved jazz music, then Clown Core will bring it back to its roots.
As a jazz musician, Laufey has saved pop music for me.
Underrated comment
That too
that is actually very true. Like Norah Jones back then
And now she is getting hate (racial biased)... fuck elitist man.... a true jazz musician wouldn't lose time trying to "make layfey jazz", it would improv over the damn thing.
This is the way
Whatever gets younger people more into Jazz is a thumbs up from me, Laufey is a wonderful artist that scratches the itch that I’ve been looking for when it comes to orchestral or Jazzy feelings
Did you even watch the video
@@user-lh3vp4cw6pwhat is that supposed to mean in context of my original comment? I literally just said “I’m glad that young people are getting into jazz/orchestral stuff because of Laufey” because it’s an objectively true statement. Yes I did watch the video
But will any of those fans go on to listen to MD's Birth of the Cool or Thelonious Monk playing with Pee Wee Russell at Newport in '63? (the year after I was born.) I certainly hope so but I'm not holding my breath.
@@lucaswickmansoundThe creator explained why the issue isn't that simple and why that statement doesn't ring totally true. It's not an objectively true statement it's just your own opinion
@@mcrumph Probably not, but there’s always those looking for the origins of music genres, so don’t discredit those who do. Ironically, it’s this exact attitude of a “real jazz fan” that causes new fans to stray from the community. No other music community is like this. There’s a reason that jazz fans and musicians can be seen as pretentious.
Its so fucking weird seeing the attention around Laufey from the perspective of being an Icelander. Here in Iceland she is relatively unknown and i only learned of her a few weeks ago. She is currently the biggest Icelandic artist (judging by spotify mothly listeners)
What about Björk?
@@youtubeuserdan4017she’s definitely bigger than björk. As for people in Iceland knowing her, I’m assuming björk is more well known since she spent more time in Iceland and actually speaks the language as well.
@@youtubeuserdan4017 Funny Iceland's 2 biggest artists are women who look asian.
@@patrickponce4838 Laufey speaks Icelandic too...
Yes, even bigger than OMAM and Bjork, it seems
To me Laufey is pop with a lot of jazz influences--similar to how Japanese Citypop isn't R&B or funk, but sure as hell sounds like it on first listen. She's a gateway drug for lots of young people to the world of jazz without being pedantic or too technical and I think it's a win. While she isn't necessarily jazz, she is jazzy and will make millions more look into the genre and even explore other jazz adjacent genres, and that is frankly a win for all music.
I think someting verry similar happened a few years ago in the world of punk music with MGK and Olivia Rodrigo. They used genre blending to appeal to people my age and lets them have a gateway to other bands and adjacent genres near punk. Its really interesting seeing this happen again in the world of jazz with Laufey and I am curious to see who/what will be the next genere that people my age will lach on to. Either way its all a win for music and it keeps things fresh and exciting.
Laufey being a jazz savior so called is the same thing as Taylor swift in her early yrs being called a country saviour because it's majority pop especially looking at speak now her album the country part is not prominent. Just slight influences.
The root of the problem really is all the new generations me included don't like pure country, pure jazz. So ofc new singers incorporate pop. Th problem is not they are doing wrongly it's about how people don't want them to do it correctly.
you nailed the description. great commentary.
The comparison to city pop is spot on! I've been listening to Tatsuro Yamashita, and a lot of hard bop so this comment kind of hits a niche for me
I think ppl that don't know jazz shouldn't call her the savior of jazz, but she also is able to link ppl to discovering the culture. If jazz wants ppl to discover it, that is
please stop abbreviating "people" with "ppl", it's gross. Thank you.
@@infinitedurr stop calling out people that uses abbreviated words, it's gross
@@pain8061 lame fucking comeback
The culture people are discovering is American (and Brazilian) mid-20th-century classic songs and vocal recordings. It just so happens a lot of jazz is built around the same songs. Some of her fans will go on to explore and enjoy those.
Agreed, in all honesty I haven't been into jazz in awhile after listening to it since a kid so I do thank Laufey for linking me back to it for sure!
Until this morning, I had no idea who Laufey was (where the "f" is like a "v"), or her music. Apparently, her influence is so great, a musical genius had to describe her and her music and jazz for over half an hour. It has been enlightening to find BOTH the influencer and the educator! If nothing else, let us celebrate the fact Laufey is deftly touching, if not emulating, more complex musical presentations that big music companies ignore. It has been a good morning of discovery except for one thing: Adam, are you holding that cup for security, or to actually drink something--which you didn't during the whole presentation? Thanks for bringing this to the world!
astute observation! he likely just cuts those seconds of video out in order to keep a 30 minute video as short as it can be while delving into all of his argument thoroughly.
Besides her obvious talents as a musician and entertainer, I will always appreciate Laufey for instigating this conversation and ultimately inducing Adam Neely to turn me on to Emmet Cohen. Thank you, thank you!
"It's not jazz unless it comes from New Orleans, otherwise its just sparkling blues" is such a great line
Truly! This line alone makes this video worth watching.
I had to pause the video because I was laughing so hard.
just realized this was a joke about Champaigne, lol
this
If I ever get a tattoo, this is what it will say!
I never thought jazz was dying tbh. Its just changing.
Yeah as all music does
It's just on the down-low or being slept on in Western pop-media. Still going just fine in places like Japan (must be doing good to make a handful of anime intros/closers recently) or South America. Could just be a sub-genre thing too, where it's not always as clear.
plus all the stuff coming out of the UK is so intresting and its coming from young folk. Alot of highlife and afrobeat influnce from children of nigerien immigrants. Bands like Kokoroko and Ezra Collective are really pushing that sound in intresting ways.
Tigran Hamasyan is jazz? I think. And he's been doing amazing shit for years. Nothing ever dies in music. It just changes and evolves. Theres more good music now than there ever was. It's just a diamonds in the rough kinda landscape.
@@jorge.world222 the london scene is absoutely saving jazz. Also, put some respect on my man shabaka hutchings for his amazing contributions to the london jazz scene, despite not even making "jazz" music himself.
I am a fan of Laufey's music but I've loved jazz before discovering her. I feel like her music can lead her fans to branching out to more artists who do traditional jazz or have a jazz sound. I probably wouldn't have found this video if Laufey's name wasn't in it, but I'm really glad I did watch this. I learned a lot more about history the of Jazz and more artists I can now listen to. I appreciate the time and effort you put into this and the respect you have towards the culture.
I am blown away by how clear, objective, based on evidence, acknowledging her talent and respectful you are all at the same time.
