What it is
Jazz is a live music language built on improvisation. It can be intimate club music, big-band swing, festival spectacle or experimental sound, but the point is usually the same: players respond to each other in the moment.
Music topic
Jazz
Improvisation, swing, blue notes and city scenes.
Where it comes from
Jazz developed from blues, ragtime, brass bands and dance music in the early twentieth century. It moved through swing, bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, fusion and modern scenes while keeping improvisation at its centre.
- Origin
- New Orleans and Black American musical traditions
- Era
- Early 1900s to today
- Core sound
- Improvisation, rhythm and conversation
- Best for
- Festival calendars, clubs, city breaks and late-night sets
How the topic reads
Improvisation98 98
Club culture84 84
Festival depth82 82
Dance roots64 64
Names people recognise
- Louis Armstrong
- Duke Ellington
- Billie Holiday
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Miles Davis
- John Coltrane
More Music
Music category
Return to the Music index for related topic pages.
Events
Upcoming events
Countries
Montreal International Jazz Festival
Montreal, Canada
Copenhagen Jazz Festival
Copenhagen, Denmark
Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux, Switzerland
North Sea Jazz Festival
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Umbria Jazz
Perugia, Italy
Jazz in Marciac
Marciac, France
Jazzaldia
San Sebastian, Spain
Newport Jazz Festival
Newport, United States
Detroit Jazz FestivalDetroit, United States
Monterey Jazz FestivalMonterey, United States
Jazzfest Berlin
Berlin, Germany
EFG London Jazz Festival
London, United Kingdom
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