Peppi Kamadhatu - You Don't Know Me

One of the finest Indonesia Jazz Female Vocalist performing her album "You Don't Know Me" With Bonus Track - Careless Whisper

Tracks
You Don't Know Me
Wave
Just The Two of Us
That's What Friend are For
Blue Moon
Antonio's Song
Nature Boy
Misty
Route 66
Careless Whisper (bonus track)

Personnel
Vocals PEPPI KAMADHATU
Piano GLEN DAUNA
Acoustic Bass CHRISTY SMITH
Guitar & Music Arrangement OELE PATTISELANNO
Saxophone & Flute BUDI WINARTO
Drums EDDIE LAYMAN
Recording Engineer JOHN HERBERT

Recorded : March, 2003 - LION STUDIOS, Singapore
Mastered : March, 2003 - SANGAJI STUDIO, Jakarta

Syaharani - Careless Whisper

SM 018

Careless Whisper whispering directly to the heart by Syaharani..

When thru The Vacuum Tube Electronic Processing, Syaharani's Voices just breath romantically, with the warm musicality surrounding.

Tracks
A Whiter Shade of Pale
Autumn Leaves
Careless Whisper
Kesan
Fragile
I Can See Clearly Now
You Light Up My Life
Make It with You
Your Eyes
Lately


Personnel

Vocals SYAHARANI
Piano Mei Sheum
Bass Christy Smith
Guitar, Music Arrangement OELE PATTISELANNO
Saxophone Budi Winarto, Stephen (track 3)
Drums Eddie Layman
Recording Engineer JOHN HERBERT

Recorded : October, 1999 - LION STUDIOS, Singapore
Mastered : October, 2002 - SANGAJI STUDIO, Jakarta

Ireng Maulana All Stars Featuring : Ermy Kullit

SM 021

Tracks
Blueberry Hill
Mimpi
Hello Dolly
Tak Ingin Sendiri
How Insensitive
Chewin The Rag
As Time Goes By
Cherokee
Bassin Street Blues
Red River Valley
Quizas, Quizas, Quizas
The Entertainer


Personnel
Vocals Ermy Kullit
Guitar, Banjo Ireng Maulana
Saxophone, Clarinet Trisno
Trombone, Flute Benny Likumahuwa
Trumpet Marwan
Piano Hendra Wijaya
Bass Jeffrey Tahalele
Drums Benny Mustafa

Recording Engineer JOHN HERBERT
Recorded : - 2,3,4 February, 2005 - LION STUDIOS, Singapore
Mastered : - SANGAJI STUDIO, Jakarta

Peppi Kamadhatu 2005

SM 019

Love is a Many Splendored Thing when someone you love, says "I Miss Your Morning Kiss to Fill My Silent Heart ..."

Tracks
We're All Alone
Beyond The Sea
Love is a Many Splendored Thing
Love
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You
Fly Me to The Moon
Overjoyed
Sometimes When We Touch ( Instrumental )


Personnel
Vocals Peppi Kamadhatu
Piano Jeremy Monteiro
Bass Belinda Moody
Guitar Oele Pattiselanno
Saxophone Budi Winarto
Drums Tama Goh
Recording Engineer JOHN HERBERT
Recorded : - 10,11,12 January, 2005 - LION STUDIOS, Singapore
Mastered : - SANGAJI STUDIO, Jakarta

John McLaughlin - The Promise

Tracks

1. Django
2. Thelonius Melodius
3. Amy & Joseph
4. No Return
5. El Ciego
6. Jazz Jungle
7. The Wish
8. English Jam
9. Tokyo Decadence
10. Shin Jin Rui
11. The Peacocks

Personnel
John McLaughlin Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Producer
Marc Mondesir Drums
Dennis Chambers Drums
Joey DeFrancesco Organ, Trumpet
Michael Brecker Tenor Saxophone


Session
Produced by John McLaughlin. Recorded at Wessex Recording Studios, London, England. Blue Note Jazz Club, Tokyo, Japan. Studio Ygmas, Monaco. Tribe Studio, Milan, Italy. Studio Ferber, Paris, France. Clinton Recording, NYC, USA. Mill House Studio, Witshire, England

Paul Anka - Rock Swings

Sonically amazing, musically impeccable, vocally superb, this album swings hard from start to finish. Crank it loud on a great stereo. Crank it loud in your car with the windows open and the top down. This is fun music, this is music to drink cocktails to, this is a seriously fun album that seriously swings hard!

