Can someone explain all the sub genres of jazz to me?

Question

I know theres smooth jazz, bebop, free jazz etc, but I don't understand them as well as I understand metal's subgenres. Can someone explain as many as they can, stating the musical differences between them all? thanks!

Answer 1

well, smooth jazz isn't jazz. its a mockery of jazz. don't listen to it.

other than that, there are many sub genres of jazz that are all quite different.



Dixieland/New Orleans jazz is the oldest form of jazz and is characterized by group improvisation by usually a cornet, trombone and clarinet, with banjo, drums and tuba as the rhythm section. early Louis Armstrong is a good example



big band jazz is characterized by more solo improvisation rather than group improv. as in New Orleans jazz and the ensemble is much larger. usually 5 trumpets, 5 trombones, 5 saxes, piano, bass, drumset, guitar. Count Basie's band is a good example



bebop is basically a reaction to big band jazz in the 30s/40s. the ensemble drops to piano/guitar, bass, drumset, and two to three horns. the music is generally fast and there is an emphasis on the skill of the soloist. Charlie Parker is the essence of bebop.



Cool jazz is sort of a reaction to bebop, the music is medium to slow and is far more relaxed than bebop, hence the term "cool" jazz. Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" is a good example of this style.



Hard bop is a style that comes from bebop that is very similar to bebop. the chord progressions and melodies in hard bop tend to be a little more traditional or simpler than that of bebop, though the intensity level remains fairly high.



free/avant garde jazz is a style that is generally completely improvised. there is no real way to describe free jazz because it varies so much between different artists. Ornette Colman, Sam Rivers, Ken Vandermark, and Cecil Taylor all play free or avant garde jazz.



Latin jazz is a fusion of jazz and afro-carribean and central and south american musics. mainly brazilian, cuban, and puerto rican.

Eddie Palmieri and Brian Lynch's album "simpatico" is a good example. also "Getz/Gilberto" is a good example of brazilian jazz.



jazz fusion is generally fusion of jazz and rock/funk but can be anything really. Return to Forever, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Weather Report are some examples of fusion



Modern Jazz is also fairly hard to describe, it is generally a far more complex version of both bebop and cool jazz with a full range of possible tempos and intensity levels. big bands and small groups are used. Chris Potter, Freddy Hubbard, Roy Hargrove, Will Vincent, Bill Frizell, Kurt Rosenwinkle, and Wayne Shorter's newest music are all good examples.

Answer 2

Jazz Genres

Answer 3

Very good question, lucky I saw it:



So Jazz splits up like branches on a tree. It divides further and further, in some cases to individual songs. The sub-genres can be organized according to time era:



Jazz started developing before the 1900s: Blues Ragtime and even some Stride could be found.



We then approach New Orleans Jazz, Dixieland, Charleston and St. Louis and Chicago blues (a more advanced form of blues) in the 1900s.



1900-1920: Traditional Jazz Era, also known as Golden Jazz, Golden age Jazz, or Harlem Renaissance jazz (my personal favorite)!



1930s: Big Band, Swing, and development of Popular Music.



1940s: Bebop era



1950s: modern jazz, hardbop and revolutionary jazz



1960s: electro-jazz, smooth jazz, trio/quartet/quintet jazz (the guitar was introduced during this era).



1970s: further electro jazz



1980s-...: synth-jazz, further smooth jazz and other modern jazz developments started off.



Additionally, all along those time periods you could find other sub-genres, such as Latin Jazz, Fusion Jazz, and other mixed jazz genres (for instance, poetic jazz, a form in which poetry is recited with Jazz in the background, very avant-garde but it can be quite cute!)



I hope that answers your question. shoot me an email if something is unclear.

Answer 4

If you would like to get a taste of the history of Jazz, I recommend watching the 10 part PBS series Jazz by Ken Burns. It's like a semester of Jazz history starting with the early days and touching on a bit of the modern. I'm sure it's available on Netflix. There is a trailer for it on the PBS Jazz website home page at http://www.pbs.org/jazz/index.htm.

There is also a companion book available which you can find in a used book store or at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Americas-Geoffrey-C-Ward/dp/0679765395/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277762052&sr=1-1

And a 5 Disc CD set.

http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Burns-Jazz-Story-American/dp/B000050HVG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1277761979&sr=8-4



I never bought the book or CD set, but I've watched the 10 part series twice and I like it, but it is just a sampler. It focuses on the history more than the modern.



Here is a description of it on Amazon probably from the publisher:



"JAZZ is a ten-part nearly nineteen-hour documentary series that celebrates America's greatest original art form a music whose improvisational spirit perfectly reflects the nation that gave it birth. It is the first television series ever to tell the story of jazz. Beginning with the birth of jazz at the dawn of the Twentieth Century the film incorporates the wide range of American culture and historical events that interact directly with the music: among them the harsh racial polarization of the 1890s; the artistic and political ferment of the Harlem Renaissance; the exuberance of the Jazz Age; the Great Depression and the New Deal; the Second World War; the emergence of a youth culture in the 1950s and 1960s; the hope anger and expectations of the civil rights movement; and the search for identity and authenticity in the 1970s 1980s and 1990s."



Here's the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Film-Ken-Burns/dp/B000BITUEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1277762192&sr=8-1



I like watching the documentary better than reading and it helps you learn a bit about the history and organize the genres a bit chronologically which helps when you are listening to the music. It's not the best since it leaves off a lot of the modern, but for a person looking to learn, you can't beat it for the time you spend.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

Can someone explain all the sub genres of jazz to me?

I know theres smooth jazz, bebop, free jazz etc, but I don't understand them as well as I understand metal's subgenres. Can someone explain as many as they can, stating the musical differences between them all? thanks!

Answer 6

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/axXhO



well... my answer is: why bother? Im a professional since 20 years, and i dont know what the hell third-stream is. If youre interested, read a book about jazz history, listen to the music mentioned , and you will find out about what is interesting to you. The rest just leave...

Answer 7

Key in "Jazz Subgenres" on WikipediA go to bottom of page click on "List of Jazz Genres" and all will be revealed/explained.

Answer 8

i know charlie parker did bebop