Jazz style with examples?

Question

There are a ton of sites that list out all sorts of different jazz subgenres, for example, this one: http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/musicguides

However, I have not found a good resource that pairs the name of a style with a recording that exemplifies that style, which would go a long way to understand what jazz styles are what.

Does anyone know of a resource like this?

Answer 1

Probably a couple of reasons why such lists don't abound is that:

1. Any such list is always going to be tremendously incomplete. In general you can't get a sound perspective on a style with just one or two examples.
2. You're never going to get general consensus about the selection you may pick in such an attempt.

Anyway, I understand your perplexity and you have got to start somewhere. Here's a possible seed for your exploration:

• Early Jazz

  • Louis Armstrong, Hotter Than That - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAlrpx40UnE

• Swing

  • Count Basie, One O'Clock Jump - https://youtu.be/08jyOwx96Ig
  • Duke Ellington, Take the A Train - https://youtu.be/cb2w2m1JmCY

• Bebop

  • Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Shaw 'Nuff - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNHUZmTmj-8

• Cool

  • Dave Brubeck, Take Five - https://youtu.be/tT9Eh8wNMkw
  • Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool - https://youtu.be/c1HK8Rma4Bo

• Hard Bop

  • Art Blakey, Moanin' - https://youtu.be/Cv9NSR-2DwM
  • Horace Silver, Song For My Father - https://youtu.be/CWeXOm49kE0

• Modal

  • Miles Davies, So What - https://youtu.be/ylXk1LBvIqU
  • Johan Coltrane, Impression - https://youtu.be/03juO5oS2gg

• John Coltrane, Giant Steps - https://youtu.be/30FTr6G53VU - I don't think this example fits in any specific subgenre, but it's a seminal work that pivoted the transition from previous hard bop and modal genres to future avant garde and free approaches.

• Free

  • John Coltrane, Ascension - https://youtu.be/_FyGClOb690

• Fusion

  • Herbie Hancock, Headhunters - https://youtu.be/GAlejqkd-gg

• Neoclassical

  • Wynton Marsalis (and others), Jungle Blues - https://youtu.be/jM7BzW6vhl8

If you really want to better your understanding of Jazz and its different styles, this is just a molecule on the tip of the iceberg :-). There are a couple of online free courses, that may get you on a faster track (I recommend Jazz Appreciation from edx), but a good book with a discography section will surely be of great help too. The JazzMusicArchives also has pointers to many artists and specific records, but you have to dig deeper in the specific sections.