All About Jazz – Learn Jazz Standards

What Is Jazz Fusion? 15 Must-Hear Jazz Fusion Artists

James Melton — Sun, 18 May 2025 16:02:12 +0000

Jazz fusion is an important subgenre and a crucial part of jazz’s history and evolution. If you want to grasp the complete picture of jazz and its influence on music, you’ll need to learn about jazz fusion! This exciting branch of jazz music emerged in the 1960s and is still relevant today! In fact, many […]

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What is Hard Bop? (Plus the 15 Most Iconic Hard Bop Albums)

James Melton — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 17:16:14 +0000

Hard Bop is an important subgenre of jazz and a highly influential period in jazz history that saw the ascendency of many iconic jazz musicians and gave rise to legendary jazz albums that still hold sway over the jazz world today. But what makes the Hard Bop style so Hard Bop, for lack of a […]

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50 Famous Saxophone Players. Who Are The Best Saxophone Players of All Time?

James Melton — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 18:20:41 +0000

Jazz history is full of incredible jazz saxophonists, but deciding on the best saxophone players of all time requires some serious thought and reflection! The jazz saxophonists on this list brought (or still bring) something unique to the jazz world. Whether they were amazing multi-instrumentalists, genre renegades, fearless innovators, or jazz pioneers, the jazz musicians […]

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50 FAMOUS JAZZ MUSICIANS! DO YOU KNOW THESE GREAT JAZZ ARTISTS?

James Melton — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 16:48:11 +0000

The best way to learn any language is to listen to its native speakers. When it comes to understanding the musical language of jazz, there are so many famous jazz musicians you can learn from. This list of great jazz musicians is designed to introduce you to fifty of them. The truth is that so […]

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What Are The 30 Best Jazz Albums Of All Time?

James Melton — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 15:42:18 +0000

If you are interested in learning jazz, you’ll eventually come to this burning question—what are the best jazz albums of all time? Obviously, the answers to this question depend on many, many factors. However, there are specific jazz albums that everyone interested in jazz needs to hear. We’ve compiled 30 of the best jazz albums […]

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What Is Jazz Music? 6 Reasons Why Jazz Is Important

Josiah Boornazian — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:53:15 +0000

What is jazz music? If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you love jazz. Many of us know why we love jazz, even if we can’t always put it into words. Though we might be jazz fans for different reasons, most of us can relate to first discovering and falling in love with jazz music. […]

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What Are the Top 25 Duke Ellington Songs You Need To Know?

James Melton — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 16:34:15 +0000

If you are interested in jazz music, you will inevitably encounter Duke Ellington’s songs. Duke Ellington wrote a significant percentage of the jazz standards we know and love. He is up there with Cole Porter and George Gershwin regarding sheer influence and output! We’ve prepared this list of the 25 best Duke Ellington songs to […]

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Why Is Jazz Important? Here’s Why Jazz Music Matters

James Melton — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 13:36:58 +0000

Why is jazz important? Many studies have shown the benefits of music and music education in schools. Research shows that learning music helps develop many non-music-related skills and important brain functions. We know that music matters, but why does jazz music matter? That’s exactly what we’ll be discussing today! Jazz music is more than a genre or something […]

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Why Jazz Isn’t Defined By Your Personal Taste

Josiah Boornazian — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 22:17:53 +0000

In recent years I’ve noticed what I feel is a troubling trend among some – but, to be fair, not all – jazz musicians and enthusiasts. Sometimes, when someone hears a style, sub-genre, or offshoot (or whatever you want to call it) of jazz that they don’t particularly like, they’ll write it off and say […]

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Don’t Be a Jazz Snob!

Brent Vaartstra — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 15:44:10 +0000

Jazz snobs. I know my fair share of them. Most musicians I know are in the jazz circles, and while I wouldn’t categorize most of them as authentic jazz snobs, there are always the few making the rest of us look bad. What’s a jazz snob? They are actually quite simple characters. Here’s one of those […]

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The Pros and Cons of Being a Multi-Instrumentalist

Brent Vaartstra — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 16:11:08 +0000

I received an email from an LJS subscriber a few weeks ago, which described a fairly common predicament in the music world. This musician was a multi-instrumentalist, and it seemed to be perplexing him quite a bit. It perplexed him because he sensed that to excel as a jazz musician it would require some virtuosity, […]

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How the Jazz Greats Became Great

Brent Vaartstra — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 17:19:01 +0000

Often when we think of jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Sonny Rollins, and a host of others, we think of them as icons of immeasurable talent. In jazz circles these musicians seem to be considered “gods among men”. You often hear others speak of them, saying: “No one will ever be […]

