03-19-2016, 01:49 AM
I'm in total agreement with you. But, the adage popularized by Blade Runner still holds true; a flame that burns twice as bright burns out twice as fast. The reason Miles Davis is synonymous to jazz isn't because he was commercial (from a popular music standpoint, at least), but because he continuously reinvented himself and the umbrella genre of jazz, and contributed to damn near every style within it, from Cool/West-Coast jazz to modal jazz to free jazz to fusion to jazz rap. He stayed relevant until the last day of his life, and remains so.
In fact, I believe so strongly in the aforementioned adage because of cases like this. Bach was practically unknown during his lifetime, and today he is considered one of the most important and brilliant musicians in all of history, with some musicologists and aficionados arguing that he could have invented jazz with the theory he advanced (such as his use tritone substitutions, extensive use of the ii-V-I, exotic scales and their modes, bizarre and unconventional time signatures, improvisation, etc.). Whether you enjoy his works (which many classical musicians do not, which isn't all that surprising due to his distinct style), you cannot deny he was centuries ahead of his time.
Davis also worked with well-established musicians (John Coltrane, Charlie Parker) and he helped others get into the industry (Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock), which is always good for one's reputation, too. It's probably the reason why Michael Jackson managed to stay so relevant for such a long time, due to working with Quincy Jones (who is responsible for many popular artists' continued success).
Finally, there are some artists who can afford to take musical risks. Sting, Peter Gabriel, and even, to a certain extent, Bruno Mars (if we're talking a more modern artist) all show influence from previous generations, niche or no longer mainstream genres as well as world music in often creative ways. People don't know what they want until it is given to them, which is why Sting could get away with radio hits in 7/4, 5/4 and 9/8 times. Hell, Lady Gaga got away with making a swing album with Tony Bennett (and it's fuggen schweet), so I'm sure she could release a prog metal concept album if she wanted to and it would sell like hotcakes during the Great Leap Forward.
In fact, I believe so strongly in the aforementioned adage because of cases like this. Bach was practically unknown during his lifetime, and today he is considered one of the most important and brilliant musicians in all of history, with some musicologists and aficionados arguing that he could have invented jazz with the theory he advanced (such as his use tritone substitutions, extensive use of the ii-V-I, exotic scales and their modes, bizarre and unconventional time signatures, improvisation, etc.). Whether you enjoy his works (which many classical musicians do not, which isn't all that surprising due to his distinct style), you cannot deny he was centuries ahead of his time.
Davis also worked with well-established musicians (John Coltrane, Charlie Parker) and he helped others get into the industry (Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock), which is always good for one's reputation, too. It's probably the reason why Michael Jackson managed to stay so relevant for such a long time, due to working with Quincy Jones (who is responsible for many popular artists' continued success).
Finally, there are some artists who can afford to take musical risks. Sting, Peter Gabriel, and even, to a certain extent, Bruno Mars (if we're talking a more modern artist) all show influence from previous generations, niche or no longer mainstream genres as well as world music in often creative ways. People don't know what they want until it is given to them, which is why Sting could get away with radio hits in 7/4, 5/4 and 9/8 times. Hell, Lady Gaga got away with making a swing album with Tony Bennett (and it's fuggen schweet), so I'm sure she could release a prog metal concept album if she wanted to and it would sell like hotcakes during the Great Leap Forward.