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jazz

jazz

426 1.0
A lively music style with a strong beat where players make up parts while playing
  • noun
  • /dʒæz/
: jazz
  • My dad loves jazz.
  • jazz music
  • a jazz band
  • jazz musicians

And they find, you know, traditional jazz or swing dull.

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Examples

  • With the premiere of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, jazz music goes mainstream.

  • The new jazz album has some amazing improvisational pieces that highlight the genre's unique style.

  • Thank you for being such a great jazz player on the stage.

  • Now, how do you get into jazz, man?

  • Go to some old jazz club or something, just let loose.

  • When Armstrong was at his peak, jazz was a popular music.

  • See, she's going to a jazz performance downtown.

  • Jazz musicians often claim that most jazz skill sets can be developed through listening and transcribing solos.

    Academic text (2011)
  • She enjoyed listening to jazz music while relaxing in the cozy café.

  • Every Friday night, the local bar hosts live jazz performances that draw a lively crowd.

Synonyms

jass
vsjazz
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An early spelling of jazz for music with a swinging beat and improvised parts

is the modern spelling and term used today

Idioms

all that jazz
  • Informal
3 7.9

Other similar things you could mention

Compounds

23 2.3

A person who plays or writes jazz music

13 2.3

A small group of musicians who play jazz with instruments like saxophone or trumpet

10 2.7

A music event where jazz musicians play live over several days

6 6.7

Jazz music after 1940 that uses new ideas and different forms

3 3.6

A style of jazz with complex chords and rhythms where musicians make up music as they play

3 5.0

A period in the 1920s in the United States with lively jazz music, parties, and social change

2 2.1

A small group of musicians who play jazz together

2 4.5

A relaxed style of jazz with slow beats and smooth, calm solos

2 2.3

Musicians play jazz music for people at a place not from a recording

2 3.8

Music that mixes jazz and rock using instruments like electric guitar and keyboard

A well-known jazz song that many musicians play and improvise on

hot jazz
  • Archaic
1 4.7

A lively, emotional jazz style with strong rhythm and improvised solos

1 4.1

A gentle type of jazz with a steady beat, medium speed, little improvisation, and a warm clear melody

1 4.5

Music that mixes jazz solo playing with rock rhythms and electric instruments

1 5.7

A style of music that mixes jazz with modern sounds like electronic music

How Improvisational

bebop
8 8.2
jazz
426 1.0
blues
254 3.4
swing
37 4.8
pop
274 1.4
classical
7 3.9

Surface Forms

jazz singular
jazzes plural

Etymology

Jazz likely grew from early 20th-century American slang, probably from an old word jasm meaning 'energy' or 'pep', used in places like New Orleans. That's why jazz music is full of lively rhythms, improvisation and strong swing.