Jazz is not dying. It just smells this way.
like a phrase about the peruvian creole music, roughly translated as "Creole music has not died, nor will it continue to die"
Yeah, I mean, I never hear people worry that death metal is dying.
@@Dowlphin I think there's plenty of great death metal these days, but there are definitely people who would tell you that there were no death metal albums after the mid-90s. Look under your seat, genres! Elitists under every chair!!
Zappa
is it just me or nobody picked the Frank Zappa quotation?
Jazz isn’t dying, it’s just not playing on radio nor dominating movies. Jazz is the underground music that will forever live
underground does not mean living, all dead things go underground lol 😂
@@body187j3x1 alright bud
@@body187j3x1 why are you here then
@@body187j3x1 nah, it's about the rule breaking culture. It's the freedom to play music how you want when you want. Freeing yourself of the classical chains of Bach and Mozart.
And yet, jazz obviously went through its most creatively fertile and diverse period when mainstream attention latched onto it, which is fair to say about a lot of styles of music.
If Laufey gets people into jazz, more power to her. That's a great thing. I want people to explore the genre and see all it has to offer. Jazz is a world treasure.
I really loved your video, and I think what you said about Laufey being a bridge to finding this history and true modern renditions of it is very important! I personally have always loved listening to jazz classics growing up which is what attracted me to Laufey’s music because I admire when artists can mix different styles or genres of music into something new. I’m excited to listen to Esperanza Spalding (who I can’t believe I haven’t heard of 🥲) and “Live at Emmet’s Place” thanks to you!
so Laufey needs more jazz friends, to make jazzier jazz with
BANGGGGGG ONNNNNNNN bwhahahahahahahahahahah
She needs more blues and swing to be jazz. it don’t mean a thing if its aint got that swing
@@bjornicjonisson3362 it don't mean a thing all you gotta do is swing
@@thorealparis8959 doo wa doo wa doo wa doo wa doo wa doo wa
She needs djent friends, to make djazz with.
As someone who attempts to make nuanced video essays about music, I know just how difficult it is to present complicated topics like this clearly and intelligently, whilst at the same time showing such empathy and respect - that's why I've always admired your work Adam.
Love you DBruce. Currently Studying music and my professor named your blog posts on arranging as a great resource. I checked it out and damn that shit helped me out so much thx
Well said David! Your videos definitely come across as thoughtful and nuanced as well.
This is the first video where he has completely lost me. Just 100%.
Even composing a succinct comment congratulating what Adam splendidly did in this video can be difficult; luckily we have David Bruce to show us the way for that.
And many of us admire your work @DBruce as well as Adam's for exactly that - respect, nuance and refusing to settle for easily digestable half-truths, even (or especially!) if they're popular. So thank you!
I found this a really helpful, inspiring video Adam- it lands like a wonderful recap of modern music history, wrapped around a context rich interpretation of Laufey’s own art.
I won’t say you’re my introduction to jazz but you were a catalyst towards my passion for it and I’ve learned a lot about it as I watched your videos, so thank you for the knowledge and the passion you’ve helped me find in this beautiful genre
Sungazer should record laufey songs and keep the jazz tradition alive.
@Adamneely This would be cool
fantastic idea
genius
The fact that vocalists weren't a part of the musicians union in the 1940's is hilarious
To this day, singers have their own union
Lol
They were not considered musicians. I know it sounds like the punchline to a bad musician's joke, but it's true. And they were not considered "stars." They were just another member of the band. Back in the day, records would often say "with vocal refrain" and not even name the singer. I don't think any of the records featuring Bing Crosby's singing that were made by the Paul Whiteman orchestra listed him by name as the vocalist. The only label attribution he would get is if he was singing as part of The Rhythm Boys. Singers didn't become "stars" until the 1942-1944 AFM strike. Record labels had to make money, so they started promoting singers as solo acts. But before that, they were just faces in the crowd.
ooo.. don't get me started about AFM or, especially, Local 47... ah, yes... jazz CULTURE. This is what is new the children. They drink in undercover situations, not at jazz clubs... yet...
Still true now. I sing in the chorus of a large opera company and our orchestra is unionized but we are not. And we don’t have nearly as stable work, as a female singer there are some operas where I have been hired to sing in where the treble voices are paid less because we are featured far less in the work, and we are hired less since there is such an abundance of treble voices and not enough spots for all of us. Some seasons I’m waitlisted or not even used at all. It’s frustrating. I don’t see this happening as often for instrumentalists, they seem to always be able to find stable work. Plus with singing there’s a weird aspect to it where you sometimes feel like you’re hired not just for your musicianship but other hidden factors - your looks, how you perform onstage, ability to dance, your personality - and sometimes those qualities seem higher favored in the decision making of hiring and why we don’t have as stable of work as instrumentalists in our same spaces. We definitely should unionize tho…
"Classical Music" is a multi loaded term that covers different time spans based on which meaning is loaded into it. I appreciate this video for getting into the specifics of an older use of the term "Jazz"
This is such fantastic commentary on this subject, very enlightening. Thank you for this
Laufey herself describes her music as a mix of pop, jazz and classical music, so saying that she's jazz's «savior» may be an overreaction to her success, but the passion she shows for this genre definitely can be a bridge to jazz for gen z people (as a Laufey fan who started listening to Chet Baker and Elle Fitzgerald regularly thanks to her). it's more about who is listening to her
Most sensible comment including the video so far
@@IrateRaccoonthat’s what jazz was originally, too. A trend in popular music that burned out and left a bunch of splinter genres for the obsessives.
I see jazz rather as an approach to compose rather than specific genre.
Thank you for quoting her
@@jakubporowski3314Jazz is too nuanced to be deemed a certain way that Is why I think there is this discourse of what is Jazz and what is not happens many times.
I think another big part of Laufey’s appeal with Gen Z is the romanticism of her music. Everything she does evokes a true and whole romance that feels out of reach in the modern world/dating arena, which is (I think) why she talks longingly about the ambiance of being in a jazz club a few decades ago when that still exists today. A lot of younger people are searching for something deeper and the nostalgia and romanticism of the past provide that outlet. In that sense, it’s not so much about jazz as it is the vibe, hence the disconnect between Laufey and fans with the thriving jazz scene that already exists right now. As a hopeless romantic myself, that’s the biggest allure to her music for me, and she does an excellent job of tapping into something that feels missing in the modern world.
