Smooth Sound

Music has been around longer than a vast majority of us have been alive. It’s evolved to incorporate different sounds and even convey messages. When it comes to music, my taste is pretty expansive, my playlists have a collection of genres and eras. One of my all-time favorite types of music is Jazz. I’ve been told a couple of times in my life that I have an “old soul” and strangely enough, I feel my love of Jazz music supports this.

Now, of course, there are amazing Jazz artists out in the world today, but I will always be drawn in by and prefer the classic tunes of artists such as the father of Jazz himself, Louis Armstrong, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk, and so many others. I was first introduced to these musicians by a dance teacher in my middle school years and I have loved them ever since. My curiosity for the genre itself also grew and some of the things I’ve learned about it just made me admire it all the more.

It may come as no surprise that Jazz music originated in New Orleans, Louisiana. I mean, it makes sense, right? That city is one of the musical capitals after all! Also, throughout the years, so many artists have put their own spin on Jazz that a variety of sub-genres have been born like soul jazz and bebop.

A feature of Jazz music that really stuck out to me is that improvisation plays a big role. Any member of the group could be called on to improvise over the tune, and yes, that includes the lead vocalist! Talk about keeping the band on their toes! These are only just a few tidbits that make Jazz music delightful to the senses and tantalizing to the brain. I think today's a good day to jam to those tunes. Do you have some favorite Jazz artists? I’d love for you to share them with me!