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15 Hilarious Jazz Jokes

Brent Vaartstra — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 15:29:31 +0000

I’ve heard a lot of great jazz jokes, both from musicians I know and those floating around the internet. In an effort to spread the laughs and pass on the humor. Here are some of my favorite jazz jokes I have come across! Be sure to share yours in the comments below. How does a […]

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Deep Song: The Suffering of Billie Holiday

Brent Vaartstra — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 14:26:44 +0000

While reading, listen to Billie Holidays “Deep Song”. Human suffering has the ability to kindle the flames that forge art. Love that has been misguided, violated, abused and destroyed can lead to a multitude of things to sing about. A broken heart can stir up more noise than a shuddering earthquake. Certainly this can go […]

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Why Scales Are Ruining Your Jazz Playing

Brent Vaartstra — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 15:19:30 +0000

One of the questions I get that makes me cringe the most is “What scales can I play over…(a jazz standard)”. It’s not that scales are bad, or that it’s a dumb question. It’s that thinking about scales as a means to improvise is not the best way to go. In order to play jazz, one […]

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3 Life Lessons Jazz Has Taught Me

Brent Vaartstra — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 15:02:48 +0000

It seems that ever since I found jazz (or jazz found me), my life has never quite been the same. Studying and pursuing jazz has led me to move to different cities, go to particular colleges, and meet certain people. Little did I know, but the moment I met my first real jazz teacher, my life was being prepared […]

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What Jazz Will Sound Like In 10 Years

Brent Vaartstra — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 15:52:34 +0000

Jazz is an evolving music. It’s not a music that is stuck in the past, although some may be either uneducated or mislead to believe that it is. Jazz is flexible, adaptive, and elusive. It’s like a person who looks at the majority crowd and doesn’t want to conform to their trendy ways, but still wants to […]

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One Thing The Best Jazz Musicians Do That Others Don’t

Brent Vaartstra — Fri, 27 May 2016 13:46:04 +0000

Since the very first day I started getting serious about jazz, I’ve pondered over and over again what it is exactly that made the jazz greats so great. Whenever I go to shows of my favorite jazz musicians, I wonder why it was so good. Why do I leave the venue so awestruck? It’s easy […]

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Is Practicing With Play-Alongs Bad?

Brent Vaartstra — Fri, 20 May 2016 15:08:03 +0000

I’ve heard it said before that jazz musicians should not practice with play-alongs: “It’s not how the music should be played!” “It’s not what Bird and Diz and those guys were doing!” “A backing track can’t interact with you, and that’s what jazz is all about!” Instead of being long winded about this, let me […]

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Why Jazz Musicians Can Be The Biggest Jerks

Brent Vaartstra — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 15:04:18 +0000

I just can’t take it any longer. I’ve held it in for a while, but now I just have to come out and say it: Jazz musicians have been some of the meanest, cruelest, whining, egotistical people I’ve ever met! I have my reasons why. It’s not that I’m an outsider looking in. No, in fact […]

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The (Whole) Truth About Jazz Vocabulary

Josiah Boornazian — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 15:04:11 +0000

Guest post by Josiah Boornazian. An Important Question In this post, I want to focus on some of the philosophical and practical concerns that arise when we ask the question “how do I learn and develop jazz vocabulary?” (Just to be clear, when I say “jazz vocabulary” here I mean actual music – not words. […]

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The Most Important Jazz Albums of All Time

Brent Vaartstra — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 14:42:10 +0000

Normally, I would go ahead and list for you a handful of jazz records that historically have been noted as “the most important” time and time again; the ones everyone can agree upon. But I want to do something different today. This time I want to hear from you. Which jazz albums do you think […]

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How Much Should You Spend on Your Instrument?

Camden Hughes — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 17:18:58 +0000

We are all in different musical situations. For some, their instrument is a tool to help them make money. For others, their instrument is a beloved hobby, a leisurely pastime, or a distraction from their normal life. Others might not be professionals yet, but they are SERIOUS about improving and sounding good. For many, their instrument is […]

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A Reality Check for Jazz Musicians

Brent Vaartstra — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 20:42:45 +0000

There are three types of jazz musicians in the world today: the professionals, the students and the hobbyists. All three are equally important for the survival of each other and the survival of jazz music itself. The Hobbyists: Individuals who either love listening to jazz as a pastime, or play jazz as a pastime. Jazz is purely a […]

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The Existential Problem with Jazz Band

Camden Hughes — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 02:38:56 +0000

