#noobguide

First timer? Don’t be overwhelmed. Jazz music is all about the experience—of performing and listening—so relax and enjoy yourself. Jazz is based on syncopated beats, interesting sounds, and improvisation, meaning that no one is quite sure where a performance might go, including the performers. Unlike classical music which makes every effort to create a unified sound, jazz is all about individual people and instruments coming together to combine their unique sounds in order to explore artistic expression and emotions.

(If you’re already a jazz fan, skip this and move on to the Nerd Guide: Jazz.)

But hold on…some history first:

Many people consider jazz one of America’s best contributions to the world of music. Jazz first emerged about 100 years ago in the American South, most distinctly in New Orleans, Louisiana. This seaport city served as home to people of African, French, English, Caribbean, and other backgrounds. It also became a melting pot for music from these many traditions. African American musicians fused elements of ragtime, blues, classical, and big brass band sounds to create this distinct new type of music.

After the first jazz recordings were made in 1917, jazz spread across the nation. It evolved over decades, helped along by influential musicians. In the 1920s, trumpeter Louis Armstrong introduced improvised solos and Duke Ellington popularized big band jazz; in the 1930s, people began dancing to jazz music, thanks to the upbeat sounds of Benny Goodman’s and Count Basie’s swing music. Charlie Parker’s groundbreaking bebop of the 1940s led to Miles Davis’s complex “cool” style in the 1950s. Jazz moved into the 1960s with pioneers like John Coltrane and his modal jazz; the next decades brought more change—from fusion, which brought together multiple styles, to the neo-classical leanings of Wynton Marsalis and other “young lions.” Jazz continues to evolve today—building on its vast legacy of innovation and experimentation.

And one more thing…

You also should know about jazz standards. These popular musical songs were composed mostly between the 1920s and 1960s for Broadway musicals and films. They are called “standards” because they’re so widely known and performed. They have become a permanent part of the jazz music repertoire, also known as the “Great American Songbook.”

Want to learn more about jazz music and musicians? Check out some of these links:

Jazz 101 A detailed breakdown of different type of jazz including suggested listening for each style

Jazz in Time The history of a great American musical movement

Blue Note Experiment On the 75th anniversary of Blue Note Records, the Kennedy Center worked to explore the Blue Note aesthetic