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What is Jazz?
“Few things have given me more pleasure in life than listening to the music we call jazz. Even after hearing several
thousand recordings in over 15 years and seeing countless live shows, I cannot offer a definitive definition of the
word "jazz." - Alan Lawrence
Jazz as a genre defies definition. It covers many different “named” styles of music including Rag, Swing, Bebop,
Fusion, and countless others. While jazz cannot be classified by itself, it does have some characteristics that set
it apart from other forms of music.
Jazz is, for lack of a better word, alive. Many forms of music are set in stone and can’t (or won’t) change through
the course of a song or even an album. Jazz can change at any time, in a song, or in just a measure. Jazz can
contain any instrument. Anything you can play can find a place in Jazz.
From this one might assume that Jazz can be almost anything, which is not really true. Jazz is versatile and
widespread, but it is not all-encompassing. Much of what makes Jazz jazz is the timing. Jazz seldom uses a standard
time signature and almost never a mundane beat. 4/4 is rare, rarer still is 4/4 time with a measured beat. Jazz
can be almost freestyle and is rarely rigidly defined.
These lessons are deigned to teach you Jazz, and while we may stress certain types of jazz, or certain riffs, or
certain beats, you should always remember the following quote from Alan Lawrence:
“Bottom line: If it feels like Jazz to you - it is Jazz.”
Learned this material? Take the quiz and finalize it!.
Continue to Part 2
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