Jazz

Jazz is a musical art form which originated around the beginning of the 20th century in Black communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions. The style’s West African pedigree is evident in its use of blue notes, call-and-response, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swung note of ragtime.

From its early development until the present, jazz has also incorporated music from 19th and 20th century American popular music, which is based on European music traditions. The word jazz began as a West Coast slang term of uncertain derivation and was first used to refer to music in Chicago in about 1915.

Jazz has, from its early 20th century inception, spawned a variety of subgenres, from New Orleans Dixieland dating from the early 1910s, big band-style swing from the 1930s and 1940s, bebop from the mid-1940s, a variety of Latin-jazz fusions such as Afro-Cuban and Brazilian jazz from the 1950s and 1960s, jazz-rock fusion from the 1970s and later developments such as acid jazz.

Acid Jazz
Acid jazz is a genre that uses elements of Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop and to a lesser degree Soul and House. It was a movement in the UK, in the early 90s. Some of the major players in this genre are Ronny Jordan, Jamiroquai and Incognito.

Afro-Jazz
A fusion of Jazz with African-styled percussion and rhythms. Hugh Masekela

Arabic Jazz
A blending of Arabic Music and Jazz. It has a high level of improvisation, and the repertory of instruments consists of typical Jazz instruments, especially saxophone, as well as the Arabic oud. Some of the most important artists are Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Anouar Brahem, and Rabih Abou-Khalil.

Free Jazz
Free Jazz is a Jazz music subgenre with origins in the early 1960s. Appearing in the dawn of what would later become the more widespread Avant-Garde Jazz movement, Free Jazz attempts to break free from the conventions and patterns imposed by earlier Jazz subgenres in terms of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic sequences and changes within which improvisation, one of the essential aspects of Jazz, occurs. Dissonance, atonality, disposal of regular harmonic structures and increased rhythmic changes are prevalent in the style. The movement would take its name from Ornette Coleman's 1961 release Free Jazz, credited for serving as the foundation of later recordings of a more "free" nature associated with the genre. A short list of Free Jazz musicians includes Coleman, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Albert Ayler, Anthony Braxton and Peter Brötzmann.

Free Jazz would be influential in the development of Free Improvisation, with which the genre would share certain ties, but which would eventually expand outside of Jazz's rhythmic drive, vocabulary, aesthetic and instrumentation.

Yass
Yass is a term coined at the beginning of 1990s by Polish Avant-Garde Jazz musicians Tymon Tymański, Mazzoll and Tomasz Gwinciński to describe the cross-genre, frequently arrhythmic, improvised music they played with e.g. Miłość, Łoskot and Mazzoll & Arhythmic Perfection. Yass comprises the stylistics and elements of genres ranging from Folk to Punk Rock. The Yass scene emerged in Tricity (an aggregate of the three neighbouring towns of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot) and Bydgoszcz whose Mózg became the "home venue" for Yass performers (e.g. Koncert w Mózgu) with its own label releasing a number of Yass productions. A good overview of the Yass scene comes with the compilation album Cały ten Yass! released by Jazz Forum magazine just after the genre's heyday.

Bebop
Bebop is a style of Jazz characterized by fast tempos, improvisation, irregular melodic phrasing, and complex harmonies and chord structures. Inspired by Swing music, bebop was developed in the 1940s and 50s by musicians such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk. Unlike the earlier big bands, these musicians utilized smaller combos and created music less suitable for dancing. Bebop songs typically begin with a melodic "head" but are dominated by extended solo improvisation over a set chord structure. The emphasis is placed on harmonic exploration rather than the catchy melodies of Swing and Big Band. Initially outside the mainstream of Jazz, bebop is now one of its most popular and well-known forms.

Hard Bop
A subgenre of Bebop that emerged in the mid-1950s and remained popular through the '60s. Hard bop was pioneered by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers who brought in influences from Rhythm & Blues and Gospel. Thus the music tends to have blues-inflected melodies, and its development was in part an attempt to produce a more danceable form of bebop. The style was adopted and expanded in the mid-'50s to early '60s by artists such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins.

Progressive Big Band
Groups playing progressive big band maintained the 10+ member ensembles of traditional Big Band, but instead of making dance-oriented music the groups focused on heavier, more complex, modernistic arrangements that were designed for listening and performance rather than a night on the town.

Progressive Big Band is not a synonym for Experimental Big Band. Although both styles allowed room for improvisational techniques, the progressive groups remained grounded in the traditional big-band ethos, pushing the envelope by tweaking around the fringes with elements of traditional western Western Classical Music music. Experimental groups, on the other hand, went a bit further afield, focusing on incorporating elements of Free Jazz and Modern Classical into the big-band format.

