What is jazz?

Contrary to, for example, classical music, where the boundaries of what is and what is not classical music are quite clear, jazz is a type of music with less clear boundaries. An important characteristic of jazz music is that the musicians improvise parts of the music. Therefore a jazz song never sounds exactly the same twice. In order to be able to improvise well, the band members must be very well attuned to each other and be able to react well to the other. They have to be able to go along with the improvisation of the other at any moment, for which they need a well developed musical hearing. Also a characteristic of jazz music are church scales and complex chords.

History of jazz music

Jazz music originated at the beginning of the 20th century. This happened in the South of the United States, in New Orleans. Jazz music is not just one style, but it originated from different musical styles such as the blues, ragtime and spirituals. It originates from the Afro-American people of New Orleans, combining West African rhythms with other influences. In the beginning, jazz was not a popular style of music because it was associated with a low social status. Nevertheless, some jazz musicians in those days could make enough money with jazz music to live off and this gave a boost to the development of jazz as a new style. In 1917, jazz expanded beyond New Orleans. In Chicago, the band Original Dixieland Jass Band formed, consisting of white musicians. This jazz music was slightly less heavy and was therefore accessible to a wider audience, including the white population. After that, jazz became more and more famous in New York during the roaring twenties.

Styles within jazz music

Jazz music is not one kind of music, but consists of different styles, including Boogiewoogie, Swing, Bepop, Cool Jazz and Fusion. Boogiewoogie is jazz music played on the piano, with the left hand playing a tight rhythm and the right hand improvising. This creates strange rhythms, changing the rhythmic chords of a piece of music, which is called a syncope. The next style is Swing. As the name suggests, this is dance music. When you hear this style of jazz you want to get up from your chair immediately and swing across the dance floor. Bands that play this style are often called Bigbands, because they consist of larger groups of about 10 to 15 musicians. The next style is Bepop, which forms a counter movement to the larger groups of Swing, by making music with just smaller bands. Later, in the fifties, the Cool Jazz style came up. The previous styles were mainly fast and busy pieces of music, but this style focuses on a relaxed vibe with a slower tempo. Solos are also common in this style, with a lot of improvisation. The last style of jazz is Fusion or also called Jazzrock. This is jazz mixed with Rock, combining the instruments and improvisation of jazz with the rhythm of Rock.

Musical instruments

Many different musical instruments can be used in jazz music. Common instruments are the saxophone, piano, trumpet, clarinet and trombone. The rhythm section of the jazz band often consists of instruments such as the guitar or bass guitar, the drum kit, the banjo and the double bass. The 'musical instrument' that is also used of course is the vocal chords, because jazz music can be instrumental, but is often also combined with vocals.

Well-known jazz artists

One of the most famous names in jazz music is Louis Armstrong. He was both singer and trumpeter. He is a great source of inspiration for other musicians and has performed as a jazz artist for no less than fifty years. His best-known songs are 'What a wonderful world' and 'La vie en rose'. Another famous jazz artist was jazz singer Billie Holiday, with the song Strange Fruit. She is still very popular because of her special voice. Earlier you read about the music style Bepop. The artist who developed this style of music was the jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, together with Dizzy Gillepsie. The last artist we will discuss here is Miles Davis, who left for New York City at the age of eighteen from his hometown Illinois to pursue his career as a jazz artist. He did this successfully and won a total of nine Grammy Awards.

Jazz radio stations

Jazz can be listened to in many ways. The best way is of course to hear jazz music live, but you can also enjoy jazz music from home. You can do this, for example, by listening to jazz via online radio. Radioguide offers a category 'Jazz', with the best jazz radio stations:

·      ABC Jazz Radio: A radio station from Australia offering good jazzy sounds 24/7

·      Radio Swiss Jazz: A jazz radio station with jazz, blues and soul from Switzerland

·      Jazz FM: The biggest jazz radio station in the world, broadcasting from England

·      Jazz Radio 106.8 FM: A German radio station with an extensive online archive

·      Radio 6 Soul & Jazz: A radio station from the Netherlands with soul and jazz music