Jazz education has been institutionalized. For decades now, you have been able to find a form of jazz education in countless middle schools, high schools, and colleges. In a way that helps to propel the music forward, passing it on to the next generation. Jazz education is alive in the schools. That’s a victory for […]

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Why “Vibing” is Bad for Jazz

Camden Hughes — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 07:22:31 +0000

What is “vibing” in jazz, and why does it happen? If you’ve been around the music very long, you may have experienced “vibing.” “Vibing” is a mean-spirited attitude toward other musicians and the way they play the music. “Vibing” is when the house guitarist at the jam won’t talk to the singer sitting in. “Vibing” is […]

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The 3 Most Important Jazz Guitarists of All Time

Brent Vaartstra — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 17:03:27 +0000

I get asked time to time, who I think the most important jazz guitarists are. This can be a tough question to answer because jazz guitar has had such a rich history of incredible guitar players. There are so many jazz guitarists that not only were phenomenal players but pushed the envelope of what we […]

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Who Hijacked The Jazz Economy?

Camden Hughes — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 00:29:43 +0000

Sixty or eighty years ago, the jazz economy was healthy. Things were different. There was a healthy club scene in many metropolitan areas. Jazz was in vogue. It was relatively easy for a good musician to gig 5 nights a week. There was an entire economy based around the performance of jazz music. People went to […]

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Top Ten Underrated Jazz Musicians

Camden Hughes — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 08:04:22 +0000

Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Duke Ellington…these names are synonymous with jazz, and their brilliance shines bright. There are other players-Sonny Rollins, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Cannonball Adderley, Art Tatum-whose stars shine very, very brightly, though they may not quite […]

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Musicians Must Get Paid!

Brent Vaartstra — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 12:33:03 +0000

This article is a follow up to 3 Reasons Why You Need To Stop Playing Gigs For Free, in which I talk about how our musical economy has been severely damaged by musicians playing gigs for no compensation, ultimately devaluing the profession. I read this ad on Craigslist recently: Seeking jazz and folk musicians for […]

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Gary Burton’s Improvisation Masterclass

Camden Hughes — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 05:24:52 +0000

Gary Burton is a unique force in the jazz world in that he is an equally gifted musician and teacher. He is one of the preeminent jazz vibraphonists in the world today at the same time that he is one of the preeminent jazz educators. Gary teaches a popular jazz improvisation class for Berklee College […]

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RIP Phil Woods

Camden Hughes — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 06:17:28 +0000

2015 has been a tough year for jazz. We lost Clark Terry, Ornette Coleman, Lou Soloff, Jazz Crusader saxophonist Wilton Felder, and now jazz just lost another legend this last week. Phil Woods passed away at the age of 83. His first album, “Woodlore” came out in 1955, the year of Charlie Parker’s passing. After Bird’s […]

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6 Important Jazz Musicians You Need To Know

Brent Vaartstra — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 17:52:55 +0000

When people come up to me and ask: “What jazz musicians should I check out?” or “If I want to get into jazz, which musicians are the most important to listen to?”, I usually freeze up. I mean there are so may important jazz musicians out there that it can be hard to pick and […]

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Sex, Drugs, Alcohol and Jazz

Brent Vaartstra — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 15:44:56 +0000

Anyone who has ever studied jazz history probably knows that its unruly cast of characters was often loaded on drugs and alcohol. Charlie Parker, one of jazz’s most iconic heroes, died very young because of his ravenous addictions to heroine and alcohol. He had drugged and drank himself to death. The coroner estimated that Parker was […]

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Learn About Jazz History

Brent Vaartstra — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 16:11:17 +0000

When learning how to play jazz, what could be more important than knowing where it came from in the first place? To understand this music, it’s extremely helpful to look back at it’s history and examine it’s evolution. Saxophonist extraordinaire, Origin recording artist, and professor Brent Jensen walks us through important styles in jazz history […]

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Jazz Styles-Fusion

Camden Hughes — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 04:36:36 +0000

This is the seventh and final lecture in Brent Jensen’s series of lectures on Jazz History. Brent Jensen is a professor of jazz studies at the College of Southern Idaho. He is also an incredible saxophone player with a number of albums out on the Origin record label. This series is a great introduction to Jazz […]

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Jazz Styles-Free Jazz

Camden Hughes — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 16:48:19 +0000

This is the sixth video in our series featuring Brent Jensen’s lectures on jazz history. Brent teaches jazz at the College of Southern Idaho and is an excellent saxophone player on the Origin record label. This video highlights the history of free jazz. Brent plays many different styles of jazz, but free jazz seems to be […]