British Dance Band
A peculiarly British genre that came from the dancehalls of the 1920s and 1930s, combining a British take on Jazz with the Music Hall tradition.

Bulawayo Jazz
Bulawayo jazz is a style of afro-jazz that emerged from the city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in the early 1950s. The lead is assured by the alto sax in ensembles including tenor sax, trumpet, guitars, double bass, tubas and trombones.

Bulawayo jazz has been brought in the occidental world by Hugh Tracey, who recorded the material of Bulawayo Jazz: Southern Rhodesia, Zimbawbe 1950, '51, '52 in the early 1950s. Along with Gypsy Jazz, it's the sole jazz scene existing outside of the USA in the late-1940s/early-1950s.

A prominent Zimbabwean jazz player from the 1950s was August Msarurgwa. Msarurgwa was the leader of The African Dance Band of the Cold Storage Commission of Southern Rhodesia and composed the hit "Skokiaan". This may be the most well-known Bulawayo jazz song and has been covered by such artists as Louis Armstrong, The Four Lads, Alma Cogan, Bill Haley and His Comets and Herb Alpert, among many others.

The style is no longer leading the scene in Zimbabwe, replaced by modern popular genres like Kwaito. Nevertheless, some artists like The Cool Crooners are still playing Bulawayo jazz in clubs in Bulawayo and Harare.

Chamber Jazz
Chamber jazz is Jazz made by small acoustic-based ensembles with emphasized improvisation and influenced by Neoclassicism, world music and the classical music of non-Western cultures, mainly South Asian Classical Music, Persian Classical Music, and East Asian Classical Music.

Cool Jazz
Cool Jazz arose in the late 40s alongside, and in response to, the development of Bebop. In a counterpoint to the energetic, improvisational, 'fiery' style of Bop, Cool Jazz unfolds at a much mellower pace, with a subtle and restrained emotional 'coolness'. The soloing tends to be less frantic and improvised than that of other jazz styles, but often maintains a melodic and harmonic complexity. The controlled yet complex arrangements borrow from the ideas of 20th-century composers, and over time helped open up the even more classically influenced Third Stream style. Miles Davis, Lennie Tristano, and Dave Brubeck are among the original developers of Cool Jazz.

Dark Jazz
Dark Jazz is a form of Dark Ambient influenced slow tempo contemporary Jazz music. Dark atmosphere of this genre is inspired by Film Noir soundtracks, Ascenseur pour l'échafaud in general. The most typical acts include Bohren & der Club of Gore and Swami Lateplate.

Dixieland
Dixieland is one of the earliest styles of Jazz that developed in New Orleans in the 1910s. The term came from the name of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band who were one of the first ensembles in Jazz to publish an official commercial recording, to which the term was further used to describe all Jazz ensembles who played in this style including early Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Kid Ory and King Oliver.

Dixieland took influence from both Ragtime and early Blues music, mainly in structure and harmonic development. In contrast to later Jazz trends like Big Band that normally had a few designated soloists while others played accompanying roles, Dixieland usually had all instruments at some point take the role of soloist playing in an improvisatory manner with instruments normally trading accompaniment/solo roles in each recurring verse. There were often polyphonic sections, where each instrument would play their own melody whilst retaining the same harmony, sometimes sounding contrapuntal and cacophonous yet still maintaining consonance unlike the polyphonic sections in later forms of Jazz such as Bebop. Harmonic structures within Dixieland Jazz were often straightforward and easy to follow.

Dixieland ensembles were usually small but often used piano, trumpet (often muted), clarinet and drums. The saxophone was not really popular during Dixieland's prime and rarely used, however it was not uncommon to use more unconventional instruments such as banjos and vibraphones.

As Dixieland grew in popularity it began to spread to other states until eventually declining at the prime of the Swing-era in the 1930s. Many Jazz artists conformed to the Swing trend and Dixieland fell into obscurity. Although no longer popular in the present day, it was highly influential on the preceding Jazz movements particularly among the use of improvisation, with songs such as "When the Saints Go Marching In" still being well known to even non-Jazz fans (a track often played by Dixieland ensembles).

