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Music vocabulary · Genres and Styles

Jazz

Meaning in music, with examples

/dʒæz/nounCore term

In music, jazz means: A genre that developed in African American communities in New Orleans in the early 20th century, known for swing rhythm, rich harmony and improvisation.

In Turkish: caz

How it is used

Musicians play jazz, study jazz or 'play jazz standards' (well-known songs everyone learns). Styles include swing, bebop, cool jazz, modal jazz, fusion and Latin jazz. A 'jam session' is an informal gathering where jazz players improvise together.

Example sentences

  1. Every Tuesday there's a jazz jam session at the club, and anyone can sit in.

  2. Jazz pianists need to know their chord voicings in every key.

Common collocations

  • jazz standard
  • jazz club
  • jazz jam session
  • jazz harmony
  • modern jazz
  • improviseTo create music in the moment while performing, without reading it from written notes, usually over a known chord progression or within a mode.
  • syncopationPlacing accents on weak beats or between beats instead of on the strong beats, which makes a rhythm feel surprising and lively.
  • soloA section of music played or sung by one performer, often featured above the rest of the band, or a whole piece written for a single performer.
  • genreA category of music with shared features such as rhythm, instruments, harmony or history, for example jazz, rock, hip-hop or classical music.
  • chord progressionA series of chords played one after another that forms the harmonic backbone of a song, often written with Roman numerals such as I–IV–V.

More terms: Genres and Styles

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