The beautiful thing about jazz music is that it can take you on a quiet journey through a dark night into a dark alley where all hope goes to die or it can evoke a feeling of love so strong that the heart just weeps with joy. It is an American style that originated in the African American community around the turn of century in the early 1900s. It has bloomed into over a dozen different sub-genres based on locations and ethnic groups. You may be familiar with New Orleans or Kansas City Jazz. They both have very different sounds and they can make you feel two entirely different emotions. A true connoisseur can usually pick out the type it is just by listening but for the uninitiated it can be almost impossible to tell one from another.
The Various Sub-Genres of the Music
There are many variations on the traditional style that was originally created in today’s world. Here is a short list of them:
Dixieland Revival – A very New Orleans styled music that was made popular in the 1940s and 50s. A prominent singer you may be familiar with was Louis Armstrong. It has a strong brass influence as it is very well known for its use of horns like the trumpet and trombone.
The Cool Style – A well know type of music. Perhaps not so well known was the actual name of the style but a musician like Miles Davis was the epitome of this type of sound. Another popular artist known for this type of styling was Dave Brubeck.
The Free – A unique form of dissonance that threw all normal conventions of organized sounds out the window. It is pure chaos that comes together to form a myriad of chords, harmonies and themes that you can either lose yourself to or simply get swept up in.
Easy Listening or Hard to Follow
For many this styling can be difficult to follow but for others it’s smooth and easy listening. If you think you may like it then take a look at any film noir and listen to the instruments in the background. The jazz female vocalist is singing a song about the detective who is down on his luck or lives his life out of the bottle. It can whisk you away if you let it. There are just so many variations on this particular theme that there will almost certainly be something that can or will catch you ear just give it the chance to catch you.