Great comment. I was so surpised a few years ago when my youngest son made himself a Spotify list of 50s crooners (the music of his grandparents!) to sing along and harmonise with while doing homework. It was just so much more appealing to hin than mainstream pop. We are all avid jazz fans (especiall The Consouls vgm jazz covers) but my kids love the old melodies too.
Most modern music is very cynical by comparison
this comment HITS
And it’s interesting, because ACTUAL jazz does provide an avenue to fulfill that longing. It happened to me when I started in NYC’s Lindy Hop scene, which is positively steeped in modern jazz culture. I had the luck to have a dance background, so I didn’t have to waffle with the basics, so it CLICKED HARD when I only had a few moves under my belt. The possibilities were endless, the opportunities sparkling and I felt like I had an outlet to express myself. It was a wonderful microcosm of life itself.
Yes, nostalgia and romanticism play a huge role in her popularity, unfortunately, that was not being disputed. Talking longingly about 'the bygone days of a jazz club' writes off the extraordinary work being done in the jazz clubs to this day. You can see how talking about a jazz club as if it's no longer a thing is incredibly detrimental to jazz. And consider mostly, that for many MANY people, Laufey is the only voice for jazz, so for her to talk about it like it's a dead art form is awful. The spokesperson of an art form talking about the art form as if they are the only one creating it? And I'd challenge you to ask yourself, why do you feel that these things are missing from the modern world? Consider that the reason most people associate jazz and its sound with the past and nostalgia is because they aren't thinking of jazz as it persists into the modern age, they're remembering Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald and not Fred Hersch. It's only nostalgic if you ignore the fact that it's still part of the present. Modern jazz exists.
This is a great video. The references, the self-reflection throughout the video and especially at the end, the quotes and meticulous research that went into the video, the examples and artists mentioned - all of it was so well-rounded and expertly curated. You made a point, and you made it whilst showing a lot of respect towards all artists you mentioned. Very well done. You gained a new patreon subscriber.
"It's not Jazz unless it comes from New Orleans, otherwise it's just sparkling Blues." What a banger statement.
butt banger
As a young college musician who listens to pop, classical, and jazz music. I think the best way to explain it is "jazz-influenced." You can most definitely see her love and admiration for it in her music. And while the world that covers her may be disconnected from jazz, I know firsthand that young jazz musicians appreciate her music, myself included. And while it may not be "jazz," it's a welcomed take on it.
Who cares. You like it. Dig it. Don't worry about it and don't fall in line with thinking that makes you doubt who you dig. This kind of thinking ruined a lot of jazz musicians not too long ago. Stay out of it.
@@J3unG Facts
@@J3unG ...nobody is "worried" about what other people think. You're completely missing the point of talking about such things. (I mean obviously some people _are_ worried about what other people think. However, that's not why people talk about things such as the topic of the video)
@@J3unG if you like the music, then YOU care. Talking about something you like isn't a bad thing. Doing the opposite just proves you don't care at all which is no fun.
Like CHON it`s progressive rock, but they use jazz as base
Ai Patrick is the one saving the jazz genre!
fr fr
I’ve actually been listening to more Sinatra because of all the AI covers on here.
@@ArxxWyvnClawno cap
Best take.
@@colin-nekritz**skull emoji**
I loved this. I always do whenever I take the time to watch your video essays! :) Thank you so much, Adam, for shining some light on these topics and broadening my view on music. I hope to listen to Sungazer live some day
Well played on your commentary Adam, done with class and clarity!!!
She uses jazz to spice up her music, which is much needed since pop music has become so formulaic.
Pop is probably in its best state currently. It is anything but formulaic. There songs that are definitely formulaic, but pop as a whole just keep pushing boundaries
@@mocapcow2933 Could you give some examples? I have very little exposure to pop music so I have no idea where it's at nowadays.
@@Wenasd I mean idk what type of pop you would like. Jockstrap is making some interesting pop music, Kero Kero Bonito and Magdalena Bay are making great pop more conventional pop music. Japanese Breakfast and Porter Robinsons last album were amazing, charli XCX, the whole PC Music and hyper pop wave have been interesting. Snail mail, indigo de Souza, men I trust. There are so many interesting pop artists
@@mocapcow2933 I'll check them out. My last exposure to pop was back in the late 90s when Backstreet boys was the shit, after that I moved over to electric guitar centric music
@@mocapcow2933 Pretty sure they're talking about music you hear often on the radio. Most of Megan Trainer, Taylor Swift, and other big pop stars that appear (at least on my local radio) kind of sound the same. Those bands you mentioned are awesome though, and deserve so much attention from the general public. I'm a huge fan of Kero Kero Bonito and Porter Robinson myself!
Some people in these comments clearly didn't watch the whole video; its great that Laufey's reintroducing the work of 20th century Jazz musicians to a younger audience. The point Adam is making, however, is that because Laufey herself, and the people who listen to her, are so disconnected from jazz culture the modern, young, jazz culture of today is being treated like it doesn't exist. Jazz isn't dying when Emmett Cohen's living room is thriving with young performers every week, or Samara Joy is winning Grammy awards. And its misleading for Laufey to say that, but her comments probably come from not being aware that this scene exists because she was never steeped in jazz culture. She still makes great music -- clearly influenced by jazz vocabulary in many respects, but she's not reviving a genre/cultural scene that never died in the first place. As an aside: Laufey's classical background combined with her love of jazz is probably what creates that musical theatre sound. Its very Rogers and Hammerstein. MGM musical. Lovely, wonderful music. Rich and lush, but the performances are definitely informed by her classical orchestra background, so it wasn't surprising to hear that she's never been to a jazz bar before. Seeing her live in March before anyone tries to jump on my neck and say I'm a hater btw
Thank you for explaining the Adam's thesis.
Didn't watch it all? To the TikTok generation a three minute video is long this video is nearly 34 minutes
You make an excellent point about the fusion of Laufey's classical background and her love of jazz resulting in her musical theatre-esque sound which I think is only more enhanced by her presence on TikTok which in my opinion "favours" a more theatrical approach to music what with the way music is consumed and interpreted on it.
@@dg-hughes 💀can't argue with that.
@@lukasschmitz9030 I agree. The orchestration in California and Me, for example, makes the song play out like a scene in a movie. It has that classical structure combined with narrative lyrics ornamented by jazz vocab. I can imagine the likes of Lana Turner nursing a brandy whilst looking out at the ocean, at her Malibu beach house, as it plays. Its kind of like what Lana Del Rey was doing on the Born To Die album; she was also very influenced by a combination of mid-century pop and sixties rock. Especially on that record. There was also a wave of nostalgia for the 60s Americana culture when she debuted, similar to how TikTok Gen Z'ers are being nostalgic for a (misunderstanding) of jazz history. I'm Gen Z myself, but was raised on the MGM musical, which was the first thing that came to mind when I listened to Laufey.
