What is Jazz Music?

Jazz is a uniquely American musical genre that originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is characterized by its syncopated rhythms, improvisation, and inventive use of harmony. Jazz is often described as a musical conversation, where musicians interact and respond to each other’s musical ideas in real-time.

The Origins of Jazz

The roots of jazz can be traced back to African musical traditions brought to the United States through the transatlantic slave trade. These traditions merged with European musical influences, African-American spirituals, and the blues, giving birth to what would later become known as jazz. The birthplace of jazz is widely recognized as New Orleans, a melting pot of cultures and musical styles.

Jazz Styles and Subgenres

Over the years, jazz has evolved and branched out into various styles and subgenres, each with its own distinct characteristics and notable figures. Let’s explore some of the most significant jazz styles:

Swing

Swing, also known as “big band” jazz, emerged in the 1930s and 1940s. It is characterized by its energetic, danceable rhythms, featuring large ensembles with brass and woodwind instruments. Swing music, with its infectious beats and memorable melodies, became a staple of the era’s dance halls.

Bebop

Bebop emerged in the 1940s as a response to the commercialization of swing music. It prioritized intricate melodies, complex harmonies, and lightning-fast improvisation. Bebop musicians, such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, pushed the boundaries of jazz, creating a new language within the genre.

Cool Jazz

Cool jazz, also known as West Coast jazz, emerged in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It featured a more relaxed, laid-back style compared to bebop. Cool jazz musicians, including Miles Davis and Chet Baker, embraced subtlety, softer tones, and intricate arrangements.

Fusion

Fusion jazz emerged in the late 1960s and blended elements of jazz with other genres, such as rock, funk, and electronic music. Artists like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Weather Report incorporated electric instruments and experimentation, creating a fusion of styles that pushed jazz into new sonic territories.

Latin Jazz

Latin jazz fuses Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms with jazz improvisation. Artists like Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, and Antonio Carlos Jobim introduced Latin influences, including salsa, bossa nova, and samba, into the jazz repertoire, creating an exciting and vibrant fusion.

Jazz and Live Casinos

While jazz and live casinos may seem unrelated at first glance, there is a surprising connection between the two.

The Connection Between Jazz and Casinos

Jazz music has often been associated with the vibrant atmosphere of casinos. Thethrilling and energetic nature of jazz aligns perfectly with the excitement and allure of the casino environment. The improvisational and spontaneous nature of jazz mirrors the unpredictability and risk-taking inherent in https://livecasinofinder.com/mobile-live-casino/ casino games. Jazz bands and musicians have been a common fixture in casino lounges and entertainment venues, creating a lively and engaging atmosphere for visitors.

Live Casino Experience

In recent years, the world of online gambling has seen significant advancements, with the emergence of live casinos. Live casinos bring the thrill of a real casino directly to the screens of players around the world. With live streaming technology, players can interact with professional dealers and other players in real-time, enhancing the immersive experience. As players enjoy their favorite casino games, the soothing sounds of jazz music can often be heard in the background, adding an extra layer of sophistication and enjoyment to the live casino experience.

Key Figures in Jazz History

Throughout its history, jazz has been shaped by numerous iconic figures who have left an indelible mark on the genre. Let’s explore some of these influential musicians:

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong, also known as Satchmo, was a trumpet player and vocalist who played a pivotal role in the development of jazz. His virtuosic trumpet playing and unique singing style made him one of the most influential figures in jazz history.

Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington was a composer, bandleader, and pianist who brought sophistication and elegance to jazz. His orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, showcased his innovative compositions and arrangements, earning him the title of one of the greatest jazz composers of all time.

Miles Davis

Miles Davis was a trailblazing trumpeter and bandleader who played a crucial role in the development of cool jazz and fusion. His experimentation and willingness to push the boundaries of the genre made him a transformative figure in the world of jazz.

John Coltrane

John Coltrane, a saxophonist and composer, was a key figure in the development of avant-garde and free jazz. His innovative improvisations and spiritual approach to music continue to inspire musicians to this day.

Jazz Instruments

Jazz music is renowned for its wide array of instruments that contribute to its distinctive sound. Here are some of the key instruments commonly associated with jazz:

• Trumpet
• Saxophone
• Piano
• Double Bass
• Drums
• Trombone
• Guitar

Each instrument brings its unique timbre and role to the ensemble, allowing for endless possibilities of musical expression and interaction.

Characteristics of Jazz Music

Several defining characteristics contribute to the richness and allure of jazz music:

Improvisation

One of the hallmarks of jazz is improvisation. Musicians often take turns creating spontaneous melodies and solos, building upon the chord progressions and melodies of a given piece. This element of improvisation allows for endless creativity and individual expression within the framework of a composition.

