You know what? I agree. I'm a Jazz fan (an uber Jazz fan). Berne's music is alienating. It's music played for other musicians with no thought or empathy of the audience in mind at all. He is popular in musician circles and avant-garde circles, but that's it. It's not meant for mass consumption. So, newspaper critic...you're spot on. You review music for people. Not other musicians. Tim Berne will be what he is for as long as he is...and that is complex music for other musicians, not for an audience. Fans of his can get all up in arms all they want (gasp, the horror! someone didn't like music I like!). But it's not going to change the fact that if you brought 100 random people to one of these shows - 99 would leave after the first song.
Re: “JAZZ FEST 2013, DAY 9: Frank reviews Tim Berne SnakeOil, Amy Lynn and the Gunshow”
You know what? I agree. I'm a Jazz fan (an uber Jazz fan). Berne's music is alienating. It's music played for other musicians with no thought or empathy of the audience in mind at all. He is popular in musician circles and avant-garde circles, but that's it. It's not meant for mass consumption. So, newspaper critic...you're spot on. You review music for people. Not other musicians. Tim Berne will be what he is for as long as he is...and that is complex music for other musicians, not for an audience. Fans of his can get all up in arms all they want (gasp, the horror! someone didn't like music I like!). But it's not going to change the fact that if you brought 100 random people to one of these shows - 99 would leave after the first song.