I’ve seen several of your videos and you consistently do a great job. I think you did a very fair and intelligent analysis of Laufey. I had never heard of her before.I started playing drums in second grade, and in my early teens I decided that the most demanding music for drum set was jazz, so I started studying jazz drummers and reading some jazz history. I went chronologically from Baby Dodds on up to guys like Billy Hart. I went to college as a music major. My very first class was “Scope and Methods of Afro-American Music”. It was 1976 and I was in a New Jersey college. The professor, the first Black instructor I’d ever had, walked into the room. He said nothing, but dropped the needle on a record of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”. I had heard the song before, but hearing it in this context gut punched me. I felt like “OK, I’m a skinny white kid from the woods” . “I’ve got no business playing this music.” The other jazz professor was a white guy, had played with Benny Goodman, successful in NYC. He taught the history of jazz and ran the jazz performance classes. I saw that he was respected by many Black musicians, and the whole color thing was apparently no big deal. I've approached some Black drummers from time to time about my uneasiness. Their response was “You’re treating the history and the music with respect. Play” and “The music is in the air; it belongs to everybody”. I think demonstrating the knowledge and respect for the history and the inequities that formed the music is important. Without that, it’s a parody, a mimicry. I’d like to hear that Laufey has been able to articulate her intent. If one intends to play music informed by mid century pop, they need to be informed about mid century pop. If someone intends to perform in the jazz tradition, they should be informed about the jazz tradition. I sometimes think of Shel Silverstein's Folk Singer's Blues. Shel didn’t have an answer there either.
Clicked on the video ready to fight you in the comment but left learning so much and feeling humbled. Thanks for an awesome educational video essay!
People need to rebuke the idea that "a music form being alive" is the same statement as "a music form is making certain record execs or streaming services a LOT of money." Jazz is thriving. I was lucky enough to see James Carter recently and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I'm 22.
compared to like, 50 years ago, it sure has died down
@@toonyandfriends1915 Maybe in popularity, but there's an insane amount of jazz talent these days.
Yes, James Carter is a „Monster“.
@@toonyandfriends1915 That's fair. I wasn't around 50 years ago so I don't know what the heyday of jazz was like, but I'm lucky enough to live in nyc and there's still enough jazz here to go around
@@erikheddergott5514 ripped a 4 minute solo while circular breathing the entire time
I had no idea the close voices of the 40s got a boost from a general strike. Shows how much we get taught about the history of labour...
When Adam said there was a special reason why this was popular, I expected it to be the recording equipment of the time that was exacltly as crappy as today's phone speakers 😂 At least reddit told me that the low recording quality was a reason for the transatlantic accest actors used during that time. Higher pitched and emphatic and clearly enounced, it was easier to understand for the audience.
!!!!!!
Yup that blew my mind
I'm amazed how often I talk to people who don't know about the Bread and Roses strike or even the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory fire.
Also, TIL that The Andrews Sisters were scabs.
Loved this breakdown. Great job.
Thanks, Adam! This review of Laufey's music is informative and educational in a larger sense of modern music history. I just discovered Laufey's music and songs. I am impressed with her musicianship and ability to sing beautifully and play multiple instruments. I am 72 and grew up with pop music. For me, Laufey is no Joni Mitchell, but then, of course, she does not have to be, because she is refreshingly herself. As a young artist with tremendous skill and musicality, she will evolve and deepen and that is the calling of every real artist in my view.
I *_REALLY_* enjoy her Bossa Nova influences, I always wished there was more of that genre in modern music. Maybe it will happen now :)
i have trouble getting into a lot of older bossa nova because despite loving the sound, the random sexism and even racism in the lyrics can make it hard to enjoy (hell a song i liked as a kid i looked up the lyrics and he outright says "spic" which rlly hurt me as a chicana, and many other songs i realized were about 40+ year old men lusting for teenage girls) so finding a newer artist whos also a woman and ethnic minority made me so happy. its all the beautiful sounds from bossa nova without the lyrics that aged like milk
Hey! I make Bossa-nova jazz music! I'll be coming out with an EP early next year - stay tuned on my channel if you wanna listen! (:
@@echo8844 can you gimme some examples of these songs with thistype of lyrics? bc i hear a lot of bossa nova (in portuguese, im brazilian) and i've never noticed the milk-outta-frigde lyrics
@@bukoze girl from ipanema is probaby the most famous bossa nova song, and the girl was 17 being leered at by a 40 yr old if i remember correctly. (not saying its a terrible song, but it seems like theres a lot of songs [in any genre honestly] where young girls and women are objectified by older men). the song with the slur in it probably wasnt "true" bossa nova because it was some album from 2013 and all the lyrics were in english. it seems to be an issue almost exclusive to white american interpretations of bossa nova (not saying all white americans who are influenced by bossa nova have these issues). i actually love bossa nova from brazil 😄
Don't worry dude, today i opened tiktok and heard a bossa nova cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit. It changed my brainwaves
This was a wonderful video, thank you for making it
This is such a cool educational video, really enjoyed it and learnt a lot. Thank you!!
I wrote the arrangement of I wish you love for Laufey and the symphony, nice to hear that it has reached the ears of so many. ❤
amazing work on the arrangement!!!! you're incredible
sigggggggggggg!
omg i love that song, you did such an amazing job
I didn't listen to the whole thing yet, but it sounds like a beautiful setting for her voice. Thank you!
Icelandic username checks out 😉. Nicely done.
You know this new "jazz" thing is becoming really famous!
Nobody listens to jazz anymore, it's too popular.
You may not have heard of it. This thing I found from viral social media posts is really underground.
Looking forward to seeing you live in Toronto! Great video!👍🏾❤️
you've done a great ambassador for Jazz, saved all the recommendations. Came from listening to laufey to listening to random jazz playlists to now having acc modern artists to listen to + a whole live stream. Your respect to music is commendable
I love Laufey’s music, and the “saving jazz” narrative still kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I’ve seen a lot of skilled young jazz musicians and singers who haven’t gotten that level of attention for some reason. Still, I first saw her cello videos and was really impressed! I hope this tide lifts all boats!
She's extremely charming and has a good handle on social media. I think that's a HUGE part of it.
