U.S. & CANADA JAZZ

Many scholars of American music have rightly called Jazz “America's 'classical' music.” (Not all!) The roots of jazz though, like the roots of all forms of modern American music, are global, and there are so many. You have the millennia-old African-American traditions of call and response, of intertwining rhythms, of improvisation in drumming and singing and dance. You have the European Western Classical traditions of melody and harmony, of rich musical theory, of a multi-instrumental approach to arranging and performing music. You also have the Latin tradition of syncopation, taking a straightforward rhythm and twisting it until it feels just right.

Jazz has its roots in humanity’s past, but it’s a form of musical art that is unique to America and especially to the American 20th century, capturing the essence of America’s creativity, struggles, accomplishment and flair. When “jazz” emerged from that mix and match of global musics, it had so many identifiable flavors in it, but it somehow tasted completely new.