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I found myself digging the muzak playing at work just now. I was playing some Cannonball Adderley. When the CD finished I heard this tune over the speakers in the ceiling tiles. I started listening for some reason I then realized it was a cover of Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder". It was like Velveeta cheese, not really jazz but still Lee Morgan. Anyone else ever heard some hardbop melted down like this?

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Guest ariceffron

WAS THE SIDEWINDER DONE W/ STRINGS AND SHIT?!?? I WOULD HAVE PROBABLY LOVED IT. YO--- MUSAK IS AN AMAZING CORPORATION. I ONCE READ A GREAT BOOK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF IT. IT WAS STARTED IN THE 30S BY A WAR HERO, AND IT CONDUCTED MANY TESTS THROUGH THE 70S ABOUT HOW TO PROGRAM MUSIC TO BEST BACK SECRETARIES WORK HARDER, IE. 15 MIN SLOW, 15 MIN FAST, OR 1 HR FAST 1 HR SLOW, ETC. FAMOUS JAZZ MUSICIANS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE PREFORMED FOR THEIR RECORDINGS AS WELL SUCH AS CHUCK RAINEY AND BERNARD PURDIE. I BELIEVE IT IT BASED HERE IN SEATTLE. I WOULD LOVE TO GET A TOUR, ALTHOUGH IM SURE ITS A LOT DIFFERENT THAN IT USED TO BE

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Guest ariceffron

ON ANOTHER NOTE; I AM LISTENING TO 'FAMOUS LAST WORDS'- (1982)- THE LAST SUPERTRAMP LP WITH ROGER HODGSON. IT IS REALLY REALLY GOOD--- I WASNT EXPECTING IT TO BE THAT GOOD-- THE SONGS ARE NOT AS QUIRKY AS ON THEIR PREVIOUS 1979 HIT BREAKFEAST AS AMERICA, LP ITS A MORE CHILL ROCK ALBUM.

Edited by ariceffron
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Muzak's played on a colleague's radio all day long. I hear it but don't listen - it's become background noise like the humming of an air conditioner. ^_^

However, there's this regular programme that highlights 'good eateries' on TV that uses The Sidewinder as background music, and that's absolutely irritating, probably cause the tune has been somewhat distorted and repetitive.

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I ALWAYS LISTEN TO AYLER OR CECIL IF I FEEL LIKE MUZAK, OR "ASCENSION" - THAT'S VERY EXTREMELY RELAXING AND FUCKING PLEASING, YOU KNOW? SECRETARIES *MUST* LOVE THIS!

AND THEN THROW IN SOME "LAST EXIT" AND BROTZMANN AND SOME GDR FREE JAZZ AND RELAX WITH THE SECRETARIES...

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Many people think jazz is just a sub-genre of muzak, because they only know the music from "jazz for lovers" and "bar jazz" compilations that are used as background music for romantic hours.

I've had people ask my why I listen and buy so many jazz records, they thought jazz was just some non-instrusive background doodling that always sounds the same and is meant to create a relaxed mood, so instead of collecting so many CDs I could just put the same disc on repeat and have the same effect. ^_^

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Many people think jazz is just a sub-genre of muzak, because they only know the music from "jazz for lovers" and "bar jazz" compilations that are used as background music for romantic hours.

I've had people ask my why I listen and buy so many jazz records, they thought jazz was just some non-instrusive background doodling that always sounds the same and is meant to create a relaxed mood, so instead of collecting so many CDs I could just put the same disc on repeat and have the same effect. ^_^

I've heard that, too...

I do enjoy spinning some understated piano trio stuff when people are over who think that's muzak - they might think you're pretty strange when they notice you're really ALL EARS and LISTENING to someone like Bill Evans...

ubu

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I ALWAYS LISTEN TO AYLER OR CECIL IF I FEEL LIKE MUZAK, OR "ASCENSION" - THAT'S VERY EXTREMELY RELAXING AND FUCKING PLEASING, YOU KNOW? SECRETARIES *MUST* LOVE THIS!

AND THEN THROW IN SOME "LAST EXIT" AND BROTZMANN AND SOME GDR FREE JAZZ AND RELAX WITH THE SECRETARIES...

MACHINE GUN DONE BY MUZAK. HELL YEAH!!!

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  • 17 years later...
On 14/05/2004 at 8:15 AM, king ubu said:

I ALWAYS LISTEN TO AYLER OR CECIL IF I FEEL LIKE MUZAK, OR "ASCENSION" - THAT'S VERY EXTREMELY RELAXING AND FUCKING PLEASING, YOU KNOW? SECRETARIES *MUST* LOVE THIS!

AND THEN THROW IN SOME "LAST EXIT" AND BROTZMANN AND SOME GDR FREE JAZZ AND RELAX WITH THE SECRETARIES...

What is "GDR Free Jazz"? Am I missing out on some classics? 

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6 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Thank you for this Wikipedia link. I note that it covers Schlager, but no sign of a reference to either free jazz or Muzak.

There was quite a bit of free jazz going on in the GDR (as elsewhere in the Eastern bloc countries) in the 70s. Check out Ulrich Gumpert, Günter Sommer, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, for example.
But I would find it hard listening to that as "Muzak" ...

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43 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

There was quite a bit of free jazz going on in the GDR (as elsewhere in the Eastern bloc countries) in the 70s. Check out Ulrich Gumpert, Günter Sommer, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, for example.
But I would find it hard listening to that as "Muzak" ...

Thanks. Gumpert is actually a new name to me. I will check him out. 
It was more the way that @king ubu mentioned in in the same company as Ascension and Machine Gun. It thought that I might have missed a classic.

Edited by Rabshakeh
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12 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

What is "GDR Free Jazz"? Am I missing out on some classics? 

There are some great GDR Free Jazz albums, Big Beat Steve has pointed you in the right direction with respect to leading artists. FMP and Amiga are the labels to start with 

Knowing king ubu I'd say there's a very heavy dose of humour in that post

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I guess so. I think I probably know most of the records anyway. I just had an inkling that there might be something out there that I didn't.

What could be hipper than classic GDR free jazz? Absolutely nothing. I don't go out much anymore, though, so this is primarily guess work.

Edited by Rabshakeh
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