@@2WheelsGood.01 this. great marketing from her and around her. someone else mentioned lana del rey who had the same thing going on and i couldn't agree more
@@2WheelsGood.01 she's a decent looking white/light skinned woman- let's be honest, that is a HUGE part of it. Similar to when white women go missing, its all hands on deck, 24/7 news coverage. Vs when a woman of color goes missing, it doesn't get a peep of coverage.
@@aliali-ce3yf she's Chinese+Icelandic. I personally don't think skin color has anything to do with it in this case. She's just good at captivating an audience.
@@2WheelsGood.01 I have a bridge to sell to you
As an Icelander I must say: Excellent pronunciation of her name! Those double vowels are trixy, well done Adam 🙏
now if he could only learn to say 'new orleans' correctly [as a native would] (;
@@DanielBoonelight (as a person raised in the pnw, with a mother who grew up in alabama/louisiana) tbh, he doesn't even have to say it like a native. "oarlins" is easy enough to say as a northerner, and isn't nearly as jarring to the ear
@@blarghblargh noo-arrlins IS how a native does. i don't know what else you're referring to, but i hope you don't mean this goofy 'nawlins' which is even more touristy.
Annar Íslendingur!
@@wormy5935 Hahahah sannarlega!
Adam- this is a really thoughtful piece. Well done.
New subscriber. Thank you for schooling us on this amazing artist! Enjoyed your video.
as a longtime jazz enjoyer, i believe that new musicians like samara joy are extremely important to the genre, but we cannot fully rely on them to keep jazz fresh and popular, especially among younger generations. this has happened in rock before with bands like 5sos who incorporated a few elements of the genre into their otherwise pop sound, and doing so they generated curiosity in young teenagers which made them delve deeper into the rock genre (i'm a perfect example of this). taylor swift and her country-pop thrilled me as a child, and now i'm a huge fan of jimmie rodgers and hank williams, just to name a few. we NEED these young artists to form connections between an extremely pop-oriented young audience and these older, more "sophisticated" genres which seem unaccessible to many youngsters otherwise. there's no need to put laufey's music into a box, neither there is one to precisely classify her as an artist. she's clearly on a league of her own, and both pop and jazz artists can appreciate her for this very reason.
wow. this was so beautifully writen and i think this needs to be said more to people on the extreme ends of the "old vs. new music" debate. as someone who never knows where to come down on it i think you explained my thoughts perfectly :)
Adam specifically addresses this in the video. Laufey may very well bring kids into jazz, and thats awesome. She incorporates elements of it very well, and she's an amazing artist. But its important to make the distinction here, because jazz and its culture are still around. And there's a disconnect between Laufey, jazz, and its culture. Self admittedly, she states the scene is foreign to her. Its not right to champion her as the savior of jazz just because she draws from it, and she's more popular. It might seem pedantic, but the differences are important. Thats why music has so many genres and subgenres. Their differences exist, and should be recognized and appreciated for what they are and where they come from. Its not about putting people in boxes. 18:47 "If you're gonna ask the question 'Why can't this be Jazz?', why does it HAVE to be jazz?"
But why does it matter whether or not we revive a certain genre? What's the point? Music is always changing and will never be the same. "Fresh" jazz will NEVER be pure jazz because it will never be free of other influences that have been around since it's creation. There's always going to be a blend of genres in new music. It would be boring if genres stayed the same forever.
@@abstract5249 great point, I always wonder so as well. The best modern music is the one capable of offering something fresh and original without completely cutting off its old roots. Laufey’s nostalgic touch is nice, but also creates a little subgenre able to stand on itself. Isn’t that the magic of art? It’s just an endless conversation among creative beings, thriving off of endless influences from past discussions. Let the kids listen to whatever they like, and if they find older music that resembles what they’re enjoying now, that’s even better!
@@onightlysplendor Laufey may not "jazz" per se, so I can understand how calling her that could be a disservice to true jazz musicians who've dedicated their life to their craft. But she definitely has jazz influences and her music touches the heart and soul. Isn't that what music is all about at the end of the day?
Jazz or not, the girl can deliver. This is the first I've seen or heard of her, but GODD DDAMM, she has a voice to die for.
Agreed.
She’s cracked. i really like Lovesick. It’s a really good Mitsky-esq driving tune
Not only a voice, she's a great composer
Really? I think it's okay. The side by side comparison to Natalie Cole really showed me what Laufey is missing
@@warrenszewczyk5513I mean she can’t be exactly like natalie cole and I think comparisons are useless anyways
I LOVE Laufey and I really loved this video. It comes across as a good faith well-meant advice from a big brother. Loved it. Thanks for this. 👍🏻
Great, beautifully written video. Thank you.
Adam Neely is so cool I wish music was real :(
same bro same
*Illuminati theme*
@@mrgreenskypiano I wish it were that simple :(((
4dalore
Every day I wonder what the world would be like if music was real, and birds were real too.
As a fan of Laufey, I've been wondering whether her genre is really jazz since I have never listened to any jazz music before. I have to say this video has answered all my questions from a professional perspective. That's exactly what we need.
@@adamluhring2482wow, many thanks for providing so many important and useful facts I've missed. I also found some of Neely's critiques a little bit biased, especially the way he interpreted the word “transport” used by Laufey… I appreciate your meticulous explanations a lot, and I believe now I have more reason to conduct some research myself before I come to any conclusion❤😊
Agree, same thoughts@@adamluhring2482
@@adamluhring2482 That's a very wilful misrepresentation of what Adam said and falling directly into the trap of thinking that he's criticizing Laufey just because he said that what she plays isn't really jazz. I disagree with him, for the record, but he's basically just saying that Laufey isn't part of the cultural context of jazz. She doesn't play in places where jazz flourishes nowadays, she doesn't create music like a jazz musician would (i.e., usually referencing previous pieces from the shared vocabulary), she's not part of the scene, she doesn't hang out with other jazz musicians, her audience isn't composed of jazz fans, and she caught the eye of pop critics, not jazz critics. All those things are very obviously true.
Its clearly still pop, but it also clearly has jazz influences and elements. It’s jazz pop. I don’t know why it has to be ONLY pop or ONLY jazz.
@@adamluhring2482It helps if you listen to the actual video and not what you want to think about it. The video clearly states 3 points why Laufey is not jazz: lack of swing, lack of blues, lack of improvisation. Laufey is not jazz just like a classic orchestra playing Rhapsody in Blue by the score is not jazz either. It is jazz for those who have no idea about jazz, and 99.99999% of the kids she's targeting don't, but if somebody, who likes Laufey, most likely will not like actual jazz, because it's a different language. Therefore Laufey is actually bad for jazz, because she's misleading people. And what she does is really dated and nostalgic.
