jazz

Introduction & Top Questions
Defining jazz: “If you have to ask, you’ll never know”
West Africa in the American South: Gathering the musical elements of jazz
Field hollers and funeral processions: Forming the matrix
Ragtime into jazz: The birth of jazz in New Orleans
Variations on a theme: Jazz elsewhere in the United States
The cornetist breaks away: Louis Armstrong and the invention of swing
Orchestral jazz
- Fletcher Henderson, the originator
- Duke Ellington, the master composer
- Other notables of the 1920s
The precursors of modern jazz
- Bennie Moten, Casa Loma Orchestra, and Benny Goodman
- Count Basie’s band and the composer-arrangers
- The swing soloists
The return of the combo and the influence of the territory bands
Jazz at the crossroads
- Bebop takes hold
- Swing hangs on, soloists take off
Cool jazz enters the scene
- Chamber jazz and the Modern Jazz Quartet
- Jazz meets classical and the “third stream” begins
- Latin jazz: From “Spanish tinges” to Afro-Cuban beats and bossa nova
- The mainstream enlarged: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and others
Free jazz and fusion: The explorations of Ornette Coleman, Weather Report, and the global jazz scene
Jazz at the turn of the 21st century

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Explore the culture and traditions of New Orleans surrounded by music

A Gathering of Performers Featuring West African Music and Dances in New Orleans

King of ragtime

Jazz's first major composer

Kid Ory and his band

Jazz pianist James P. Johnson

At a Glance

“Satchmo”

Related Questions

“Satchmo” — “Satchmo” Louis Armstrong, 1953.

jazz

music

Written by

Gunther Schuller

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026 •History

jazz, musical form, often improvisational, developed by African Americans and influenced by both European harmonic structure and African rhythms. It was developed partially from ragtime and blues and is often characterized by syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, often deliberate deviations of pitch, and the use of original timbres. Jazz has been called America’s greatest art form, although it quickly became a global musical expression, finding audiences throughout the world and taking...

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