www.jazzfestivalbz.com

When you look at the international appeal that jazz music has, its success across regions can be attributed to the fact that lyrics are secondary to the world-wide language of love – the music. But with an accomplished hip hop lyricist like the late great Guru, short for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal, it was practically predestined that the vocal portion of the hip hop duo Gangstarr would meld that feeling of jazz with the visceral lyrics Read the rest of this entry »

Jazz is a form of music that’s enjoyed by millions of people throughout the globe. The United States alone hosts hundreds of jazz festivals every year, including the Houston Jazz Festival.

The Houston Jazz Festival is held in August of every year and features talented and well-known jazz artists, and high school and college groups from the around the country. The festival is a two day event and is put on at a major venue in the downtown Houston area.

If you Read the rest of this entry »

Ask any Jazz aficionado about Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie or Charlie Mingus and they will tell you volumes about these lost sages and their contributions to the fundamentals of this timeless genre. Unfortunately, if you ask about the same three to anyone born within the last ten years you might not get much back for your trouble or even – sadly – much recognition when it comes to naming these greats. In an age where we use the internet for getting our renewable energy from places like www.texaselectricityproviders.com/business/, downloading movies, streaming TV shows or even buying cars it seems like jazz and the masters have fallen by the wayside.

Sure, people still listen to music online and some even listen to the newer jazz that’s on the market, but it just doesn’t have the same heart and soul as the originals and that’s something you just can’t replicate or imitate – you have to live it. Luckily, there are still services out there that sell the albums of the greats and as long as someone still remembers the era of jazz and the rich history of the genre, there will still be a place in our homes for the likes of Parker and Armstrong and, especially, Davis.

Us3 wasn’t the first outfit to mix jazz and hip-hop, but they were certainly the first to score a monster hit with the combination. Powered by a Herbie Hancock sample and a laid-back rap, “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” struck listeners as simultaneously groundbreaking and familiar. It reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The sample was from”Cantaloupe Island,” Hancock’s 1964 track from the album Empyrean Isles. The music is hard bop, but Hancock’s piano riff is funky and Freddie Hubbard’s trumpet is cool. It combined the elements that were loved Read the rest of this entry »

Jazz is a language all its own. It appeals to singles, families, special groups and more. What’s really cool is the growth of Jazz Festivals around the country and the world. If you are wanting to know how to find jazz music festivals locally, check out these 3 tips.

The first way to discover local jazz festivals is to contact your local Chamber of Commerce. Ask them about any festivals and specifically Jazz events held in your area. They have their Read the rest of this entry »

When considering the truly great innovators and designers of the jazz genre, there may be none greater than Thelonious Monk. Along with the ground breaking Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Monk helped to create, and further define, what has come to be known as be-bop. Just how he came to be so influential may be due to his radical approach to chords and progressions.

Monk had the idea of deconstructing the notes that go into making a chord, usually three or more Read the rest of this entry »

The genre of music known as Jazz can be extremely relaxing and many people take pleasure from listening to it in their spare time or while driving. There are many different ways to discover new favorites and ways to listen to the kinds of bands and artists that you already enjoy. Many people tune in their radios to local stations that supply their listening area with quality music. However, for those people who do not Read the rest of this entry »