Shouldn’t rock bands be more like jazz bands? Imagine the classic era of jazz. Think of a band name. Can you? There aren’t many to choose from; jazz groups of that era were short-lived, shifting ensembles brought together by a band leader. Each tour, each album, was a different collection of musicians. This variety led to new musical ideas and innovations.
Rock music, on the other hand, is rooted in the history of bands. Bands are expected to provide the full realization of a musician’s vision. In many cases, once the band dies, the musician’s career in the public’s attention is over. I say that any musician worth their salt could never be fully represented by a single band and that few bands should ever live as long of lives as the “classic” rock bands. Rock musicians should treat their craft more along the lines of their jazz counterparts. Constant collaboration should be encouraged. Bands shouldn’t have the expectation to last for years when they may serve their artistic purpose after an album or two. In an information age, music listeners can easily follow the creations of artists even if they are not all under the label of a single band. Hell, it might even make music consumption that much more interesting.