Beginning his career by entering amateur contests and sneaking into clubs, Paul Anka has gone on to become one of the most prolific, successful songwriters in history. This year marks his 47th Anniversary in show business, which he celebrates with the June 7th Global release of his latest album, "Rock Swings." It is a concept that takes rock hits from the 80's and adds a swing arrangement to give them a completely different, and fresh new sound. Songs like "Jump" by Van Halen, "Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, "Wonderwall" by Oasis.

Check out this iMix of Paul's versions side by side to the originals : iMix

Engineer: Al Schmitt Arrangers: Patrick Williams, Randy Kerber, John Clayton Producer: Alex Christensen

Tracks
1. It's My Life (Bon Jovi)
2. True (Spandau Ballet)
3. Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
4. Everybody Hurts (REM)
5. Wonderwall (Oasis)
6. Blackhole Sun (Soundgarden)
7. It’s a Sin (Pet Shop Boys)
8. Jump (Van Halen)
9. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
10. Hello (Lionel Richie)
11. Eyes Without a Face (Billy Idol)
12. Lovecats (The Cure)
13. The Way You Make Me Feel (Michael Jackson)
14. Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton)

Personnel
Paul Anka Vocal, Executive Producer
Randy Kerber Arranger, Conductor
Randy Kerber (1-4, 6-7, 9-14) Piano
Pat Williams Arranger, Conductor
John Clayton Arranger, Conductor
Jon Crosse Conductor
Jon Crosse (12) Tenor Saxophone
Al Schmitt Engineer
Vinnie Colaiuta Drums
Mike Valerio Bass
Larry Koonse (2-4, 6-7, 9, 11-14) Guitar
Dean Parks (1, 5, 8, 10) Guitar
Mike Lang (5, 8) Piano
Emil Richards Vibes
Charles Davis Trumpet
Gary Grant Trumpet
Larry Hall Trumpet
Warren Luening (3-4, 6-7, 12-14) Trumpet
Sal Cracchiolo (1-2, 5, 8-11) Trumpet
Steve Holtman Trombone
Andrew Martin Trombone
Alex Iles (3-4, 6-7, 12-14) Trombone
Bill Reichenbach (3-4, 6-7, 12-14) Trombone
Bob McChesney (1-2, 5, 8-11) Trombone
Bryant Byers (1-2, 5, 8-11) Trombone
Gene Cipriano Tenor Saxophone, Flute
Dan Higgins Alto Saxophone, Flute
Greg Huckins Alto Saxophone, Flute
Bill Liston Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet
Joel Peskin Bass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone
Rebecca Bunnell (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Darius Campo (6, 7) Violin
Mario De Leon (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Bruce Dukov (6, 7) Violin, Concertmaster
Charles Everett (6, 7) Violin
Armen Garabedian (6, 7) Violin
Berj Garabedian (6, 7) Violin
Tiffany Yi Hu (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Patricia Johnson (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Peter Kent (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Miran Kojian (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Jennifer Munday (6, 7) Violin
Anatoly Rosinsky (6, 7) Violin
Haim Shtrum (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Mari Tsumura (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Shari Zippert (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Joel Derouin (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin, Concertmaster
Kirstin Fife (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Razdan Kuyumjian (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Dennis Molchan (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Les Terry (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Violin
Marilyn Baker (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Viola
Pam Goldsmith (6, 7) Viola
Jorge Moraga (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Viola
Simon Oswell (6, 7) Viola
James Ross (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Viola
Harry Shirinian (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Viola
Karie Prescott (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Viola
Evan Wilson (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Viola
Larry Corbett (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Cello
Ernie Ehrhardt (6, 7) Cello
Vanessa Freebairn-Smith (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Cello
Miguel Martinez (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Cello
Steve Richards (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Cello
Andrew Shulman (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Cello
Anne Karam (4, 6-7, 11-12, 14) Cello
Peter Doubrovsky (14) Bass
Frances Liu-Wu (14) Bass
Gayle Levant (14) Harp
Brad Warnaar (14) French Horn
Jim Atkinson (14) French Horn
Kurt Snyder (14) French Horn