Syncopation

Syncopation is a rhythmic technique commonly used in jazz. It involves placing accents on off-beats or unexpected parts of a measure, creating a distinctive and lively rhythmic feel. Syncopation adds a sense of unpredictability and rhythmic complexity to jazz music.

Swing Feel

The swing feel is a distinctive rhythmic quality in jazz that gives it a relaxed and propulsive groove. It involves playing eighth notes unevenly, with the first note slightly longer than the second, creating a bouncy and swinging rhythm. The swing feel is integral to many jazz styles, particularly swing and big band jazz.

Call and Response

Call and response is a musical conversation between different instruments or sections of a band. It involves one musician playing a phrase or melody, and another musician or group of musicians responding with their own musical statement. Call and response fosters interaction, spontaneity, and dynamic interplay within a jazz ensemble.

Conclusion

Jazz music remains a vibrant and influential genre that continues to captivate listeners worldwide. Its rich history, diverse styles, and innovative musicians have shaped the landscape of music and inspired countless artists across various genres. Whether it’s the soulful melodies of Louis Armstrong or the groundbreaking improvisations of Miles Davis, jazz music has an enduring appeal that transcends time.

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“The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert” (1950, Columbia) Benny Goodman

A recording of a historic 1938 concert by one of the premier (at the time so-and-so premier) jazz orchestras in the United States. This concert actually marked the success of jazz in the so-called big time: the first time a jazz band performed at Carnegie Hall, the citadel of “serious music.” The so-called swing era, when young American audiences suddenly embraced the hot new music, began about two and a half years before the Carnegie Hall concert, and it was the Benny Goodman Orchestra that was lucky enough to be the first on that wave. Benny Goodman was not only an outstanding musician and a talented bandleader: he also played an educational role in the history of jazz (his bands’ broadcasts on the radio were essential in popularizing jazz bands) and a social one – Goodman was the first bandleader who brought together “white” and “black” musicians. From this recording you can get an idea of jazz in general at the time: the musicians play archaic jazz from 1918, works for large ensemble and for quartet (Benny Goodman for clarinet, Teddy Wilson for piano, Lionel Hampton for vibraphone, Gene Krupa for drums). Fast tempos with firing percussion accents, swirling brass unisons, witty solos – swing in all its glory.

“Djangology (2005, Bluebird) Django Reinhardt

The great French guitarist of Belgian origin Django Reinhardt did not see any of his recordings on a long-playing record during his lifetime. The performances on this compilation were made by the guitarist in 1949 during a tour of Italy with his long-term partner, the French violinist Stéphane Grappelli, accompanied by the Italian rhythm section. These concerts turned out to be Reinhardt and Grappelli’s last collaboration. The recording is not typical: from 1934 until the beginning of the war the musicians collaborated primarily in the Quintette du Hot Club de France, formed on the initiative of the Paris Society of Jazz Lovers, and that quintet consisted of three guitarists (including Django himself and his brother Joseph), a violinist and a double bassist. In Italy, however, Reinhardt and Grappelli are accompanied by a piano trio. Thus, to the traditional sound of jazz manouche, as the style created by Reinhardt is called (manouche is the self-name of the gypsies who came to France through Germany and other more northern European countries), the piano and, most importantly, the drums are added. But the rhythm section plays extremely delicately, so that at times it seems as if we are listening to a duet recording. The nuances of the duo’s playing are presented with all the finesse.

Reinhardt, a subtle musician who became an outstanding virtuoso despite an injury (two fingers on his left hand were paralyzed in a fire in his youth), was almost the only European musician who emerged in the prewar era and who managed to become an important figure for American jazz. Many American jazz guitarists were influenced by him. In Woody Allen’s “Sweet and Nasty,” the fictional guitarist Emmett Ray says time and again, “There’s no one like me in guitar playing… Except that gypsy in France.”

“Afro” (1954, Norgran) by Dizzy Gillespie

The jubilee could have been presented with another recording (in fact, each of the ten accompanying texts published here could have begun with such a turn), more characterizing him as the founder of bebop and the progenitor of the modern jazz mainstream. For example, the filigree album Bird and Diz, Gillespie’s gripping dialogue with Charlie Parker, or the legendary concert Jazz at Massey Hall, where the same pair, along with pianist Bud Powell, double bassist Charles Mingus, and drummer Max Roach demonstrate a stunning flight of musical imagination and revelation of freedom in real time, would be suitable for this role. If some figures of the modern mainstream can sometimes be reproached for an excessive adherence to tried-and-true schemes and an emphasis on technique at the expense of art, Gillespie and his comrades on these recordings, by contrast, prove that jazz is a living life, which even within a given framework will flow according to laws known to it alone. But I want to mention another side of Gillespie’s work. He was one of the first who could easily combine jazz and Latin rhythms (today Latin jazz is one of the main directions of modern improvised music; in 2012, there was a huge scandal in the American music industry, when the Grammy’s lost the nomination “Best Latin Jazz Album”, and the next year the nomination returned to the system). The album is divided into two parts. The first four numbers are recorded by a large cast, with arrangements by Cuban composer Chico O’Farrill. The last three numbers are played by a much more modest lineup, but their sound is not much less intense due to the fact that they, like the first four, feature an extended (Cuban) percussion section. “Manteca Theme”, “A Night in Tunisia”, “Con Alma” and even “Caravan”, composed eighteen years before this recording, sound here like joyful anthems of a lush, rich and colorful life and represent the best examples of Afro-Cuban music.