I was so surprised seeing her pop off, she came into my feeds out of nowhere, with wonderful music, and I was incredibly impressed at the following she already has. I thought it sounded familiar, and now I know why enjoy her tunes, Chet Baker she reminds me of indeed. Thanks Adam!
thank you for such a well researched video!!
They say jazz is dead, but a “jazz” band just won best album of the year for the mercury prize in the UK. The London jazz scene is on fire atm
Not popular though
@@mcbill7352 yeah not as popular as Laufey. But still doing fairly well for example Ezra collective has nearly 800k monthly listeners and Yussef Dayes has over 1mill. I do think that’s not that bad for living “jazz” musicians
@@mcbill7352 good music hasn't meant popular for about 50 years though
amen, i mainly follow uk jazz and it’s just bursting with life
@@deez9761 very close minded statement
"It's not exclusive, but inclusive, which is the whole spirit of jazz." - Herbie Hancock
It's not improvised
Exactly! I dont know why people like Neely has to define and confine Jazz in their own Bubble!
There are still things that are not examples though.
@jomacron1106 well one thing it ain't is creative musically...good marketing though
@@jomacron1106everything has a definition, that does not confine anyone or anything, but helps in understanding in the larger context of the world, and understanding is never a bad thing
Haven't been myself in a couple years. Started therapy last month, and I've been writing like crazy and socializing way more. Tonight i was pleasantly surprised by my mind to be like "damn, i need Adam Neely in my life again. I was thriving when i was at this channel every few days" 🌻💛
Wow this was a terrific video that helped me understand music just a tiny bit better. I super appreciate that Adam isn't being a gatekeeper but he's still talking about real traditions and shared culture.
I’ve listened to laufey for a while and I never thought of her as a jazz artist until someone said it. Like obviously when she sang standards I understood that it was a jazz song, but I think she had such a unique sound to her music that I always just considered it “Laufey.”
Yeah, I feel the same about artists like Bill Wurtz. Like, people talk about how Bill uses jazz chord progressions and whatever, and I'm sure he's influenced by a deep knowledge of jazz. But when I hear his music, I really can't think of that as anything other than "Bill Wurtz".
Agreed with this!!
Agree with your take.
Me too
What I'm always saying - there is no "jazz songs". ANY song can be played as a jazz song and the opposite - If you're not a jazz musician you can play a "jazz standart" but it's not a jazz anymore, it's just another melody. Jazz ir the way you playing not the song you playing.
I'm personally a big fan of Laufey and I agree that her music isn't truly jazz. I love jazz and that's partly why I appreciate her songs so much, which sounds contradictory, but her music is inspired by jazz and uses styles that originate from that genre. Her music isn't jazz, but it's related enough that it's a nice hybrid of modern alternative/pop and jazz because classic jazz doesn't appeal to many people anymore, unfortunately. So credit to her for her branding. It's introducing jazz ideas to pop music, which is something especially teens are much more familiar with and will more easily accept and enjoy.
its pop with a jazz accent or pop speaking jazz language
When it comes to introducing jazz ideas to pop music, that's what jazz musicians did everyday with the creation of the "jazz standard." Most jazz standards are just pop/musical tunes AKA "mid-century pop". Postmodern jukebox is doing it too. But yes, introducing jazz ideas to pop music is a great way to make it accessible.
this is called thinking long and hard about something. we should all be interested, curious and listen when people do this. thinking long and hard about things. as always, great content, adam!
Brilliant! Adam, Kudos for creating this editorial. It offers a fine educational opportunity for both Jazz & MidCentury Pop fans… and for any music lover! Thx for making so many important & insightful points here and for adding helpful visuals & clips. I do hope (with Laufey’s help) this goes viral, leading many of us to explore all of your connections, references & allussions. Regarding Laufey, let a thousand flowers bloom. Why not bring more kids to the joy of learning music via both routine & novelty (while be careful & thoughtful with our terms). This was quite helpful w/o being snobbish. Promote music education for the sake of enjoyment. ❤🎉
Laufey is like a arrow sign spelling "Jazz-land". Some of us who already knows the way will look at it and realise that her music is pointing us in the right direction, while others will walk up to it, read it, and think that they're already in Jazz-land.
Poignant.
You're exactly right
eh, I'd disagree with that. Laufey is to Jazz like what Taylor Swift was to Country music Swift was never real Country, she was pop music with hints of country twang --- even though she is from Pennsylvania and comes from a wealthy family so there was never any real authentic "country" connection. And to your point, I don't think any of her fans moved on to the real "Country-Land". I have a feeling many of Taylor fan's overlap with Laufey's fans. And similar to Swift, Laufy has no real connection to jazz - a uniquely american art form - a black american art form born out of impoverished areas , and she is icelandic-chinese , seemingly from a well off background as well. It all seems inauthentic, phony.
Laufey is like the neighborhood off of the highway that people stop by on road trips when they're not visiting the city for longer than a few hours. And that neighborhood has some really good shops, but they're not the ones that locals are going to on a daily basis.
@@aliali-ce3yfhere you are being racist again…
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS (will update) 1. In an earlier edit, I call Ella Fitzgerald Lady Day, for some reason. Lady Day was Billie Holiday. Whoops! I edited this line out using the KZhead editor, just FYI. 2. Sarah Vaughan's name was misspelled. 3. The gig in Tallinn 🇪🇪 is on Nov. 14th, not Nov. 13 4. I used the term "British Isles" when in reality I meant Scotland and Ireland. I apologize, the very last thing I want to do is aggrandize the English. 5. They weren't bowler hats, they were trilby hats, apparently. Please keep leaving my errors in the comments, it feeds the algorithm.
No probs bro
On it
As long as you do it out of honest mistake and not engagement baiting.
those are also porkpie hats not bowlers
@@marcovpvhonest mistake, but please keep engaging
As someone who's work is very much in the mid century pop world myself, I can understand both the desire of the masses to look at Laufey as a new bringer of jazz music, and the push back from actual jazz musicians. It is interesting as there are other artists doing similar music like those you've mentioned, and even some as popular as Michael Buble. My work leans heavily into Italian American artists like Mario Lanza and Sergio Franchi who were rooted in Opera and Italian song, but also the mid century pop standards often associated with jazz. When you present this kind of material to an audience who is unfamiliar with it, but do it well, you create this sensation of "oh, this is opera" or in Laufey's case "oh, this is jazz." The audience, who hasn't been exposed to this is shocked, because they never knew they'd love this music. I get this a lot actually. Anyway, this was really well thought out and well done. Very nice video.
