Music & Pop Culture
Modern Jazz
Latin Jazz
Basically, it's jazz with afro-latin rhythms.
It wasn't jazz music made in Latin-America, but adding the latin rhythm to other jazz styles, specially bebop and cool jazz.
They employed tempos and rhythmical patterns from Latin America and even Africa.
It was a commercial develop of the free jazz.
It became main stream during the 70's.
There's two main categories during the 70's: Afro-Cuban jazz and Brazilian jazz. At the end of the 80's it will appear the flamenco jazz.
From Cuba, musicians took the taste for the melody and the rhythm of the "son cubano".
From Brazil, they took the samba's and bossa nova's rhythm.
From Spain, they took the way of singing (flamenco).
They used every kind of instrument, specially latin percussion instruments like maracas, timpani, bongos... They also used piano, saxophone, and even acoustic guitar.
Sometimes latin jazz used large ensembles like swing music, and sometimes smaller ensembles, like bebop or cool jazz.
Tito Puente - Oye como va
Sergio Mendes & Brazil'66 - Mas que nada
Joao Gilberto - Samba da minha terra
Ibrahim Ferrer & Omara Portuondo - Quizás
Bebo Valdés & El Cigala - Lagrimas Negras
Antonio Carlos Jobim
He was born in 1927, and died in 1994.
He was a brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, pianist and guitarist.
It is supposed he invented the modern bossa nova.
His major hit was "garota of Ipanema"
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Garota de Ipanema
Jazz Fusion
In the late 60's and 70's, jazz and rock were mixed up into a new genre: Jazz Rock.
This style had the jazz improvisation and rock rhythm.
Normally, this new style used instruments from popular music, like keyboards, electric guitars and synthesizers, along with traditional jazz instruments like piano, sax or drum set.
With a more wide absortion of different styles, jazz rock became jazz Fusion in the 80's.
Jazz fusion used mixed meters, odd time signatures, syncopation, complex chords and harmonies.
It took a great influence from soul and R'nB styles.
Some artist of jazz fusion were: Kenny G, Grover Washington, Jr., Al Jarreau, Anita Baker.
They used to play live concerts.
Grover Washington, Jr. - Just the two of us
Kenny G. - The Moment
Tony Braxton - Unbreak my heart
Luther Vandross & Mariah Carey - Endless love
Spyro Gyra
It is an american jazz fusion band, formed in the mid 70's in New York.
They have over 30 albums released, and they are one of the most best-sellers jazz bands.
They became popular with two hits from the late 70's: "Shaker Song" & "Morning Dance".
They took influence from funk rhythms and pop melodies.
Catching the sun
Smooth Jazz
With the develope of the jazz fusion, in the 90's appeared a new concept of jazz, close to the new electronic rhythms, and a new aesthetic.
It's also called straigh-ahead jazz.
Frequently, this style is confused with popular music.
Most artist from jazz fusion continued their career in the smooth jazz.
Some new artists were: Alicia Keys, Diana Krall or Amy Winehouse.
It was a jazz style very popular during the late 90's, because of the music industry's crisis.
Smooth jazz is usually downtempo, and it's able to use any kind of instrument.
It uses to be a vocal music.
Improvisation is not so important.
There's a great variety of genre inside smooth jazz.
It's common in smooth jazz style to use characteristics from other jazz styles, specially gospel choir.
Amy Winehouse
Diana Krall - Walk on by
Hiromi the Trio Project - Alive
Back to Black
She was born in England in 1983.
She was an English singer-songwriter known for her deep contralto vocals.
Her eclectic mix of musical genres includes soul, rhythm and blues, jazz and reggae.
Her first album, Frank, was published in 2003.
"Back to black" was her second album, from 2006, and it won five grammy Awards.
After years of abusing drugs, then alcohol, Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011.
Alicia Keys
She was born in 1981.
She is an American R&B singer-songwriter, pianist, musician, record producer, and actress.
Her album debut was "Songs in A minor", released in 2001.
The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002.
Her second studio album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys", was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide.
Keys has made guest appearances on several television series, like "Charmed".
Fallin'