“Lady Sings the Blues” (1956, Clef) by Billie Holiday

It’s not easy to choose the best recording of this amazing singer. Lady in Satin, the last record released during Billie Holiday’s lifetime, is very different from others in her discography: here she is assisted by a big orchestra conducted by Ray Ellis with an abundance of strings. The overall sound is soulful but salon-like, and only the singer’s inimitable voice seems to fall out of all this sterility and, at the same time, seem to justify its existence. By this time, Holiday’s voice had changed a lot – weakened, husky, more trembling – and yet it was her voice, incomparable, out of place, mesmerizing with its natural curvature, inarticulosity, strangeness. “Lady in Satin” showed how Billie Holiday remains herself in any entourage. But since we’re talking about jazz records, it’s probably more appropriate to suggest a recording of Holiday accompanied by a jazz ensemble. Especially since some of the accompanists here deserve special mention: pianist Wynton Kelly, guitarists Kenny Burrell and Barney Kessell, drummer Chico Hamilton. The most important tracks on the album are probably the first, which gives the album its title and immediately plunges us into Holiday’s usual state of ironic doom, a sort of borderline state between major and minor, and the piercing “Strange Fruit,” dedicated to lynching victims.

“Kind of Blue” (1959, Columbia) by Miles Davis

Not only one of the most famous works by the great trumpeter Miles Davis, but also one of the most popular records in jazz history. It went four times platinum about a decade ago, with at least four million copies sold. This is especially interesting because jazz is often associated with something upbeat, virtuosic, and impetuous, while on “Kind of Blue” we hear music that is thoughtful, unhurried, and in some places even quite drawn-out. Nevertheless, it breathes the same freedom, the same life as the more energetic jazz recordings, with improvisation, unevenness, and real feeling. The album featured saxophonists Cannonball Edderly and John Coltrane and pianist Bill Evans — the latter two’s serious solo careers began just after the record’s release. “Kind of Blue” is considered one of the first opuses of so-called modal jazz, in which the musical basis is not changes in harmonies but sound combinations within a fret, so that basic moves and improvisation can be built virtually on a single chord with slight offsets. It turns out that by using such a formally limited set of tools and rather sparingly improvising (listen, for example, to Coltrane’s solo in “Blue in Green”), an incredible richness of nuance can be achieved.

In 2014 there was a scandal in the jazz world: the subversives from the ensemble with the terrible name Mostly Other People Do the Killing recorded an album on which they reproduced all the parts of “Kind of Blue” one-to-one, that is, they based one of the main works of jazz on something that essentially contradicts the very spirit of jazz.

“A Love Supreme” (1965, Impulse!) by John Coltrane

One of the recognized pinnacles in the work of the great saxophonist and in jazz in general. In 1962, the so-called John Coltrane Classic Quartet was formed – with McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Harrison on double bass and Alvin Jones on drums. By this point, Coltrane had already been accused of playing “anti-jazz”: before forming the “classical quartet”, the saxophonist was actively developing ideas of modal jazz (see the chapter on “Kind of Blue”), and was also inspired by the principles laid down in Indian ragas and the emerging free jazz, i.e. jazz free from harmonic and rhythmic frameworks. In other words, Coltrane was moving decisively away from familiar jazz schemes; his ensemble could, for example, improvise for long periods while sitting on a single harmony. With the new quartet, the saxophonist temporarily returns to a soft, traditional sound, built on regular harmony changes, to short ballads – though the ensemble’s activities are not limited to this, and at concerts the quartet sometimes plays violently and again relying on harmonies. With this creative baggage and, as Coltrane put it, “a balanced repertoire,” the ensemble approached the creation of a four-part suite about the love of God. The first movement, Acknowledgement, is based primarily on a four-note sequence, first played by the double bass and later by the saxophone, and on these same notes Coltrane puts the words “a love supreme,” which gave the suite its name; the solo in the middle of the movement at times looks most like a repetition with variations of an almost conversational phrase. The second movement, “Resolution,” is closest to a jazz piece with a coherent theme and its development through piano and saxophone solos – and it is based on modal jazz principles. The third and fourth pieces in some editions are on the same track, even though they are quite different. In “Pursuance,” each member of the quartet is given the opportunity to show off, the pianist and especially the drummer and saxophone player going to all sorts of trouble until they are interrupted by a more subdued double bass monologue. Finally, “Psalm” is a unique experience of interpreting a text through music: accompanied by the others, again playing one harmony, Coltrane performs a psalm of his own composition on saxophone without saying the words, each note roughly corresponding to one syllable of the text, and one can tell by the intonation and pauses approximately where each word begins.