It's a god damned gateway drug I tell ya 😄
@@whatabouttheearth agreed!
Brilliant discussion, very carefully and skillfully handled. I really hope Laufey watched and heard your (gentle) call to action.
From a casual jazz fan perspective I wouldn't say jazz is dying. It's taking some new paths for sure, one of which Laufey is following, but there are also many others. We have pretty strong jazz traditions in Poland and some interesting gen z jazz bands. Most notably Immortal Onion, which I highly recommend to check out if you haven't. Cheers!
Bro, I just checked that band. Holy smokes, do they rock!
Thanks to this comment I looked up Immortal Onion and HOLY SHIT! This RIPS!
Great rec! Cool band, followed
noted!! I really want to get into jazz
I'd say immortal onion sounds more math rock to me if anything as the chords aren't really "jazzy" per se. I do agree with how people should accept that jazz is evolving to an extent. Personally I'd just considered every song nowadays fusions with hints of some genres of music. It is almost impossible to categorize them concretely.
As a metal listener (and its sub-genres,) I am delighted to see LITERALLY ANY OTHER GENRE at the center of the "this artist isn't [blank]" argument.
i agree as a punk listener
Lmaoooo yeah
I feel this as a fan of several obscure subgenres and bands with tenuous connections to genres so I have to explain what they sound like.
yesssss "WELL ACTUALLY IT'S NOT GORENOISE ITS BLACKENED POWER ELECTRONICS"
Right? I'm still amazed
So precise, so neat, with all the nuances. Excellent video
Thanks so much for introducing her. Her music sounds from heaven.
As a Laufey fan, the recent narrative that Laufey is a jazz musician really caught me off guard. I think this video was sorely needed
Very much the same here. I didn't associate her music with jazz until the "saving jazz" video got recommended to me and i didnt click on it for days because it felt like a pretty removed thing.
100% agree. I regularly enjoy listening to jazz and when I heard one of her songs and then found out it’s jazz I was “huh”. But I think what also threw me off because it didn’t have the specific sound and style I associate with jazz.
Likewise. Seeing the title of this video was like a "Wait what? People think Laufey is Jazz?" I like Laufey A LOT. I came across her a year ago or so here on KZhead from a George Collier music meme video, and was immediately taken in. But I don't think she's a jazz artist. Like Adam says, she definitely takes a lot of inspiration from jazz. But that doesn't mean she's a jazz artist. But if she wants to think of herself as one, and other fans want to as well...well, I can't imagine it'll hurt any. Maybe we'll start seeing younger people listen to more jazz.
i have heard this kind of jazz/pop/bossa from japanese bands (e.g. lamp) and honestly i'm quite happy that it's making its way to the rest of the world
having said this, this is a great video about what defines a (musical) culture.
LAMP yessss
idk if lamp is under or overrated but their music really suits my taste (esp the tokyo utopia album)
Their a part of in my opinion children of city pop. At least what I’d call them. They came from city pop influences and with Brazilian influences became what they are. Which I believe is quite definitely partially jazz. Jazz is not one genre. It’s so sooo wide.
@connormcateer7125 i agree, they definitely come from a citypop tradition, but they end up having a similar "light bossa" sound, since citypop and japanese jazz in general was already heavily influenced by brazilian music. jazz is as wide of a spectrum as one wants it to be, depending on one's definitions and requirements, and this is mostly what mr. neely addresses here.
Thoughtful, insightful, and informative... one of your best videos. Some nice perspectives about culture that are worth considering outside of the Laufey/jazz question.
Fantastic video. I just started listening to her music and was fascinated by this weird crossover I was feeling. This video hit it spot on
I'd love to watch Adam making a case for hip-hop as a form of jazz.
Yes
Absolutely.
But why do people want to see Hip Hop as jazz? The only discernable connection is that blacks are its originators, is that it?
@@deetee4403 I mean, loaded as that statement is and really probably also could be misconstrued as malicious (far be it from me to ascribe intent to a seemingly innocuous YT comment) or at the very least ill-informed, that is a factor yes but also not even close to 'the only discernible connection' as you put it. I think this is a fault in vantage point contributing to what you are able to 'discern'. Anywho a simple google search will give you the answers you seek young padawan...
@@chuckyb_ Not malicious at all 😉
Great video Adam! I was actually friends with Laufey at Berklee, we were in Orchestra together our first year. It’s so amazing to see the success of my colleagues. It’s interesting you mention the disconnect between jazz culture, when we were at school she always seemed more comfortable in classical circles. She would even joke to me about how she wanted to switch to voice principal but Berklee, would take away her scholarship since she auditioned on cello. Its amazing to see something that started as her branching out in to something she wasnt as comfortable with turn in to such a huge success for her! I think overall what comes with being thrust in to large popularity at a young age and being associated with a genre you’re new to comes with a set of challenges. It’s a learning experience and i’m excited and so proud of what she has in store for the future!
So so glad you brought esperanza into this ❤
great detailed comparison in the first half of the video. really good argument points being made.
I have a lot I would like to say, but there isn't enough space. She is introducing music to the next generation that is more than the same four chords. So hats off to her. They will find Ella and Chet soon enough now that she has pointed out the rabbit hole.
I like what you're saying here. I am not the Jazz police but I do agree with Adam (and always have even though he hadn't said it yet) there there is a big difference between Jazz and mid-century popular music and I agree with Adam that she is the latter not the former... SO FAR. But if she can get young people to ask, "Well, what is this 'Jazz' that you speak of?", then the World already is better off.
@@honeychilerider but that's less likely to happen if she is held as the standard of Jazz. For many fans of pop-culture, the response to opposition is doubling down on their defense without doing a lot of leg work. Maybe that's a generalization, and if it is, then I'll gladly stand corrected, because it would prove that modern fans aren't just social media zombies, but care about details and history.
@@captainbmo6629 I don't know, you may be right, but for me the gateway to Jazz was hearing something Jazz-LIKE that I liked. Then the transition was much easier than it had been. But also she does name-check a lot of great Jazz singers and musicians and fans can be pretty obsessive about these sorts of things, so maybe they actually go LISTEN to some of these influences she cites.
@@honeychilerider good point. I guess I tend to be a pessimist when it comes to popculture lol. Glad to hear about your experience though--I'm curious who was your gateway to Jazz?
