BM in Jazz Studies

University of Cincinnati

Jazz is an artistic musical form involving a spontaneous kind of composition called improvisation and a rhythmic concept called swing. Many consider it to be America’s major contribution to music. It grew out of the African-American experience at the beginning of the 20th century and combined elements of African, Western European classical, and 19th-century American music. Jazz evolved through many styles including New Orleans Dixieland, swing, big band, bebop, hard bop and cool. It also incorporated elements of popular, folk, electronic and ethnic music from all over the world to create various fusions. As a result, jazz is a broad term sometimes interpreted as everything from dance music to avant-garde concerts, from popular instrumentals to computer-generated movie soundtracks, from saxophone/Indian tabla duos to big bands playing Duke Ellington tunes, from vocal standards to symphony orchestras with Latin/jazz percussionists. However, most professional jazz musicians perform their creative improvisations in three- to six-piece groups, generally in local venues, on concert tours and for recordings. Many supplement their income by working in more commercial forms of entertainment in clubs, restaurants, theaters and recording studios.

College-Conservatory of Music