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Made in America: Jazz is arguably the greatest cultural invention that has emerged from the United States. Often referred to as “America’s Classical Music,” jazz bridges the classical and the popular, resulting in an entirely unique and diverse genre. Jazz, as it is played today, can incorporate any other style of music, and is only limited by the imagination of its artists. As a result, jazz is performed and enjoyed around the world.

Definition of the Genre: Jazz is a genre of instrumental and vocal music, African-American in origin, that features extensive improvisation, elevated instrumental technique, and often what is referred to as a “swing” feeling of rhythm.

Origins — A Mysterious Word: The origin of the word jazz is unknown. The word originally took various forms: jazz, jas, jass, jascz, jasz, jaz. Many people believe it was initially a sexual term. The word first appeared in print around 1913, and by 1917 it was used as a term referring to music played by African-Americans.
“‘Jazz’ is only a word and really has no meaning.” — Duke Ellington

Origins — The Crescent City: When jazz emerged at the turn of the 20th century, it was an amalgamation of European, American, and African tribal music. These elements came together in the important melting pot of New Orleans, a center for trade and Southern American culture. To learn more about the music’s home, read my article New Orleans, Birthplace of Jazz.

Hot Jazz: The first great style of jazz is referred to as “Hot Jazz” and was performed by the musicians of New Orleans. When these musicians migrated North to Chicago, they made legendary recordings, featuring musicians like Louis Armstrong and Johnny Dodds. Read my guide to Essential Hot Jazz albums.

Swing Jazz: As jazz matured, musicians across the nation took up the music and expanded its instrumentation. Soon, large ensembles were performing this music with increasing sophistication, and the nation became infatuated. These Big Bands dominated what is now known as the Swing era, a time when jazz and popular music were synonymous. For more on Swing music, read my guide to Essential Swing Jazz.

Bebop – The Birth of Modern Jazz: After World War II, the Swing era had peaked and jazz musicians searched for a new direction. Two young rebels, saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, led a new intellectual movement that laid the groundwork for all the modern jazz that would follow in the second half of the 20th Century. The important albums of this musical revolution are covered in my guide to Essential Bebop.

Jazz Today: Jazz enjoys a secure place in the musical pantheon, and has been institutionalized in prestigious clubs, performance spaces, and festivals around the world. In addition to the styles above, the contemporary jazz scene includes avant-garde music (often referred to as “free jazz”), Latin jazz, Smooth jazz, fusion, and other variations.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 28th, 2006 at 07:30 and is filed under ! Front Page, History, Musicians. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.