Jazz Definition Essay

The term “jazz” is freely used by many people around the world to describe a particular category of music. Every person will have their own definition of such a broad category of music. However, attempting to set boundaries and limit the definition of jazz to a simple “Google-like” definition is not only an injustice to the art of jazz, but also to listeners’ ability to appreciate the vast meanings and interpretations of jazz music. Prior to taking a semester long course on understanding jazz, I too was asked to define jazz, and unfortunately being ignorant of the jazz music genre, I said “music with Louis Armstrong in it.” Little did I understand at the time that the definition I gave was only a microscopic view of what is only the beginning of an immense science of music. Shortly after …show more content…
The definition provided states that jazz can be defined as “improvisation and swing feeling” (Gridley 2). Although this definition is said to contain the characteristics that almost all jazz styles contain, I believe that as this semester has progressed, too has the definition of jazz evolved along with the different styles discussed. In order to properly formulate a definition of jazz that encompasses all the information learned throughout the semester, I deem it necessary to evaluate the major aspects of each era, including early jazz, swing, bebop, cool jazz, hardbop, avant-garde, fusion, and contemporary. The early jazz era consisted of many building blocks that created the foundation of many of the jazz eras to follow, including innovators, trends, and styles. To begin, early jazz can be dated around the 1920’s, a time in which jazz was diverging from its blues, brass band, and ragtime heritage into its own style. This newly developed style included the usage of collective improvisation, in which all