Jazz is a uniquely American art form, born in New Orleans in the late 19th century, blending African rhythms with European harmonies.
It is defined by improvisation, swing, and expressive individuality. It has evolved through multiple eras.
The word jazz first appeared in print around 1912, and was initially used as slang in baseball before being applied to music. Although its exact origin is debated, it likely stems from African-American vernacular.
Jazz is defined as a musical form characterized by improvisation, syncopation, swing rhythms, and call-and-response patterns. It has been described as America's classical music.
Jazz emerged in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, drawing from blues, ragtime, spirituals, and West African traditions. Early jazz was shaped by marching bands, dance halls, and African-American communities navigating segregation and cultural fusion. Improvisation became central, with musicians using compositions as frameworks for spontaneous creativity.
Jazz has evolved through several eras, including Early Jazz (1900s-1920s), characterized by Dixieland style, and led by artists like Louis Armstrong; the Swing Era (1930s-1940s), when big bands, led by Duke Ellington and Count Basie, dominated dance halls; Bebop (1940s-1950s), with its complex harmonies and fast tempos by artists like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie; Cool Jazz and Hard Bop (950s-1960s), with more relaxed styles from Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, and blues-influenced bop; Free Jazz and Avant-Garde (1960s-1970s), which were experimental and boundary-breaking, featuring artists like Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane; Fusion (1970s-1980s), when artists such as Herbie Hancock and Weather Report blended jazz with rock and funk; and Contemporary Jazz (1990s-present), characterized by diverse styles, global influences, and digital innovation.
The elements of jazz include improvisation (spontaneous creation of melodies), swing rhythm (forward momentum and syncopation), blue notes (expressive pitch bending), call-and-response (musical dialogue between instruments), and the instruments used (trumpet, saxophone, piano, bass, drums, guitar, clarinet, and trombone).
Jazz repertoire includes the standards, widely performed pieces like Autumn Leaves, All the Things You Are, and Take Five; blues forms, like 12-bar blues structures; original compositions from Ellington, Monk, Davis, and others; and arrangements, including bag band charts and small combo improvisations.
Musicians who have been instrumental in shaping jazz include Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Benny Goodman, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Orenette Coleman, Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Nat King Cole.
Recommended Resources
Created by Michael Ricci in 1995, the staff of All About Jazz publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz in the United States and around the world, including jazz festivals, concerts, and other events. The website accepts musician submissions and guides on getting coverage and creating a musician page. Advertising options, program guides, and sponsorships are available to artists and promoters.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/
Established in 1997, the American Jazz Museum is located in Kansas City, Missouri's 18th and Vine historic district. The museum preserves the history of American jazz, especially Kansas City jazz, with exhibits featuring Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Big Joe Turner, Thelonious Monk, and Etta James. Its Blue Room is a jazz club that holds live performances several times a week. The Smithsonian Affiliate also operates a Jazz Academy.
https://www.americanjazzmuseum.org/
Burnett Thompson Music (Piano Jazz) presents Burnett Thompson's work as a performer, educator, and concert/artist manager, with concert listings, recordings, and an educational arm called PianoJazz Academy. The site lists upcoming concerts and ensemble projects, and its Academy includes explanatory videos, scores, and written materials covering harmony, theory, improvisation, and repertoire from Baroque to contemporary jazz. Its services and contacts are included.
https://www.pianojazz.com/
Founded in Chicago in 1934, DownBeat is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond." Popular features include its "Reviews" section, where jazz critics rate the latest musical recordings, vintage recordings, and books, as well as articles in individual musicians and music forms, and its "Blindfold Test" column, in which a musician listend to records by other artists, tries to guess who they are, and rates them on a 5-star rating system. Subscription options are featured.
https://www.downbeat.com/
Known as "The Golden Age of Jazz," William Gottlieb's photo archive sells books, signed prints, and music tied to the photographer, presenting his jazz photography and related stories and reviews. The website highlights a limited inventory of signed books and prints and invites you to order limited editions. The main content is the Gottlieb photo gallery, stories about he photos, book listings, and DownBeat columns and reviews. Quotes and endorsements are included.
https://jazzphotos.com/
The New York-based institution presents, preserves, and teaches jazz through concerts, recordings, archives, and education programs. Founded in 1987, the institution opened at the Time Warner Center (Deutsche Bank Center) in 2004. Its main venues include the Rose Theater, the Appel Room, and Dizzy's Club, all of which are spaces at Jazz at Lincoln Center's home in the Deutsche Bank Center. Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, its flagship big band, tours and appears regularly at home.
https://jazz.org/
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz presents this educational site offering public school-focused jazz education materials, video content, and lesson plans designed to teach jazz, blues, and related cultural history to young people. Included are videos of jazz performances and classroom clips, downloadable lesson plans, teacher guides, classroom activities, and material emphasizing creativity and cultural heritage. A glossary, style sheets, and links to other relevant material are included.
https://www.jazzinamerica.org/
Jazz Observer is a music-and-travel website focused on jazz history, styles, festivals, artists, and related travel guides. It publishes articles such as festival roundups, style explainers, historical pieces, and buyer/gift guides. Its tone is informative, travel-oriented, and reader-friendly, with a mix of history and practical advice, and its intended audience is jazz fans seeking accessible history, festival suggestions, travel tips, and curated resources.
https://jazzobserver.com/
The jazz magazine dates back to "Radio Free Jazz," a publication founded in 1970. In 1980, the magazine's broader focus and appeal prompted a name change, becoming JazzTimes. The long-running online magazine covers jazz, publishing in-depth interviews with contemporary and veteran artists, reviews, industry news, festival coverage, photo galleries, opinion pieces, and other features. Its tone is authoritative and often opinionated, aimed at both longtime jazz aficionados and newer listeners.
https://jazztimes.com/
