The Jazz DUET
(A joint publication by neil and Rebekah Davis on Substack)
The Jazz Duet is a unique joint publication about jazz for those who get it (Neil) and those who don’t (his wife, Rebekah).
Head over to their Substack to read and subscribe! You’ll receive light-hearted posts about jazz from a non-musician’s perspective, as well as technical insights from Neil, right to your inbox.
neildavisguitar.substack.com
Enjoy this Jazz Duet excerpt, from “The Dark Side of the Jazz Life”, published March 23, 2025:
“The inner circle [of jazz musicians] that Neil described may be a hospitable destination when you first arrive, but it is also host to some dark pockets, where it is possible to get stuck.
Getting stuck doesn’t have to be dark; it is quite good. It means you’ve effectively latched on to a proper means of self-expression. You’ve learned the logic and can apply it consistently and confidently. The genre’s harmonic framework has clicked into place and you’re grooving to those prevailing conventions.
But the musical universe is vast, and its main orbit happens to be packed full of fellow musical travelers who- on purpose or otherwise- are not attuned to the prevailing conventions of jazz. They either do not care about or are blissfully ignorant of the existence of the rule book, a circumstance which sometimes breaks the heart of the one who has lovingly pored over its contents. The missed opportunities! The squandered ability! The better acquainted he becomes with the rules, the stronger such sentiments become.
But in the eye of the public of course, these popular musicians are gods…”