Musical genius
- Thread starter RoA
- Start date
Bob McC
Living the life of Riley
Seconded
If you are trying to say that Louis Armstrong is not a genius then you are being utterly ridiculous.
Though not by Bob obviously
fegs
pfm Member
Very subjective though
Weekender
pfm Member
I think we can try and add a dash of objectiveness by looking at whether an Artiste had a revolutionary impact on da musik.
I'd exclude Matt Johnson from that. So would Matt.
Loius Armstrong...more of a claim...at least temporarily...who is a full time genius for Pete's sake?
fegs
pfm Member
Again very subjective
Despite what "Matt" might say, I'd still consider him a genius
Weekender
pfm Member
Whatever gets you through the night.
Matt Johnson bona fide Genius!
Roll over Beethoven...
I think you have to look at the bigger picture. Artists like Ellington & Armstrong changed music permanently; what we enjoy today wouldn’t exist without them.
As much as I rate Matt Johnson, he hasn’t had a world changing 50 year, epoch spanning career. I suppose it’s a case of where you draw the line.
Is this a joke?
fegs
pfm Member
The term genius is always a difficult one and one we'll all define differently
makes for a good discussion though
kjb
Proof reading not always a strength
Id been resisting saying that while following this thread. No one can sit alongside Picasso, Mozart, Bach, Bergman ... - except maybe Miles. The others mentioned made some great records, usually over a very small period of time and didn't sustain it or produce a consistently strong and developed body of work or, like James Joyce, produce a small body of work but one that was unique and unprecedented. Monk and Beefheart might come close here.
I think Bjork is super talented and has sustained creativity over a long period of time but I'm not sure I'd call her a genius.
The Beatles are an interesting case as they produced extraordinary work for 6 years then barely anything better than average in the 50 years since. I'm not sure a group can be a genius. Thoughts?