Wayne Shorter - Beyond The Sound Barrier

THE WAYNE SHORTER QUARTET GOES BEYOND THE SOUND BARRIER WITH NEW LIVE RECORDING

The Wayne Shorter Quartet will release Beyond the Sound Barrier (Verve Records), a live collection recorded during the group’s widely acclaimed tours between 2002 and 2004. The Wayne Shorter Quartet is widely acknowledged to be the best small jazz group today, and their live shows have inspired awe all over the world.

Shorter has led this all-star touring band of young jazz masters, which includes Danilo Perez on piano, John Patitucci on bass, and Brian Blade on drums, since 2001. The band was formed during the recording of Shorter’s double Grammy winning studio album Alegrίa (2003), on which they all appeared. The songs here, which range from new and former Shorter compositions to a classical theme to a classic movie theme song, were all recorded between November 2002 and April 2004 at live performances in Asia, Europe, and North America. This group was previously captured live on the heralded Verve Records release Footprints Live! (2002). Beyond The Sound Barrier shows an even more fully evolved ensemble, as the players’ telepathic interaction flows with kaleidoscopic inventiveness, by turns meditative, grooving, and explosive.

The disc kicks off with an impressionistic reading of “Smilin’ Through,” taken from the 1941 movie of the same name, and rolls through such tracks as the fiery “Joy Ryder” (the title track from Shorter’s 1988 electric/acoustic album), until reaching the challenging closer, “Beyond the Sound Barrier.” The album includes three new Shorter compositions: “As Far as the Eye Can See,” “Adventures Aboard the Golden Mean,” and the title track. Another new song credited to the entire quartet is “Tinker Bell,” an improvised interlude with classical inflections.

Other performances presented here on Beyond the Sound Barrier include the classical theme of Felix Mendelssohn’s “On Wings of Song” as well as “Over Shadow Hill Way,” another tune that originally appeared on Joy Ryder.

Beyond the Sound Barrier was produced by Wayne Shorter and recorded and mixed by Rob Griffin.

Tracks
1. Smilin' Through
2. As Far As The Eye Can See
3. On Wings Of Song
4. Tinker Bell
5. Joy Ryder
6. Over Shadow Hill Way
7. Adventures Aboard The Golden Mean
8. Beyond The Sound Barrier

Personnel
Wayne Shorter Tenor Saxophone
Danilo Perez Piano
Brian Blade Drums
John Patitucci Bass

Marcus Miller - Live & More

Tracks

1. Intro
2. Panther
3. Tutu
4. Funny
5. Strange Fruit
6. Summertime
7. Maputo
8. People Make The World Go 'Round
9. Sophie
10. Jazz In The House

John Scofield - That's What I Say

The 13 tracks on That’s What I Say range from lesser-known Charles gems to some of his most signature tunes. However, Scofield crafts each tune in his own distinctive style, putting his indelible stamp on every performance. Scofield, a fan of Charles’ since childhood, showcases his well-known guitar mastery as well as his strengths as an arranger and interpreter of song throughout the tribute, particularly in his inventive horn arrangements.

Scofield’s core group for this album features Steve Jordan (Sonny Rollins, Rolling Stones), the album’s producer, on drums, Larry Goldings (Maceo Parker, James Taylor) on keyboards and Willie Weeks (Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder) on bass. Scofield leads these stellar musicians, creating the solid groundwork for a star-studded guest list as they pay homage to Charles.

Scofield made inspired choices when inviting these collaborators to join in on this recording. Dr. John brings some N’awlins soul to the medley “Talkin’ Bout You/I Got A Woman,” while Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, and The Dead takes on “Night Time Is The Right Time.” GRAMMY®-winning pop star John Mayer showcases the breadth of his talents by singing and playing guitar on “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” and Aaron Neville’s inimitable voice elevates “You Don’t Know Me.” David “Fathead” Newman blows smoldering sax solos throughout, and the incomparable Mavis Staples leads “I Can’t Stop Loving You” deep into the blues.

