Nu jazz

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Nu Jazz or Nujazz (sometimes referred to as Electro-Jazz ) is a style of electronic music from the late 1990s and 2000s. Nu is a slang spelling of the word new ( English : new ).

Essence

In Nu Jazz combine jazz elements with electronic music . Like electronica or downtempo , the term nu jazz is not precisely defined, but is used in many ways and used for many different musical variations. Nu Jazz, for example, can be both house with jazz influences (such as St Germain ) and the so-called Broken Beat by Bugz in the Attic or 4hero . Even the sound of British techno producers Kirk Degiorgio (As One) and Ian O'Brien , strongly influenced by jazz and Detroit techno, can be categorized as Nu Jazz.

Because of its lack of differentiation, the term is rejected by some as “restricting” and “pigeonhole” because it is just a marketing phrase. The well-known British DJ Gilles Peterson, on the other hand, who created the term acid jazz out of a gag with Eddie Piller in 1988 , does not see the term as negative, but rather sees it as an opportunity to give the music more public and the listener an orientation.

The rejection of Nu Jazz , the associated stigmatizing style definition and the progressive commercialization in the form of second-rate compilations led to the creation of a number of counter-names such as "Neofusion" (also spelled "Neophusion") or "Freestyle", which are supposed to prevent stylistic definitions. Michael Reinboth, creator of Compost Records , even reduced the term nu jazz to absurdity with a “Jazz Not Jazz” record column (which Michael Rütten is now denying) in the jazz magazine Jazzthing .

history

The genre is often viewed as the successor to acid jazz because its development was based on similar motifs. While acid jazz - basically a modern combination of jazz, funk and soul - does not necessarily have to be associated with electronic music, nu jazz can generally be described as a variety of electronic music. Both genres have in common their eclecticism , their catchiness and their musical demands. Nu Jazz has much more intersections with other styles. Jazz and electronic music are only to be seen as the basic framework, the lowest common denominator.

Many nu-jazz producers come from the electronics sector and give their music an organic flair with jazz textures and jazz-related instrumentation (such as acoustic bass lines or virtuoso Fender Rhodes keyboard surfaces). A fundamental aspect of this music, which is based on electronic production methods, is the attempt to establish more complex musical structures and to achieve a balanced relationship between samples, programmed and live recorded passages - for example with acoustic instruments such as double bass, percussion or wind instruments. Many producers refer to fusion musicians of the 1970s like Roy Ayers or jazz greats like Herbie Hancock and Sun Ra , who already followed similar paths.

In addition to electro-jazz , the term Future-Jazz was initially used for this music (based on the influential compilation series "The Future Sound Of Jazz", which has been released by the Munich label Compost Records since 1995 , but with the word jazz in the title rather on the experimental approach of the production, which alluded to the tracks assembled on it). The term Nu Jazz , which has only been in use since the late 1990s , gradually established itself for almost all fusion-based music styles influenced by diverse influences (including folk- influenced musical styles from Brazil, Latin America and Africa) - even without audible jazz aesthetics - and therefore Hardly to categorize electronic music beyond the established genre boundaries.

Representative

Projects can also be classified under Nu Jazz that have taken the opposite path and enrich jazz-based music with electronic elements or use electronic means of production. Examples are the British The Cinematic Orchestra , the Belgian keyboardist Marc Moulin , Jaga Jazzist from Norway , Koop and Povo from Sweden , Skalpel from Poland or classical jazz musicians who have been experimenting with electronic sounds for years, such as the pianist Bugge Wesseltoft (with his formation New Conception of Jazz ) and the trumpeters Nils Petter Molvær from Norway, Erik Truffaz from Switzerland and the Tatamba Beast Club from Germany. In Scandinavia in particular , jazz is enjoying great popularity among young audiences thanks to this opening. On labels like Jazzland , DNM or Raw Fusion , for example, young, more classic-looking jazz acts alongside fusion electronics enthusiasts who are inclined to jazz are naturally published.

Important performers

See also

Web links