Jazz Music Lovers

Jazz is now a worldwide phenomenon, and there are many great festivals across the globe that come to celebrate it.

For a look back to the roots of jazz, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is a celebration of everything that makes jazz great. Bringing together major and underground acts since 1970, the festival has something for everyone.

The Beijing Jazz festival combines the colour and history of this vibrant city with the passion of jazz.

The Rochester International Jazz Festival is another immense festival that brings together the big names in the world of jazz. It is one of the most anticipated and celebrated events in the jazz community.

The Molde International Jazz Festival, set the to backdrop of the beautiful Molde panorama mountain range, and running since 1961, is one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe.

The Barranqui Jazz Festival in Colombia attracts jazz lovers from around the world, with its energy, passion and dynamism.

St Lucia is an exotic island in the Caribbean noted for its crystal blue seas, white sands, and lush verdant vegetation. The Saint Lucia Jazz festival, held in early May is rated as one of the top 2 jazz festivals in the world. With its huge range of talented musicians,  friendly, inviting atmosphere and beautiful setting, it’s the perfect setting to kick back and experience the freewheeling spirit jazz.

It would be impossible to account the history of jazz without looking at the individuals who made it what it is. Here are just a few of the most influential:

Louis Armstrong

Recognised not only as one of the greatest musicians, but also one of the most important figures in America’s history, Louis Armstrong’s influence is beyond measure. Often seen as the father of jazz, with his virtuosic skill at playing trumpet, he single handily made it a solo instrument in jazz music. He is also one of the first scat singers, and responsible for it’s popularization. Both his singing and trumpet playing went on to influence many great artists, such as Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis.

John Coltrane

John Coltrane brought together absolute mastery of the saxophone, with his unique and individualistic sense of style and cool. He played tenor and soprano sax, and was capable of playing smoothly and melodically, and also with unmatched intensity. As a composer, he helped redefine be-bop, with his signature “Coltrane Changes” and introduction of modal harmony.

Billie Holiday

Though her range was fairly limited, and her delivery thin, Billie Holiday or “Lady Day” was a true pioneer in vocal performance. With her highly individualistic and unique style, Billie Holiday emulated instruments she heard. Her voice was her own personal instrument for emotion, passion and expression, and when she sang, her voice positively bled intensity.

Thelonious Monk

Eccentric, individualistic, unrepeatable. Thelonious Monk is renowned for his own unique brand of piano playing, featuring sudden stops and starts and percussive attacks, which broke down barriers in not only piano performance, but jazz and music in general. His sense of individuality was contained not only in his music, but also his sense of style, with his distinctive “hip” look decked in hats, suits and sunglasses.

Miles Davis

A true innovator, music would simply not be what it is today with Miles Davis. He spearheaded a multitude of styles from cool jazz and free jazz, to bebop and hard bop, to fusion, funk and techno music.  A constant re-inventor and pioneer, Miles Davis’s influence is immeasurable.

Slavery

The roots of Jazz can be traced as far back to the 1700s, back to the times of slavery.

Whilst working, slaves would tell a story in the form of song. A song leader would call out a line, and the rest of the workers would respond to the call.

Slaves would also sing soulful songs called “spirituals”, which expressed their strong religious beliefs as well as their desire for freedom.

Spiritual and “call-and-response” music formed the basic blueprints of Jazz music.

New Orleans

The birthplace of modern Jazz is often credited to the port city of New Orleans, in the early 1900s. This city was a melting pot for musical innovation.

In this hub of multiculturalism, African-American musicians fused together European musical tradition, blues, ragtime (itself a mix of compositional styles ) and marching band music to create jazz.

Jazz takes over America

In the early 1920s, African-American musicians started moving to northern cities, such as New York and Chicago, in search of better jobs and opportunity.

They brought with them jazz and blues, which proved immensely popular, especially with the youth. To them, the fresh, bombastic sound represented a sense of rebellion and independence.

The advent of jazz coincided with the introduction of radios and record players, which helped to escalate its popularity.  Soon jazz became a staple in American homes.