Other tunes selected by Scofield for this tribute include the party-like “Sticks and Stones” (propelled by Golding’s Hammond B-3 wizardry), the tender ballad “Cryin’ Time,” and the slow, steady groove of “Unchain My Heart (Part 1).” That’s What I Say closes with Scofield’s reverent, solo acoustic interpretation of one of Charles’ most beloved hits, “Georgia On My Mind.”

Tracks
1. Busted
2. What'd I Say
3. Sticks And Stones
4. I Don't Need No Doctor
5. Cryin' Time
6. I Can't Stop Loving You
7. Hit The Road Jack
8. Talkin' 'Bout You/I Got A Woman
9. Unchain My Heart (Part 1)
10. Let's Go Get Stoned
11. Night Time Is The Right Time
12. You Don't Know Me
13. Georgia On My Mind

Personnel
John Scofield Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Larry Goldings Piano, Vibes, Hammond, Wurlitzer organ
Willie Weeks Bass
Steve Jordan Drums, Tambourine, Background Vocals, Producer
Warren Haynes (2, 11) Guitar, Vocal
John Mayer (2, 4) Guitar, Vocal
Aaron Neville (2, 12) Vocal
David "Fathead" Newman (2, 7) Tenor Saxophone
Dr. John (2, 8) Piano, Vocal
Mavis Staples (2, 6) Vocal
Manolo Badrena Percussion
Lisa Fischer Background Vocals
Vaneese Thomas Background Vocals
Meegan Voss Background Vocals
Alex Foster Tenor Saxophone
Earl Gardner Trumpet
Howard Johnson Baritone Saxophone
Keith O’Quinn Trombone

Luther Vandross - Forever, For Always, For Luther

With Forever, For Always, For Luther a blockbuster gathering of smooth jazz stars takes turns paying tribute to R&B vocal legend Luther Vandross, performing ten of his most popular hits. The featured instrumentalists on the album are the crème-de-la-crème of the smooth jazz world, with dozens of top-charting, top-selling albums and countless hit singles among them. They are masters of bringing the soulful inflections of the great R&B singers to instrumental music and, in paying tribute to Vandross they are honoring one of their primary inspirations.

Producers Rex Rideout and Bud Harner carefully recruited people who have worked with Vandross over the years and focused on songs written or co-written by Vandross. Rideout, producer, keyboardist, arranger, and songwriter on dozens of smooth jazz and R&B albums, has co-authored songs and contributed arrangements and keyboards to Luther’s last three albums, including two songs on Dance With My Father. Mix engineer Ray Bardani has recorded and mixed most of Vandross’s output. Guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. has likewise appeared on most of Vandross’s recordings.

The album title is taken from the title track to Vandross’s best-selling 1982 album Forever, For Always, For Love and is movingly performed on this album by vocalist Lalah Hathaway, daughter of the great Donny Hathaway. The other vocal on the album is “My Sensitivity” performed by the remarkable new R&B singer Ledisi.

In addition to his many top solo outings, saxophonist Kirk Whalum has brought his gospel-inflected tenor playing to countless R&B projects, including six Luther Vandross albums. He opens the CD with a romantic version of “Any Love”, the #1 hit single from Vandross’s 1988 release of the same title. Paul Jackson, Jr. takes the lead on a spunky, up-tempo version of “Never Too Much”, another title track that was a #1 hit single in 1981. Saxist Boney James evokes Luther’s seductive vocals on “Wait for Love”, #11 R&B single from the #1 R&B album, 1985’s The Night I Fell in Love.

In 2003, alto saxophonist Mindi Abair took the smooth jazz world by storm with the fresh sound of her debut album, and she brings the same crackling fresh funkiness to her uptempo take on “Stop to Love”. Abair’s sultry background vocals spice the track, which was a #1 R&B single from “Give Me the Reason” in 1986. Pianist Brian Culbertson and saxophonist Dave Koz makes a dreamy slow-dance of “If Only for One Night” from 1985’s The Night I Fell in Love. Tenor sax man Richard Elliot wails soulfully on “Your Secret Love”, title song from the hit 1996 album. Elliot is supported by Luther Vandross’s original arrangement for background vocals for the track, sung by his long-time backup singers: Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, Brenda White-King, and Fonzi Thornton. Guitar legend George Benson quietly dazzles on the ballad “Take You Out” from the #7 R&B single from the hit 2001 album Luther Vandross.

