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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
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.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Love those Louis Armstrong quotes but labelling someone the greatest jazz musician is like declaring a particular woman(your choice) the most beautiful 'ever'.Duke,Monk,Bird,Miles etc. So many great ones, I love them all.
isochronism
2,893 posts
 
"Classical Jazz"? ..similar to "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams 68'?
isochronism
2,893 posts
 
Frogman, I really enjoyed your supplied Louis's quotes, and fully agree!
Jazz is learning all the music rules and structure, very, very well.. and then being able to take it to a level of interpretation as "I feel this right now!"
That is MY definition of true art.
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