I mean, from the start has 5 chords...
I love how Adam slowly changes his pronunciation of Laufey from the original way to say it in the Icelandic way to almost saying Levy at the end.
according to laufey, it's pronounced "lay-vay"
She sacrificed... THE TRADITION!!!
now that u mentioned it, cannot unhear that
holy sht its adam levy
Excellent excellent excellent summarizes my life of 82 years of jazz music. Thank you so much.
I clicked on this video and now i finally know how Laufey is pronounced. and as a special bonus we got an entire detailed informed analysis! thanks adam neely, also that MvC2 cover you were in with 8 Bit Big Band the other day slaps
That "jazz is dying" thing is exactly like "rock is dead" mantra. I hear this since my first ever conscious interaction with rock music in 2000. I hear thousands of great albums a year to this day, and people nagging about "rock\metal is dead". It annoys the hell out of me
a lot of people lack the object permanence to understand that things keep existing even when they look away
Yeah It never died
Don't forget the game publishers who kept announcing for decades that single player games are dead.
I really just think people mean those genres not exactly "mainstream" anymore and that mainstream songs that incorporate those genres are derivative, not that that kind of music isn't being made at all. It was a lot easier to hear a great rock song back in the 70s, whereas now you have to look a bit deeper if you want the real deal and not something that's simply inspired.
@@clem.3894 I actually like modern stuff more, even in old genres most of the times (not always so). Stoner\psychedelic rock does 70's music better than in 70's and you can go to the local gig and feel the full experience of the show. And I love 70's music by the way. But in SOME of the genres it's better today. It doesn't need to be mainstream to thrive.
why is “laufey is not real jazz” an insult? “laufey is not real death metal” is not an insult either. her music is beautiful, just categorized under the wrong genre
Thank you for pointing this out.
Just remove the "real" from the phrasing and it's even harder to interpret as an attack. I think the word "real [genre]" has historically been used for gatekeeping which is why it has that negative connotation
i agree, however Laufey IS definitely real death metal
@@randomusername1735that’s a good point! in this situation i think the push to remind listeners that laufey is not representative of the jazz genre might have lead to more aggressiveness in the phrasing “real jazz”, which definitely feels bad + causes some friction
I'm sure she's great in her own way but I personally don't enjoy her voice and that's another reason I cringe when she's in jazz playlists, like plssss I can't escape her 😭😭
I somehow missed this when you posted it but great video, Adam. I feel like I got lucky in a sense -- I had a band teacher that REALLY liked jazz and did a lot to have us jazz band kids do like, kid-friendly version of jazz clubs, basically. Like we did jam sessions at coffee shops and got to play in Union Station once. I'm not nearly as ingrained in the culture as you -- I basically haven't played my trumpet since COVID happened -- but I at least am familiar with the vast majority of the artists and pieces that you reference. I felt sad when Laufey was talking about how alienated she felt with jazz clubs! Maybe it's because I'm from around KC, but I've been to so many jazz things. They're always fun and relaxed. I hope that other Zoomers can experience it for themselves.
Absolutely brilliant vid. Thank you, Mr. Neely. You made a whole bunch of very astute comments. Well, one good thing about Laufey's music is that it exposes young people to a richer harmonic vocabulary beyond the insipid simple triadic and modal sound of so much rock-pop music. Glad to see you covered "Emmet's Place" as well.
A couple of years ago, I was in the Blue Note at a performance of Robert Glasper and Esparza Spalding. They blew my mind. On one tune Esperanza improvised a killer vocal solo with lyrics she made up on the spot and she did this while playing the bass, improvised of course. The place was packed. Jazz doesn't need saving.
Amen!!
Yup, just wanna bump this up 👍
Esperanza Spalding is one of the best musicians to come out of Portland, but nobody talks about her here :/
Terminally online zoomers think jazz need saving because they think Spotify metrics are the basis of empirical reality. Jazz exists perfectly fine out in the real world.
Very educational video! You covered a lot of ground in 33:49 minutes. Laufey blends jazz, bossa nova, classical, orchestra, and mid-century pop. Is Laufey jazz? Sometimes. The point is that she has a young audience that loves her music without knowing where it came from. That is refreshing and bodes well for the evolution of popular music. They will hear jazz greats such as Ella Fitzgerald and John Coltrane when they stream "Laufey and similar artists”, as well as contemporary jazz artists. Laufey writes real songs with good lyrics that people relate to. She is in the jazz category, but she appeals to a broader audience. Thanks for including Samara Joy, Emmet Cohen, and "the culture from which you draw your art" in your video.
Fun fact: my daughter is a millennial, and I didn't cultivate her musical interests much, but she surprised me when she told me she was listening to Ella Fitzgerald around when she was in high school or college. But she also said she was listening to Judy Garland around the same time.
It's the peak of patronizing to think that us Gen Zers need some watered down, half version of jazz in order for us to want to hear it. Songs by Bill Evans and Chet Baker are already going viral on TikTok, actual jazz musicians are already doing numbers on social media. It might not be as huge as 90s IDM revivalism right now, but I think it's still gaining steam.
@@davidwave4 As a gen z person, I can confirm that a lot of people go absolutely crazy for Chet Baker
I hope you don't think I was being patronizing in my comment. I am just happy that younger people (I'm 68) are being introduced to jazz through Laufey and like it. I go to jazz clubs in New York City where I live and am encouraged to see people in their 20s not only in the audience but on the stage. There are outstanding young musicians around here playing great music and I'm grateful for that.@@davidwave4
That's interesting and good to hear. Chet Baker was great and his music still is.@@benitosandovalhere
You once remarked the responsibility behind creating a video which potentially 1M people would watch was intimating. I always enjoy how you intelligently layer and explain your topics. With that said I have been waiting 2 months for another video. After watching your newest video, a couple of days ago, I noticed the number of views this one now has. Congratulation!!! Awesome job. Now, I'm just waiting again.... 😊
I love her, the lyrics are soo good. I can relate to her soo much
My first exposure to jazz music was a show on PBS that would show live jazz bands playing club sets. I was about 8 and I had no idea what jazz was. The sound was so complicated, but I could tap my foot to it. Seeing those guys look at one another, moving their hands so fast but seeing their faces slowly light up and knowingly smile at one another has put me on the path to become the man I am today - the guy nobody wants to let pick songs for party playlists.
I'll gladly listen to your song choices. Care to recommend me a few? :))
@@tabor503 listen to "Symphonic Raps" by Louis Armstrong.