Following this landmark work, the quartet made a number of recordings during 1965 on which it sounded much freer, until Coltrane, obsessed with radical new ideas and mastering radical ways of sounding, began to expand the lineup, resulting in the departure of pianist Tyner and drummer Jones. Coltrane’s music became very different.

“Light as a Feather” (1973, Polydor) by Chick Corea and Return to Forever

Keyboardist Chick Corea has led and leads ensembles of all sorts. There are some that sound more electric and fusion, and some more acoustic, more inheriting traditional jazz. The ensemble Return to Forever has sounded quite differently in different periods. The most famous is the line-up with Al Di Meola on guitar – the records of the mid-1970s are considered classics of fusion and/or jazz-rock. The first lineup of Return to Forever is quite different. There is no guitar at all, the main solo instrument, apart from the electric piano, is the flute or (less frequently) Joe Farrell’s saxophone. The most important component is the Brazilian flavor brought by a married couple: singer Flora Purim and percussionist Airto Moreira. The album’s sound is light and fluttering (the ensemble’s other regular member, Stanley Clarke, hasn’t yet switched from double bass to bass). Purim’s voice, with its rich range, fits the overall fabric just right. Enveloping in the song that gives the album its name, winding up in “You’re Everything” (where the record starts), as if fractured but leading to the only possible point in “500 Miles High”. But it is even more appropriate in the numbers without lyrics – “Captain Marvel” and especially the great “Spain”, where it is already perceived simply as one of the instruments, without which the perfect sound of this work seems impossible (though Coria repeatedly performed it with other compositions as an instrumental). “Spain” begins with a thoughtful, heartfelt quote from Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo’s Aranjuez Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, and suddenly a keyboard cascade comes from somewhere, and then the voice comes in, and you are swept up in this flow, and you will probably never forget this music.

“The Köln Concert” (1975, ECM) by Keith Jarrett

Pianist Keith Jarrett is one of the most versatile and controversial figures in jazz history. He is a musician who has tried to immerse himself not only in jazz, but also in academic music (his repertoire includes Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier” and Shostakovich’s “24 Preludes and Fugues”). A composer who composed for academic ensembles. Multi-instrumentalist (in addition to his main instrument, the piano, Jarrett sometimes plays drums, guitars, organ, and wind instruments). On one of his earliest albums, he plays (and sings!) something more akin to folk-rock than anything else. And a few years ago he released records that could be characterized as either fusion or instrumental California rock, with elements of ethnic music as well. In recent years Jarrett’s concert activities have focused entirely on two formats – a trio with double bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette and solo performances. With the trio, Jarrett was either doing total improvisation or performing jazz standards, that is, pieces that have been consistently in the repertoire of most jazz musicians for decades. But for the past three years, Jarrett has not performed with a trio either. The pianist’s recitals are something of a paradox in jazz: Jarrett only performs in large concert halls and requires the audience to be completely silent. At the same time he behaves defiantly during his performance, squirming and making noises that sound like a groan or a squeak. Jarrett’s solo performances are almost exclusively improvisational, and often (as in the Cologne Concerto) meditative, around two chords. This recording became the most popular solo album in jazz history and the most popular piano album in the history of the recording industry. Which is especially surprising when you consider that Jarrett gave the concert late in the evening, terribly tired, suffering from back pain, and almost refused to perform when he learned that he had been mistakenly assigned an old instrument with a bad sound for the concert. Nevertheless, as you can hear, the pianist did everything possible to squeeze the right sound out of the unfortunate piano.

And Jarrett’s new solo albums continue to be released, with a four-disc edition with recordings of his 1996 concerts in Italy awaiting us in November.

“Masada: Zayin” (1996, DIW) John Zorn

John Zorn, saxophonist, composer, ideologue and guru of Downtown, New York’s avant-garde scene, has written (and continues to write) all kinds of music. For large and small academic ensembles, for piano trio, for string trio, for guitar solo, for female vocal ensemble, for (conventionally) a rock band capable of playing anything in the world (indeed, all musicians who fall into Zorn’s orbit seem to have this quality). His musical interests range from surf to noise, from ragtime to grindcore. Sometimes he and the musicians who work with him can

He is also very good at the same time, as if he were from previous eras. And sometimes he has works that come as if from previous eras – he has such a good feel for all kinds of directions and intonations. In the music of the Masada Quartet, Zorn combines the principles of free jazz (see the chapter on “A Love Supreme”) in the spirit of one of the founders of the genre, Ornette Coleman, with elements of melodies and harmonies from the music of Eastern European Jews.

