The problem with BIAB (I used it extensively about 20 years ago) is its simply become too complex too comprehensive for many (I didn’t say “all”) straight ahead Jazz musicians to bother with. Both here in Denver and back in NYC the dozens and dozens of horn players I know mostly use IReal book for backing tracks. This is a shame because BIAB is powerful enough to create far more Realistic tacks. But to have to sort through everything from Celtic Cello styles to Chicken Picken guitar is just too much to bother with. And then when you try to get help on the forums there is this attitude thing. Once I was just trying to understand how to pare down to straight ahead bebop/post bop styles (think every thing from Bird up through Chris Potter) in creating tracks, and had to deal with people arguing with me about how Bebop, Hard bop and post bop are not modern jazz. (Hello have you ever gone to Berklee and seen how many omnibooks are in use?). the bottom line is that I would love to use BIAB again, and recommend it to all my students, but they all just go with Ireal. What I don’t get is why in addition to the endless options from mega to ultra to whatever style packs, you don’t just organize options around genre. Why not just have a complete “bebop and beyond” PAC for those of us who play straight ahead. we can live without the Celtic Cellos (and not to knock these styles. I listen to everything from Bird to Bach to Tool. But I play straight jazz). That’s what I need in a backing track. And there is a community out there of players with a similar need. I suppose doing so is not cost effective as there are so many other sorts of musicians you cater too. But I would think others players in other genres could use such focused content. I guess you guys are packaging and parsing BIAB in a way that is most profitable. It just doesn’t work for a subset of us out here.
Joseph P Cannavo

Last edited by Joseph Cannavo; 10/15/19 01:16 AM.
Joseph P Cannavo
Not everything can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.