Jazz Performance Review Essay

Music: Question and Response Essay

Innovation or tradition? There has been an ongoing debate between jazz traditionalists and the jazz avant-garde from the 50s to today, which raises the question “Is it innovation or tradition that is a core value of jazz?” Choose one side and write a short essay to make your case or argue for there to be acceptance on both sides. Include examples of artists in your essay to illustrate your points. Make sure to explain the meaning of the terms “jazz traditionalist” and “jazz avant-garde.”

Tradition is always considered as the core value of anything. The way one has emerged in the middle of a particular society is what makes it valuable to the people it serves. Consistency of such realization specifically helps musical producers to identify well with what is traditional and what is avant-garde jazz. Most likely, traditional jazz is highly likened to the condition of arrangement that a particular piece takes into account. Simple in the ears but heavy in musicality; this is what traditional Jazz is all about. Notably, musical arrangers in the past consider Jazz to be a high-edged musical creation that determines the creativity of the writer and arranger of each musical piece.

On the other hand, avant-garde jazz is more of an amalgamation of the traditional jazz genre with other forms of modern musical arrangements that follow the beat of the new age generation of listeners. Such mash-up however is considered to have a defined process of being arranged together with other genres. The idea is to make sure that the combination of such arrangements would be easy to the ears and not disturbing as others might perceive it. Innovative as the pieces are, these particular jazz arrangements get easily accepted by the public.

Even though avant-garde jazz specifically entails the influence of other musical genres into the arrangements it considers effective in determining its good value to be identified as ‘jazz’, traditional jazz continues to hold the real and original value of what creative music is about and how jazz music is the perfect epitome for such characterization and reputation.

With all the music that is accessible to people worldwide, what is the relevance of jazz in today’s world? In a short essay, argue that it is either relevant or irrelevant and why. Use at least two artists in your essay to illustrate your argument.

Jazz still plays a great role in the music industry amidst the large number of interesting spurring out in the market. Popular music, being one of the most accepted genres by the public sweeps off the attention of the people, however, when it comes to those who know how to appreciate implicative source of creativity in music, Jazz still remains at a superior stand. Considerably, this is the reason why several music artists still champion in the production and release of Jazz music.

Classical and sophisticated; these are the primary characteristics that jazz music is known for. What makes it more interesting for those who ought to take advantage of what such music constitutes is the fact that through the years, amidst the many changes in the music industry, Jazz is able to retain its recognizable reputation of being classic and sophisticated in value.

Artists Josh Groban and Nora Jones are among this generation’s best artists. Although not specifically dedicated to Jazz music, majority of the musical arrangements performed by these artists are dedicated to jazz. Most likely, the choice of the voice talents to perform jazz music continues to become a part of its sophistication. The lyrics that accompany each musical arrangement even determine the creativity matched up with relatively impacting message that Jazz music is specifically known for.

What constitutes good presentation of high-valued jazz music is the capacity of the artists and the musical arrangers to come up with a song that will top the charts not just because it would be popular but because it would be able to cater to the listening pleasure that the audience likely need.

The practical way of marketing jazz music need not engage in lavish presentation of the performers because the music sells itself. The key towards helping the new generation of audiences appreciate this music is to get them to enjoy the plain beauty of the genre thus allowing them to realize its value based on their own perception of what real and sophisticated music is all about.