This “radical Jewish culture,” as Zorn calls it, has proven to be one of the richest sources in his work. The ensemble Masada, in which trumpeter Dave Douglas, double bassist Greg Cohen and drummer Joey Baron played with him, has been gone for more than fifteen years, and Zorn continues to compose for a wide variety of ensembles and musicians. The 32nd (!) volume of the second cycle of “Masada songs” has just been released, and next year we are promised a box of 11 discs with compositions from the third cycle.

“Tuesday Wonderland” (2006, ACT Music) by Esbjörn Svensson Trio

The last studio album by the distinguished Swedish trio, released during the lifetime of its leader, pianist Esbjörn Svensson, who died at the age of 45 while scuba diving. (By the way, the trio’s last concert was in Moscow.) Svensson died in his heyday (there were enough unreleased studio recordings for two more albums released after his death), and Tuesday Wonderland demonstrates this vividly. Svensson, however, had already proved that a piano trio, formally indistinguishable from traditional jazz ensembles of the same composition, can successfully perform in rock clubs and stadiums, appear with their music videos on MTV, appear in the charts on a par with pop artists. Perhaps one of the main reasons for the trio’s success was Svensson’s ability to compose melodically simple and catchy pieces using elements of different musical languages. For Svensson, jazz was only one component in the composition of music, and, of course, the music of the trio (and many other ensembles that followed in his footsteps) became yet another reason to discuss where jazz ends. Indeed, some works of e.s.t. can be safely called rock compositions, others have obvious ambient element, and, for example, “Fading Maid Praeludium”, which opens the album “Tuesday Wonderland”, begins as a work of the Romantic era, and then turns into a metal slow drum. In addition, the trio members abundantly used various ways to enrich the sound, up to and including electronic gadgets. And yet the true jazz is present in Svensson’s music, whether explicitly or invisibly, as a spirit of freedom, lightness, a tendency to change – and sometimes even as a swing, especially in improvisation.

After the death of the pianist, his comrades-in-arms, double bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Eström, each founded their own ensemble, with their own handwriting and language.

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Chances are, many people know the jazz compositions I’ve collected, but each standard has its own story that not everyone knows.

Autumn leaves

Originally, in 1945, it was a French song called “Les Feuilles mortes” (literally “Dead Leaves”) with music by Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prevert. Yves Montand (with Irene Joachim) introduced Les Feuilles mortes in 1946 in Les Portes-de-la Nuit. In 1947, American composer Johnny Mercer wrote the English lyrics to the song, and Joe Stafford was one of the first to perform a new version of the song. Autumn Leaves became a jazz and pop standard in both languages, as well as in the instrumental version.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

The song is also known as “Let It Snow.” It was written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in 1945. Interestingly enough, it was written in July 1945 in Hollywood during one of the hottest days of summer.

What’s even more interesting is that I think just about everyone in our blue globe of the universe knows it, even those who have lived in the desert all their lives. Personally, I always sing this song when it’s snowing or raining (Let it rain! You can also Let it fog!)

I’ve got you under my skin

Not everyone knows this song that has been sung by all the jazz singers, if not on stage, then certainly in the shower. It was written by Cole Porter in 1936. In this video (as in the previous one) it is performed by my favorite musician Jamie Cullum.

Fly me to the moon

And this theme is one of those to which it is most comfortable to swing, even to me, a person far from swing. The masterpiece was written by Bart Howard in 1954.

Take five

If a musician wants to test his musical instincts on an unconventional rhythm, Take five is the best jazz composition to experiment on. The size of five quarters unequivocally shows that the song deserves attention. By the way, there are so many songs that begin as the famous standard, but it was Paul Desmond who invented it “first,” and it was first introduced by the great Dave Brubeck Quartet in the Time Out album in 1959.

The entertainer

Well, everyone knows that. Written by Scott Joplin, the founder of the ragtime style, over 110 years ago (in 1902). It is a classic of ragtime. This jazz composition returned to international fame during the “ragtime revival” in the 1970s when it was used as the theme song for the Oscar-winning movie The Sting.

Singing in the rain

“Singing in the Rain” is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, written in 1929, made famous after the movie of the same name. I always get excited after watching the music video!

Summertime

When people talk about jazz, they often mean Summertime. It was written by George Gershwin in 1935 for the opera Porgy and Bess. The authors of the text are DuBose Hayward and Ira Gershwin (George’s brother). It is said that Gershwin based the aria on the Ukrainian lullaby “Oy khod na kolo vikon,” which he had heard in New York performed by the Ukrainian National Choir, conducted by Alexander Koshitz.

Feeling good

“Feeling Good” (also known as “Feelin ‘Good”) is a song written by British singer-songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse in 1965. Since then the song has been recorded by many performers including the great Nina Simone.

