Are the Doors co-inventors of jazz-rock?

 

Great track by the way!

 

A  little jazz inspired also in the Whiskey Bar ... !! but that one is more Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht'ian than anything else.

 

I'm thinking something ... hang in there for a sec!

 

The Doors, musically, are not "conventional". Take away a song or two ... it's about breaking most conventions on anything! I seriously doubt that Jim Morrison cared if it was called this or that or this or that ... he just wanted this or that for the backing and the guys were good enough to do it and add to it.  I did not think, and I will listen to it again with a different ear now, that there is "jazz" in there ... albeit, it was pretty obvious that places like San Francisco and Los Angeles (specially the haut-class at UCLA where they were from and met), were not exactly immune to the jazz scene and some of the monster big names already by that time.

 

But I kinda thought a little different ... people have this idea that just because the music changed or ... we went sour for 23 seconds ... that it is jazz ... or this or that ... and it doesn't have to be. Sometimes it is simple de-tuning of a chord or note ... or something different ... and at times, just letting it all go crazy and haywire, is a way of being different. And it might be a jazz lick or chord, but more often than not, the intuitive side of the work ... might be ... I just took my hand, turned it left ways and rubbed them this way, and the sound and effect it gave us was ... this ... for so many seconds ... and when we look at it musically, we can't define it ... but it sure sounds like a jazz something or other?

 

I think, and this comes from my writing and how I see things inside myself as I am writing --- I do not do this "later" or "after" ... it's all spontaneous or not done! ... that I would not think in terms of ... I wanna do this jazz part here ... or this mumbo part here ... your mind just says ... I wanna do this that feels like this and your hand turns and you go with it and then add this to it ... and you have something different ... which of course, musically, MIGHT sound a bit jazz like ... but in reality? ... we can't say ... ! We didn't create it.

 

It is likely ... but not one of the main influences in almost ALL the music that came out of the Los Angeles area ... with the exception of Frank Zappa. 

 

In my book, San Francisco had a lot more jazz than Los Angeles ... and it was more visible and respected. Los Angeles was always about the star and the studio and this and that ... and it really was never considered a music mecca ... so SF had the Fillmore, but LA ended up with the Whiskey A GoGo, and then The Roxy, and of course ... the Cinerama Dome and the Aquarius Theater. 2 of these were film/studio power places. One of them was owned by someone that became a major name in music as a producer. The other was owned by a small time man that didn't care for the whole thing, but he liked the music ... and both of these last two only did rock music! ... jazz? ... that ain't music.

 

At that time, some jazz DID start making a name for itself in LA. Willie Davis (Green Bay Packers) and even Kareem Abdul Jabbar (UCLA and Lakers) ---another UCLA connection!!!!! --- ended up in radio doing doing very well known, respected and appreciated radio shows. I think that Willie was also the owner of one radio station that did all jazz ... instead of the usual ... one hour per week bullsh*t! We're talking about 1971/72/73 and 74 or so ...

 

But I am not sure that any of us, for example, can name major jazz folks that were from LA proper and made it in LA with their music ... most of them left and went to Europe ... because LA only likes stars and perfume and smog!