CLASSICS THAT I HATE
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When it first appeared in 1972, On The Corner caused a major uproar and almost universal condemnation from the jazz press. It was called anti-jazz. One quote will serve to establish the tone of the criticism. “That music is worthless,” said Stan Getz. “It means nothing. There is no form, no […]

CLASSICS THAT I HATE
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It might be going to far to say that I hate Spectrum, but let’s face it — considering the talent of the musicians involved in this recording, the results are underwhelming, to put it kindly.
Let’s see: Billy Cobham on drums, Jan Hammer on keyboards, Ron Carter on bass, Ray Barretto on […]

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CLASSICS THAT I HATE
Somebody’s got to say it: Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy is the sort of uninspired drivel that hastened the decline of fusion as an artistically viable form of musical expression.
It fails on every possible level. The arrangements are busy all right, but it’s all sound and fury, signifying nothing. The grooves […]

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CLASSICS THAT I HATE
Back in 1976, when Land of the Midnight Sun came out, it was hailed as a instant minor classic. At least that’s what the guys I hung out with in high school thought.
We were impressed by guitarist Al DiMeola’s speed, his control of tempo, his ability […]

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CLASSICS THAT I HATE
Let me just say it straight out: pianist Chucho Valdes’ New Conceptions is awful, almost unlistenable.
Why am I so repulsed by New Conceptions?
Perhaps it’s the selfconsciously “soulful” ballads, which drip syrup but not a drop of genuine feeling. Or perhaps it’s the ghastly rendition of […]

CLASSIC THAT I HATE
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Think of One is best thought of as the first feeble bleatings of a jazz “purist.”
I remember when this recording came out and Wynton Marsalis was being hailed as the second coming of jazz. I picked it up right away. I was mystified by the soulless mimicry […]

Premiering today is a new section in the site - Classics That I Hate. 
You may as well know –- there are absolute jazz classics that I just don’t like. What do I mean by classic? Well, classic in this context means that these recordings were hugely influential or there is a large subset of jazz […]