Hello Dolly

Well, where would we be without Armstrong! But interestingly enough, the author of the music and lyrics of the famous song was Jerry Herman, not Armstrong – the man who first set foot on Mars. The song was very popular in 1964, when it was played on the radio as much as Lady Gaga is played today. But it was everyone’s favorite Louis Armstrong who made it what we know it to be today.

Of course, the music is not limited to these 10 masterpieces, but they are, in my opinion, some of the best compositions the modern world has given us.

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Festival International de Jazz de Montréal

If you’re into jazz music, you probably know about the Montreal International Jazz Festival. After all, it’s the one that made the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running festival. For almost 40 years, since 1980, the heart of the Montreal Jazz Festival has been beating for its fans. And every year, for 10 days, the open-air event opens up to the world so that everyone can immerse themselves in the ineffable music of jazz.

Montreux Jazz Festival

In the years of its existence since 1967, the Montreux Jazz Festival has not only become larger and more famous, but also covers a wide range of near jazz and other music styles. Montreux annually hosts concerts by leading jazz artists from different continents. In addition, you can attend educational projects, master classes, visit an art exhibition and hear the music of the new generation of musicians.

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival jazzpeople

This festival owes its jazz spirit to the famous performer and the greatest representative of the gospel movement, Mahalia Jackson. Visiting her hometown, she honored the first New Orleans Festival with her presence. Soaking up the atmosphere, the singer joined the performers and sang several pieces. Thus, since 1970, for almost 50 years, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has delighted its guests with a relaxed atmosphere.

Monterey Jazz festival

In 2017, the organizers of one of the largest jazz festivals in America will hold their 60th anniversary festival. Why is it peerless? I don’t think there’s an answer to that – only by experience can you figure out why people around the world appreciate the Monterey Jazz Festival atmosphere. Jazz Times Magazine readers have chosen it 5 times now as the world’s best jazz festival, a must-see for all jazz foodies.

Umbria Jazz Festival

If one festival a year isn’t enough for you, Umbria can please you not only in summer but also in winter. Umbria Jazz is one of the largest and most important jazz festivals in Italy itself and on the entire European continent. It has hosted such celebrities as B.B. King, Tony Bennett, Keith Jarrett, Stan Getz, Lady Gaga and a long list of stars exceeding the figure of 70 participants.

North sea jazz festival

The best foreign jazz festivals in Europe are represented by another opener – the North Sea Festival in the province of South Holland. It was first held in Rotterdam in 1976. Sarah Vaughan, Kaun Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and many other jazz legends of the past and present centuries have taken to the stage. The festival lasts for 3 days and draws up to 40,000 listeners.

Love Supreme Festival

Love Supreme Jazz Festival is a tribute to the great John Coltrane and his eponymous record that made avant-garde and hard bop famous. It’s the youngest festival on our list, but since 2013, East Sussex at Angia has hosted such maestros as Brian Ferry, Jamie Callum, Hugh Masekela, Gregory Porter, Marcus Miller, Esperanza Spalding, Melody Gardo, Branford Marsalis.

Jazz in Marciac

Did you know that festivals have names? No? Then let me introduce you to the Jazz in Marciac Festival, or just Jim. That’s the name it got after becoming a household name for organizers and visitors alike. If you want to hear jazz as it originally was, as well as enjoy marvelous scenery and rare delicacies, it’s time to pack your suitcase and visit the French Marciac, which in 2017 will be held from July 28 to August 15.

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As one of America’s most revered forms of music, jazz has laid the foundation for an entire industry, revealing to the world the names of many brilliant composers, instrumentalists and vocalists, and spawning a wide range of genres. The 15 most influential jazz musicians are responsible for a global phenomenon that has occurred over the past century in the history of the genre.

Jazz developed in the later years of the 19th century and early 20th as a movement that combined classical European and American sounds with African folk motifs. Songs were sung with syncopated rhythm, sparking the development of Dixieland and later the formation of large orchestras to perform it. The music made great strides from the days of ragtime to modern jazz.

The influence of West African musical culture in what music is written and how it is performed is evident. Polyrhythm, improvisation, and syncopation are what characterize jazz. Over the past century, this style has changed under the influence of the genre’s contemporaries, who have contributed their own ideas about the essence of improvisation. New directions began to appear – bebop, fusion, Latin jazz, free jazz, funk, acid jazz, hard bop, smooth jazz, cool jazz, and so on.

Art Tatum

Art Tatum is one of the best jazz pianists and virtuoso who was practically blind. He is known as one of the greatest pianists of all time who changed the role of the piano in the jazz ensemble. Tatum turned to the Stride style to create his own unique way of playing, adding swing and fantastic improvisation to the rhythm. His approach to jazz music fundamentally changed the meaning of the piano in jazz as a musical instrument from its previous characteristics.