The triumphant album closer features trumpet star Rick Braun in a gorgeous rendition of the moving title track from Dance With My Father, which won Song of the Year at the February 2004 Grammy Awards, where the album won a total of four Grammy awards.

Tracks
1. Any Love
2. Never Too Much
3. Wait For Love
4. Forever, For Always, For Love
5. Stop To Love
6. If Only For One Night
7. My Sensitivity (Gets In The Way)
8. Your Secret Love
9. Take You Out
10. Dance With My Father

Personnel
Luther Vandross (8) Vocal Arrangement
Mindi Abair (5) Alto Saxophone
Richard Elliot (8) Tenor Saxophone
Brandon Fields (4, 5) Saxophone
Boney James (3, 7) Tenor Saxophone
David Koz (6) Alto Saxophone
Kirk Whalum (1) Tenor Saxophone
Rick Braun (10) Flugelhorn
Nick Lane (4-5, 9) Trombone
Lee Thornburg (4-5, 9) Trumpet
Rex Rideout (1-5, 7-10) Keyboards, Programming
Brian Culbertson (6) Keyboards, Programming
Sundra Manning (2, 4) Hammond
George Benson (9) Guitar
Ray Fuller (4) Guitar
Paul Jackson, Jr. (1-3, 6, 7) Guitar
John Pondel (9) Guitar
Dwight Sills (8, 10) Guitar
Ty Stevens (5) Guitar
Alex Al (3, 7, 8) Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Sekou Bunch (1-2, 4) Acoustic Bass
Steve Ferrone (5, 10) Drums
Michael White (1-2, 4) Drums
Lenny Castro (1-2, 4, 6, 10) Percussion
Lalah Hathaway (4) Vocal
Lisa Fischer (8) Vocal
Brenda White (8) Vocal
Cindy Mizelle (8) Vocal
Fonzi Thornton (8) Vocal
Various Artists

Sessions
Produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner.
Mixed by Ray Bardani.
Tracks 3 & 7 produced by Rex Rideout and Boney James
Track 6 produced by Brian Culbertson

The early New Orleans "jass" style

A number of regional styles contributed to the early development of jazz. Arguably the single most important was that of the New Orleans, Louisiana area, which was the first to be commonly given the name "jazz" (early on often spelled "jass").

The city of New Orleans and the surrounding area had long been a regional music center. People from many different nations of Africa, Europe, and Latin America contributed to New Orleans' rich musical heritage. In the French and Spanish colonial era, slaves had more freedom of cultural expression than in the English colonies of what would become the United States. In the Protestant colonies African music was looked on as inherently "pagan" and was commonly suppressed, while in Louisiana it was allowed. African musical celebrations held at least as late as the 1830s in New Orleans' "Congo Square" were attended by interested whites as well, and some of their melodies and rhythms found their way into the compositions of white Creole composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk. In addition to the slave population, New Orleans also had North America's largest community of free people of color, some of whom prided themselves on their education and used European instruments to play both European music and their own folk tunes.

By the end of the 19th century, the city was a regional center of Tin Pan Alley popular music and the young style of ragtime, and a distinctive, new musical style began to develop.

According to many New Orleans musicians who remembered the era, the key figures in the development of the new style were flamboyant trumpeter Buddy Bolden and the members of his band. Bolden is remembered as the first to take the blues — hitherto a folk music sung and self-accompanied on string instruments or blues harp (harmonica) — and arrange it for brass instruments. Bolden's band played blues and other tunes, constantly "variating the melody" (improvising) for both dance and brass band settings, creating a sensation in the city and quickly being imitated by many other musicians.

By the early years of the 20th century, travelers visiting New Orleans remarked on the local bands' ability to play ragtime with a "pep" not heard elsewhere.

