5 of 9

Write now Article Tools

Jazz music is considered the only truly original American type of music. Jazz began in the early part of the twentieth century, and has grown and updated with the times to go in many new and amazing directions.

Here are just a few of the different types of Jazz music:

* Bebop Jazz. Sometimes known only as "bop," this was the first modern sort of Jazz to come about after World War II. Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie "Bird" Parker were two of the best-known Bebop artists.

* Big Band Jazz. Big Band Jazz was especially popular from about 1935 to 1945. In fact, this form of Jazz was the dominant popular music of the day. Folks like Duke Ellington and Count Basie performed Big Band Jazz with large orchestras. Big Band Jazz was also known as "swing."

* Cool Jazz. This is a sort of Jazz that started in the 1950s, and is a very relaxed and melodic type of improvisation. Cool Jazz artists include Zoot Sims and Lester Young.

* Crossover Jazz. Crossover is Jazz that makes it into the pop world. Kenny G, for example, plays crossover Jazz. Some critics don't' consider crossover Jazz to be truly Jazz.

* Fusion Jazz. Fusion is what happens when rock music meets Jazz. Herbie Hancock, who started his career with Miles Davis, is known for Fusion Jazz.

* Mainstream Jazz. This term refers to contemporary musicians who use music from earlier eras of Jazz such as Big Band as a source of inspiration.

* Progressive Jazz. Progressive Jazz refers, usually, to modern Jazz. John Coltrane and Miles Davis are examples of progressive Jazz artists.

* Third Stream Jazz. Third stream combines classical music with Jazz. It is called "third stream" because it is the third stream of music that results when the first two types (streams) are combined.

* Traditional Jazz. This Jazz was the earliest type of Jazz, and includes a variety of subgenres including ragtime and boogie-woogie.

* Vocal Jazz. This category of Jazz encompasses a great many artists, from Louis Armstrong to Frank Sinatra. This is, essentially, music that uses Jazz vocal techniques with what is otherwise pop music.

As you can see, there is a rich and varied selection of Jazz music to which one can listen.

Learn more about this author, John W. Paulus.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about The different types of jazz music?
We want to hear your view. Write now!