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What is Jazz?


As a self proclaimed expert and "aficionado", I should know the answer to that question; but I don't, because the answer is too complex.

As one example; Inna posted that he didn't like jazz, and in his next post he raved about a piece of music that I considered to be jazz. In Inna's case I understood the contradiction, he doesn't like "hard bop".

On the other hand, Rok2id's definition of jazz is so narrow that many of my jazz records and CD's, would be considered to be something other than "jazz".

What is "jazz" to you and can you define it?
orpheus10
inna
7,296 posts
 
What is not jazz? Classical, rock, country, techno, flamenco, Japanese traditional music etc. are not jazz. What remains could be called jazz. Perhaps any kind of music heavily based on improvisation can be called jazz. Is Indian music jazz too? Well, I wouldn't call it that but someone could call it Indian jazz. No objection from me. Persian music can be very impovisational too but not at all always so.
Yes, I don't like "classical jazz", with some exceptions.
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jazzerdave
163 posts
 
Ok, I performed mostly "Jazz" for about 15 years. I still have an incredibly hard time defining the genre. I guess I think of it as an umbrella that covers a bunch of other sub-genres.
foster_9
1,638 posts
 
I can't tell anyone what jazz is. It's too difficult to define and there are too many variations. I will say that others in this thread have made great points about the genre. My compliments.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
What is rock n roll?

I think that there's a tendency to define any musical genre in historical terms. You describe how it emerged and how it morphed from whatever genre(s) came before it. Then the new genre evolves and you ask..."Is this still jazz/rock/fill in the blank"?

At that point, your definition gets both very hazy and very long.

Ken Burns did a great job defining jazz, but it took him +/- 20 hours to do it.
unsound
7,329 posts
 
Certainly not the definitive answer, but to me: Jazz is the confluence of Afro-European music that celebrates individual interpretation within the context of the moment.
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