ECM Style Jazz
ECM style (also known as ECM jazz) is style of music in Jazz lineage that emerged in the mid-1970s and is associated with ECM Records (ECM stands for "Edition of Contemporary Music"). ECM style can be seen as creative reaction to Free Jazz (which was at that time seen as most forward-looking form of jazz), pursuing different elements of expression than the often violent and dissonant aesthetics of free jazz. Although ECM style have taken few cues from free jazz, it rather followed the way of Jazz Fusion. It has been partially influenced by restrained and subdued aesthetics of Cool Jazz and mainly by Third Stream in incorporating various compositional elements of Western Classical Music, though in lesser degree the avant-garde styles of Modern Classical. In addition to it ECM style compositions are often influenced by or even based on various Traditional Folk Music sources.

Although ECM style is obviously associated with ECM Records, it doesn't mean that it refers to any record released by it. ECM style has entered the common usage - for lack of better name - as reference to specific genre of jazz and can currently refer to releases outside of ECM Records (e.g. some of Oregon's records before they actually signed for ECM Records are referred to as already done in ECM style). Conversely, not every jazz record from ECM Records is ECM style. Although the term has been invented amongst listeners and enthusiasts, it has been already treated by jazz scholars, too.

The artists who have been crucial in coining the basic language of the genre were initially from ECM, though: Jan Garbarek (beginning with records Witchi-Tai-To and Dis), Keith Jarrett (especially The Köln Concert), Ralph Towner (with Solstice), Eberhard Weber (Later That Evening) or Miroslav Vitous (First Meeting). Their approach is usually described as "ascetic", "restrained" or "meditative" and their playing can be characterized by long, slow-pacing gestures that are preferred to displays of virtuosity, usage of silence, subdued expressivity and attention to "spatial" organization in music. They approach their instruments in more traditional way compared to free jazz, not pushing them to their expressive limits. ECM style jazz is tonal, although it doesn't operate with instantly recognizable melodies, it is often quite static and close to Impressionism in its treatment of textures and atmospheres. Rhythmically the music is straight (often in straight eight-notes) and doesn't have the "swing" feel that's common to majority of jazz. The adjectives usually associated with ECM style are "dreamy", "ethereal", "icy", etc. This particular style has been fortified by ECM Records founder and producer Manfred Eicher, who approached the sound engineering with clarity and detail usually associated with recordings of classical music. These recognizable sound engineering qualities are usually referred to as "ECM sound".

Basic ECM style was fully established in the 1980s. During the following years it has refined its language and increased the range of non-jazz influences in order to emphasize its meditative and relaxing qualities. With help of such qualities ECM style has gradually gained some mainstream following. Currently the genre has found home amongst many Scandinavian jazzmen and what is sometimes referred to as "Scandinavian jazz" is basically the ECM style. Amongst the more contemporary artists representing this genre are Tord Gustavsen Trio, Arve Henriksen or Nik Bärtsch.

Gypsy Jazz
A genre developed in France that combines Jazz with several aspects of Gypsy Music. Although many instrument lineups are possible, the guitar and violin are the most common solo instrument, standing starkly in contrast to typical Jazz, where saxophones, trumpets, etc. are far more common. Clarinet and accordion are also commonly used, and the rhythm guitar is often played with a percussive technique known as "la pompe", largely replacing the drums. Django Reinhardt is often credited with creating the genre.

Notable artists: Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli, Quintette Du Hot Club De France, The Rosenberg Trio, Tchan Tchou Vidal

Jazz Fusion
Jazz Fusion is a style of music derived from Jazz, incorporating elements of different musical traditions: the electric sound and the riffs of Rock music, the rhythms of Rhythm & Blues and Funk, the elaborate compositions of Classical Music, and various forms of worldwide Folk music traditions, are gathered in a jazzy environment of highly complex improvisation and experimentation, following the movement of Avant-Garde Jazz of the 50s and 60s. Instruments such as electric guitars and keyboards become commonly used. The experimentalist jazzmen/jazzbands Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell or Soft Machine are considered to be pioneers of this genre.

Marabi
Marabi is a Jazz and Southern African Popular Music style with origins in the 1920s. This genre came to existence in the ghettos and the shebeens of Johannesburg and is rooted in traditional South African music. The formerly simplistic organ and piano style (resembling Ragtime to a certain extent, and often accompanied by different percussion instruments and later on also played by reeds) was brought to a larger audience and taken to a higher artistic level by artists such as Abdullah Ibrahim, Johnny Dyani, Basil Coetzee, The African Jazz Pioneers, Miriam Makeba (early period) and others. This sound came to prominence as it was used as a form of protest against the exploitation of the people of South Africa. From a more Swing-based Marabi combined with Zulu and Xhosa cultures emerged Kwela and Mbaqanga. These made the international popularity of Marabi music genres increase respectively in the 1950s and the 1960s.
 * Emociones, Vol. 1