Tatum experimented with melody harmonies, influencing and expanding the chord structure. All this characterized the bebop style, which would be known to become popular ten years later when the first recordings of the genre appeared. Critics also noted his impeccable playing technique – Art Tatum was able to play the most difficult passages with such ease and speed that his fingers seemed to barely touch the black and white keys.

Thelonious Monk

Some of the most complex and diverse sounds can be found in the repertoire of the pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, one of the most important representatives of the bebop era and its subsequent development. His very personality as an eccentric musician helped popularize jazz. Always dressed in a suit, hat and sunglasses, Monk openly expressed his free attitude toward improvisational music. He did not accept strict rules and formed his own approach to composing. Some of his most brilliant and well-known works were Epistrophy, Blue Monk, Straight, No Chaser, I Mean You and Well, You Needn’t.

Monk’s playing style was built on an innovative approach to improvisation. His works are characterized by percussive passages and abrupt pauses. Quite often during his performances he jumped up from behind the piano and danced while the other members of the band continued to play the tune. Thelonious Monk remains one of the most influential jazz musicians in the history of the genre.

Charles Mingus

Acclaimed double bass virtuoso, composer and bandleader Charles Mingus was one of the most extraordinary musicians on the jazz scene. He developed a new musical style by combining gospel, hard bop, free jazz and classical music. Contemporaries called Mingus “Duke Ellington’s heir apparent” for his fantastic ability to write works for small jazz ensembles. His compositions showcased the skills of everyone in the ensemble, each of whom was also not just talented, but characterized by a unique playing style.

Mingus carefully selected the musicians that made up his band. The legendary double bassist had a temper and once even punched trombonist Jimmy Nepper in the face, knocking out his tooth. Mingus suffered from a depressive disorder, but wasn’t willing to let it affect his creative work in any way. Despite this ailment, Charles Mingus is one of the most influential figures in jazz history.

Art Blakey

Art Blakey was a famous American drummer and bandleader who created a furor in style and technique on the drum kit. He combined swing, blues, funk and hard bop, a style heard in every modern jazz composition today. Along with Max Roach and Kenny Clark, he invented a new way to play bebop on drums. For more than 30 years his band, The Jazz Messengers, has given the big-time jazz scene a host of jazz artists: Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Clifford Brown, Curtis Fuller, Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Wynton Marsalis .

“The Jazz Messengers didn’t just make phenomenal music-they were a kind of “musical proving ground” for young talented musicians, like Miles Davis’ band. Art Blakey’s style changed the sound of jazz itself, becoming a new musical milestone.

Dizzy Gillespie

Jazz trumpeter, singer, composer, and bandleader Dizzy Gillespie was a notable figure in the days of bebop and modern jazz. His trumpet playing influenced the style of Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, and Fats Navarro. After his time in Cuba, Gillespie was one of those musicians who actively promoted Afro-Cuban jazz upon his return to the United States. In addition to his inimitable performance on the characteristically curved trumpet, Gillespie could be recognized by his horn-rimmed glasses and impossibly large cheeks when he played.

The great jazz improviser Dizzy Gillespie, as well as Art Tatum, innovated in harmonies. The compositions Salt Peanuts and Goovin’ High were rhythmically quite different from previous works. Staying true to bebop throughout his career, Gillespie is remembered as one of the most influential jazz trumpeters.

Max Roach

In the top ten of the 15 most influential jazz musicians in the history of the genre is Max Roach, one of the best jazz drummers and one of the pioneers of bebop. He, like few others, influenced the modern manner of drumming. Roach was a civil rights activist and with Oscar Brown Jr. and Coleman Hawkins even recorded the album We Insist! – Freedom Now, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Max Roach is the exponent of a flawless playing style, capable of playing a sustained solo throughout the concert. Absolutely any audience was thrilled by his unparalleled skill.

Billie Holiday

Lady Day is a favorite of millions. Billie Holiday only wrote a few songs, but when she sang, she wrapped her voice from the first notes. Her performance is deep, personal and even intimate. Her style and intonation are inspired by the sound of musical instruments she has heard. Like virtually all of the musicians described above, this famous jazz singer has become the creator of a new, but now vocal style based on long musical phrases and the tempo of their singing.

The famous Strange Fruit is the best not only in Billie Holiday’s career, but in the history of jazz because of the singer’s heartfelt performance. She was posthumously honored with prestigious awards and inducted into the Grammy Award Hall of Fame.

John Coltrane

John Coltrane’s name is synonymous with virtuoso playing technique, superb songwriting talent and a passion for exploring new facets of the genre. The saxophonist made enormous strides on the cusp of hard bop’s beginnings, becoming one of the most influential musicians in the genre’s history. Coltrane’s music had a sharp sound, and he played with high intensity and dedication. He was able to play solo as well as improvise in an ensemble, creating solo parts of unimaginable length. Playing tenor and soprano saxophone, Coltrane was also able to create smooth-jazz melodic compositions.

