Music / Styles A–Z / American roots · 02 of 35
Jazz
Jazz began in the African-American communities of New Orleans around the turn of the 20th century. In most forms a soloist improvises over piano or guitar, double bass and drums.
- Where and when
- New Orleans, late 19th and early 20th century
- Tempo
- Not fixed; bebop fast, smooth jazz 90–105 BPM
- Played on
- Piano or guitar, double bass, drums, horns
- Lesson
- American roots →
What it is
Jazz began in the African-American communities of New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, out of blues, ragtime, European harmony, marches and dance music. In most forms a soloist improvises over a rhythm section: piano or guitar for the chords, double bass and drums.
For the producer. Tempo depends on the school. Bebop in the 1940s was made for listening, not dancing, and so could run at faster tempos; smooth jazz sits downtempo, with its most played tracks at 90 to 105 beats per minute and a lead line on soprano or tenor saxophone or a clean electric guitar. Fusion in the late 1960s brought electric instruments and loud amplified stage sound.
The records that made it
From the lesson American roots, where the sources are listed · links open a search
- 1917Livery Stable BluesThe Original Dixieland Jass Band · The earliest released jazz record.
- 1943TangaMario Bauzá for Machito and his Afro-Cubans · Taken as the first jazz piece built on clave.
- 1947Manteca · Taken as the first jazz standard built on clave.
- 1957A Blowin' SessionJohn Coltrane and Johnny Griffin · Counted among the high points of hard bop.
Jazz in this month’s records
New releases the press we read wrote about, tagged jazz on MusicBrainz · updated with every build
Album · 11.06 · jazz · free jazzThe Tiberi TapesJohn Coltrane
Album · 10.30 · free jazz · jazzit's easier to imagine the end of the world...Anna Webber
Album · 10.30 · electronic · grimeSongs For SinnersMoses Boyd
- Single · 10.29 · indie folk · jazz2 HandsMei Semones
Album · 10.23 · avant-garde jazz · contemporary jazzCalling AntonínJames Brandon Lewis / Red Lily
Album · 10.23 · funk · instrumentalFrogs in a PondSurprise Chef