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Jazz Styles-Hard Bop

Camden Hughes — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 15:53:55 +0000

This video is the fifth in a series of lectures on jazz history. Brent Jensen is a saxophonist on the Origin record label. He also teaches jazz at the College of Southern Idaho. There are a few points in this video where they are discussing material relevant only to the class, but most of the […]

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Jazz Styles-Cool Jazz

Camden Hughes — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 19:33:22 +0000

This is the fourth in a series of video lectures by saxophonist Brent Jensen about the History of Jazz. Brent is a professor of jazz at the College of Southern Idaho, and teaches several sections of jazz history. These jazz style videos were made for his jazz history classes, but the information is relevant to others who want to learn more […]

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Jazz Styles-Bebop

Camden Hughes — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 14:37:58 +0000

This is the third post in a series of videos by Brent Jensen highlighting Jazz History. Brent teaches jazz at the College of Southern Idaho and is a saxophonist on a number of albums on the Origin label. Keep in mind these videos were done for a series of classroom lectures, but are relevant to […]

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Jazz Styles-Swing

Camden Hughes — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 14:26:47 +0000

This is the second video in a series of posts about the by Brent Jensen about the History of Jazz. These lectures were done for a basic jazz history class for non-music majors, but there is lots of great information that will help you to learn more about the history of jazz. Brent Jensen is […]

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Jazz Styles-Early Jazz

Camden Hughes — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 16:52:24 +0000

We are going to be doing a series of posts coming up highlighting Jazz History through the eyes of Brent Jensen. Brent is a professor of jazz at the College of Southern Idaho and a saxophonist on a number of albums on the Origin label. In addition to being a great player, Brent is extremely knowledgeable about […]

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An Interview With Gilad Hekselman

Brent Vaartstra — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 16:21:01 +0000

Gilad Hekselman has been developing a reputation as one of the most promising guitarists in New York since his arrival in 2004. In only a few years this native Israeli has shared the stage with some of the greatest artists in the New York jazz scene including, Chris Potter, Mark Turner, John Scofield, Anat Cohen, […]

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An Interview With Hermon Mehari

Brent Vaartstra — Wed, 28 May 2014 15:46:52 +0000

(Photo by Chad Cogdill) Trumpeter Hermon Mehari was most recently featured on the world renown saxophonist Bobby Watson’s 2013 release, “Check Cashing Day”. This album explores and honors the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream Speech”. In addition to Bobby Watson and Hermon Mehari, […]

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An Interview With Mike Moreno

Brent Vaartstra — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:15:25 +0000

Recognized as one of the leading voices in the new generation of the Jazz guitarists today, Mike Moreno has toured extensively and recorded as a leader of his own band, playing his original music to high critical acclaim. As Nate Chinen describes in his 2007 “The Gig” article in JazzTimes, “There are many other guitarists […]

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An Interview With Ari Hoenig

Brent Vaartstra — Mon, 12 May 2014 16:59:17 +0000

World renowned drummer Ari Hoenig has played in groups such as the Jean Michel Pilc Trio, Kenny Werner Trio, Chris Potter Underground, Kurt Rosenwinkel Group, Joshua Redman Elastic Band, Jazz Mandolin Project and bands led by Wayne Krantz, Mike Stern, Richard Bona, Pat Martino, Dave Leibman and Bojan Z. He has also shared the stage […]

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Searching for Glory at the Cookin’ Cadenza by Bill Anschell

Brent Vaartstra — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:05:38 +0000

Visit: www.billanschell.com Summoning the passion born from sixty-five years of hard living, Jimmy brought the song—and our first set—to a dramatic close. The audience burst into wild applause, but I could manage only a feeble smile. “Route 66” had never really pulled my heartstrings; instead of succumbing to its images of light Cowboy romanticism, I’d […]

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“Jazz Jam Sessions: A First-Timer’s Guide” by Bill Anschell

Brent Vaartstra — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 22:06:32 +0000

Visit: www.billanschell.com Ready to check out your first jam session? There’s much more to jazz music – and to the “session” in particular – than meets the eye. This primer will help you better appreciate the intense psychodrama being played out on stage. Special “Insider’s Hints” (“I.H.”) highlighted throughout the text will help you make […]

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Jazz Style Periods-Guest Post by Brent Jensen

Camden Hughes — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:36:25 +0000

Do you need to brush up on your jazz history a little bit? Here’s a nice reference guide by my friend Brent Jensen. Brent is a saxophone recording artist for Origin Records, and he teaches jazz at the College of Southern Idaho. I’ve included the Style Periods in a text format, as well as a […]

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