As someone who has studied the genre and taught it to children, he is used to all sorts of responses - “I don't like jazz" must be high on that list. But that's a major misconception, Aker said.
“Jazz is not the snooty background music you see in movies - it can be, but that's not all it is. Just like with rock and roll or hip-hop or classical music, there's a 'brand' of jazz that anybody could get into," Aker said. “Don't say you don't like jazz. You just don't know what jazz you like."
To get into jazz, Aker recommended looking at your current listening habits and finding the brand of jazz that best fits.
“It all depends on what you currently listen to and like," Aker said. “If you are into modern classical music, something really fun would be Jamie Baum. If you're into larger groups and amazing composition, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. If you're into kind of funky stuff, the Charlie Hunter Trio."
With the Jazz Series lineup, there are enough subcategories to cover a wide spectrum of musical tastes. Once you find the one that works for you, don't worry about “getting it."
“If you bop your head, if it makes your toe tap, if it makes you smile, if it repulses you, if it makes you angry, you get it - you get the music," Aker said. “Probably the single biggest thing I hear from people is, 'I like it, but I don't get it.' If it illicits some sort of emotional response, you get it - even disgust, it's an emotional response. There, you don't care for it."
Jazz Series Executive Director Jon Poses said it might be difficult to jump into the large world of jazz music, but the reward is worth it.
“There is a literature, there is a legacy, there is a logic to it," Poses said. “The beauty is if you go back to some of those near original creators of it, the fact is that their music still sounds up-to-the-minute and modern, even though it was written 80 years ago or a hundred years ago. It has such staying power."
Poses compared jazz discovery to a snow-covered driveway. At first, you have to pick a spot to put your shovel - then you have to go back and forth, learning the masters and listening to the followers. If you start from the past and work your way back, by the time you've caught up to 2008, jazz music will be in 2015.
“It does intimidate people," Poses said. “You have to make a commitment to it, and you have to challenge yourself."
“It all depends on what you currently listen to and like," Aker said. “If you are into modern classical music, something really fun would be Jamie Baum. If you're into larger groups and amazing composition, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. If you're into kind of funky stuff, the Charlie Hunter Trio."
With the Jazz Series lineup, there are enough subcategories to cover a wide spectrum of musical tastes. Once you find the one that works for you, don't worry about “getting it."
“If you bop your head, if it makes your toe tap, if it makes you smile, if it repulses you, if it makes you angry, you get it - you get the music," Aker said. “Probably the single biggest thing I hear from people is, 'I like it, but I don't get it.' If it illicits some sort of emotional response, you get it - even disgust, it's an emotional response. There, you don't care for it."
Jazz Series Executive Director Jon Poses said it might be difficult to jump into the large world of jazz music, but the reward is worth it.
“There is a literature, there is a legacy, there is a logic to it," Poses said. “The beauty is if you go back to some of those near original creators of it, the fact is that their music still sounds up-to-the-minute and modern, even though it was written 80 years ago or a hundred years ago. It has such staying power."
Poses compared jazz discovery to a snow-covered driveway. At first, you have to pick a spot to put your shovel - then you have to go back and forth, learning the masters and listening to the followers. If you start from the past and work your way back, by the time you've caught up to 2008, jazz music will be in 2015.
“It does intimidate people," Poses said. “You have to make a commitment to it, and you have to challenge yourself."
For more information contact All About Jazz.