Characteristics which set the early New Orleans style apart from the ragtime music played elsewhere included freer rhythmic improvisation. Ragtime musicians elsewhere would "rag" a tune by giving a syncopated rhythm and playing a note twice (at half the time value), while the New Orleans style used more intricate rhythmic improvisation often placing notes far from the implied beat (compare, for example, the piano rolls of Jelly Roll Morton with those of Scott Joplin). The New Orleans style players also adopted much of the vocabularity of the blues, including bent and blue notes and instrumental "growls" and smears otherwise not used on European instruments.

Key figures in the early development of the new style were Freddie Keppard, a dark Creole of color who mastered Bolden's style; Joe Oliver, whose style was even more deeply soaked in the blues than Bolden's; and Kid Ory, a trombonist who helped crystallize the style with his band hiring many of the city's best musicians. The new style also spoke to young whites as well, especially the working-class children of immigrants, who took up the style with enthusiasm. Papa Jack Laine led a multi-ethnic band through which passed almost all of two generations of early New Orleans white jazz musicians (and a number of non-whites as well).

Roots of jazz

At the root of jazz is the blues, the folk music of former African slaves in the U.S. South and their descendants, heavily influenced by West African cultural and musical traditions that evolved as black musicians migrated to the cities.

Early jazz influences found their first mainstream expression in the marching band and dance band music of the day, which was the standard form of popular concert music at the turn of century. The instruments of these groups became the basic instruments of jazz: brass, reeds, and drums.

Black musicians frequently used the melody, structure, and beat of marches as points of departure; but, says "North by South, from Charleston to Harlem," a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities: "...a black musical spirit (involving rhythm and melody) was bursting out of the confines of European musical tradition, even though the performers were using European styled instruments. This African-American feel for rephrasing melodies and reshaping rhythm created the embryo from which many great black jazz musicians were to emerge." Many black musicians also made a living playing in small bands hired to lead funeral processions in the New Orleans African-American tradition. These Africanized bands played a seminal role in the articulation and dissemination of early jazz. Traveling throughout black communities in the Deep South and to northern big cities, these musician-pioneers were the Hand helping to fashion the music's howling, raucous, then free-wheeling, "raggedy," ragtime spirit, quickening it to a more eloquent, sophisticated, swing incarnation.

For all its genius, early jazz, with its humble, folk roots, was the product of primarily self-taught musicians. But an impressive postbellum network of black-established and -operated institutions, schools, and civic societies in both the North and the South — of which Jenkins' orphanage was only one — plus widening mainstream opportunities for education, produced ever-increasing numbers of young, formally trained African-American musicians, some of them schooled in classical European musical forms. Lorenzo Tio and Scott Joplin were among this new wave of musically literate jazz artists. Joplin, the son of a former slave and a free-born woman of color, was largely self-taught until age 11, when he received lessons in the fundamentals of music theory from a classically trained German immigrant in Texarkana, Texas.

Also contributing to this trend was a tightening of Jim Crow (racial segregation) laws in Louisiana in the 1890s, which caused the expulsion from integrated bands of numbers of talented, formally trained African-American musicians. The ability of these musically literate, black jazz men to transpose and then read what was in great part an improvisational art form became an invaluable element in the preservation and dissemination of musical innovation that took on added importance in the approaching big-band era.

Jazz

Jazz is a musical art form characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation. It has been called the first original art form to develop in the United States of America.

Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African American music traditions including blues and ragtime. After originating in African American communities near the beginning of the 20th century, jazz gained international popularity by the 1920s. Since then, jazz has had a profoundly pervasive influence on other musical styles worldwide. Today, various jazz styles continue to evolve.

According to Pulitzer Prize-winning African-American composer and classical and jazz trumpet virtuoso Wynton Marsalis, "Jazz is something Negroes invented, and it said the most profound things -- not only about us and the way we look at things, but about what modern democratic life is really about. It is the nobility of the race put into sound ... jazz has all the elements, from the spare and penetrating to the complex and enveloping. It is the hardest music to play that I know of, and it is the highest rendition of individual emotion in the history of Western music."

The word jazz itself is rooted in American slang, probably of sexual origin, although various alternative derivations have been suggested.