Kwela
This sound from South Africa emerged from Marabi in the early 1950s. Kwela is rooted in Malawi and local South African traditional music such as Zulu music, and is influenced by Jazz as well. The four bar themes get repeated and mildly varied. The happy melodies of Kwela are mostly played by different flutes such as pennywhistle flutes and are often accompanied by banjo or guitar. Kwela became popular in Malawi as well and was prominent worldwide in the 1950s. The most significant artists are South African Lemmy "Special" Mabaso and Spokes Mashiyane, Malawian Donald Kachamba, as well as South African Elias & His Zig Zag Jive Flutes who performed in 1958 the internationally famous song Tom Hark.
 * Mbube - The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Music from South Africa)

Mbaqanga
Mbaqanga is a popular Zulu genre of South African music, that emerged from the traditional Marabi Jazz and Swing as well as Kwela popular South African genres. Mbaqanga is much more based on Big Band Swing. It appeared in the early 1960s from South African shebeens. Like Kwela, Mbaqanga has rural Zulu roots and continues to influence musicians worldwide today. The early prominent Mbaqanga artists were Makgona Tsohle Band, Mahlathini and Mahotella Queens, Sipho Mchunu accompanied by Johnny Clegg with Juluka band. Today this genre is less active although Mahotella Queens reduced to three members are still performing.
 * Thunder Before Dawn (The Indestructible Beat Of Soweto Vol.2)

Modal Jazz
A style of Jazz that utilizes musical modes as harmonic framework over traditionally used chord progressions. It took its start in the late 1950s when artists such as George Russell began experimentation with a modal approach to their music. Since then, some of the most well known jazz artists began using modal progressions in their music, including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Herbie Hancock. Modal jazz is often cited as a precursor to Avant-Garde Jazz.

Samba-Jazz
A genre developed in Brazil in the early 1960s that presents a synthesis of Bossa Nova and the rhythms of Samba with American Jazz, particularly Bebop and Cool Jazz.

Smooth Jazz
Smooth Jazz is an outgrowth of the Jazz Fusion style, beginning in the late '60s. The sound is almost entirely built around a simple and repeating melody taking the forefront (soprano saxophone being the common lead), and backed by (often synthesized) Funk, Pop, or Rhythm & Blues rhythms. Soloing and improvisations are practically non-existent, as the music is meant to be as pleasant and easily absorbed as possible. Often considered a derisive term, Smooth Jazz is somewhat synonymous with 'muzak' or 'elevator music', and is closely related to Adult Contemporary and Sophisti-Pop for its common theme of remaking popular songs into the Smooth Jazz style. George Benson and Pat Metheny were early popularizers of the style.

Stride
Stride is a style of early piano music that evolved from Ragtime. Often faster and more complex than Ragtime, Stride Piano can also be seen as one of the most popular early forms of Jazz, developing its style later on to include improvisation, blue notes, and more advanced swing rhythms. James P. Johnson is known as the “Father of Stride Piano”.

Swing
Swing music began in the 1920s, with its prime era between 1935-1945, and was one of the most popular styles of American music until shortly after World War Two. Swing Jazz relies on a larger backing rhythm section (comprised of drums, guitar, bass (stand-up or electric), piano or organ, and sometimes a tuba, in varying groupings) than other Jazz styles. This lays the groundwork for the 'lead' section, usually including brass (e.g. trombone, trumpet) and woodwinds (e.g. saxophone, clarinet). Creative and intricate soloing takes the fore on the bandleaders instrument of choice, giving each song its particular character. Swing is an up-tempo music that is highly danceable, its most famous dance perhaps being the Jitterbug. Swing enjoyed a brief but powerful revival during the late 90s, and its well-known original artists such as Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, and Count Basie remain popular to this day among Jazz enthusiasts.

Swing Revival
Swing Revival, also known as Neoswing, was a period of renewed interest in the Swing and Jump Blues music styles of the thirties and forties that occurred around the turn of the millennium. Rather than being a direct copy, however, the scene incorporated elements of other genres, such as Rockabilly, Ska and Punk Rock.

Third Stream
A term coined by conductor Gunther Schuller, who showed various interests in Jazz within his own music, Third Stream is essentially a blending of Jazz and Western Classical Music. Improvisation, which is very rare in Classical Music, is often a key element in Third Stream music. Charles Mingus, Moondog, and Bill Evans are some of the most notable artists in the genre.

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