John Coltrane is the author of a kind of “reboot of bebop” by incorporating modal harmonies. While remaining a major figure in the avant-garde, he was a very prolific composer and never stopped releasing CDs, recording some 50 albums as a bandleader over the course of his career.

Count Basie

Revolutionary pianist, organist, composer and bandleader Count Basie led one of the most successful bands in jazz history. Over 50 years, the Count Basie Orchestra, including incredibly popular musicians such as Lester Young, Sweets Edison, Buck Clayton and Joe Williams, has earned a reputation as one of America’s most sought-after big bands. Winner of nine Grammy Awards, Count Basie has instilled a love of the orchestral sound in generations of listeners.

Basie has written many compositions that have become jazz standards, such as April in Paris and One O’Clock Jump. He was described by his colleagues as tactful, humble, and full of enthusiasm. Without Count Basie’s big band in jazz history, the era of great jazz orchestras would have sounded different, and surely would not have been as influential as it was with this outstanding bandleader.

Coleman Hawkins

The tenor saxophone is a symbol of bebop and jazz music in general. And thankful for that we can be Coleman Hawkins. The innovations Hawkins brought were vital to the development of bebop in the mid-forties. His contributions to the instrument’s popularity may have defined the future careers of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Dexter Gordon.

The composition Body and Soul (1939) became the benchmark for tenor saxophone playing for many saxophonists. Other instrumentalists such as pianist Thelonious Monk, trumpeter Miles Davis and drummer Max Roach were also influenced by Hawkins. His capacity for unorthodox improvisation led to the discovery of new jazz sides of the genre that had not been touched by his contemporaries. This explains, in part, why the tenor saxophone has become an integral part of the modern jazz ensemble.

Benny Goodman

The top five of the 15 most influential jazz musicians in the history of the genre is Benny Goodman. The famous King of Swing led some of the most popular orchestras of the early 20th century. His concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938 is recognized as one of the most important live concerts in American music history. This show demonstrates the dawn of the jazz era, the recognition of the genre as an art form in its own right.

Although Benny Goodman was a soloist in a major swing orchestra, he was also involved in the development of bebop. His orchestra was one of the first to bring together musicians of different races. Goodman was a fierce opponent of the Jim Crow Act. He even turned down a tour of southern states in support of racial equality. Benny Goodman was an activist and reformer not only in jazz music, but also in popular music.

Miles Davis

One of the central jazz figures of the 20th century, Miles Davis was at the origins of many musical developments and oversaw their development. He is credited with pioneering the genres of bebop, hard bop, cool jazz, free jazz, fusion, funk and techno music. In his constant search for a new musical style he always achieved success and was surrounded by brilliant musicians including John Coltrane, Cannoball Edderly, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, J.J. Johnson, Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea. During his lifetime, Davis was awarded eight Grammy Awards and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Miles Davis was one of the most active and influential jazz musicians of the last century.

Charlie Parker

When you think of jazz, the name Charlie Parker comes to mind. Also known as Bird, Parker was a jazz alto saxophone pioneer, bebop musician and composer. His quick playing, clear sound, and talent as an improviser had a significant impact on musicians of the time and our contemporaries. As a composer, he changed the standard of jazz music writing. Charlie Parker became the musician who cultivated the idea that jazzmen were artists and intellectuals, not just showmen. Many artists tried to copy Parker’s style. His famous playing techniques can also be seen in the style of many of today’s aspiring musicians, who take as their basis the alto-sacophonist’s moniker Bird.

Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington was a tremendous pianist, composer, and one of the most prominent orchestra leaders. Although he is known as a pioneer of jazz, he excelled in other genres as well, including gospel, blues, classical and popular music. It is Ellington who is credited with elevating jazz to a distinct art form. With countless awards and prizes to his name, the first great composer of jazz never stopped improving. He was an inspiration to successive generations of musicians, including Sonny Stitt, Tony Bennett, Oscar Peterson, Earl Hines, and Joe Pass, who later became one of the best jazz guitarists in the world. Duke Ellington remains an acknowledged genius of the jazz piano – instrumentalist and composer.

Louis Armstrong

Undoubtedly the most influential jazz musician in the history of the genre, Louis Armstrong, known as Satchmo, is a trumpeter from New Orleans and one of the best jazz singers in the history of the genre. He is known as the creator of jazz, playing a key role in its development. His remarkable ability as a performer elevated the trumpet to a solo jazz instrument. He was the first musician to sing in and popularize the “skat” style. His low, “rumbling” timbre of voice was unrecognizable.

Armstrong’s commitment to his own ideals influenced the work of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. Louis Armstrong influenced not only jazz, but the entire musical culture, giving the world a new genre, a unique way of singing and a style of playing the trumpet.

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