Among the arts, music soothes the soul the most. With music, the most timid person starts dancing, the saddest person starts laughing, and the most joyous person starts crying. Not to say that it brings out our opposite, but rather it helps us find parts of ourselves we never knew existed. Music creates a sense of community, conjoining all sorts of people together, in order to appreciate the beauty of what one can hear, through the ears, through the heart, and through the soul.
Our “Palette” With Music
In music, there are a variety of genres for a variety of people. These different genres target different tastes, for the “palette” of our soul. With these genres, each palette is different, for example, pop music might be too bland for the metalhead, and Norwegian Black Metal too extreme for the Taylor Swift fan. However, in my humble opinion, I believe that one must try different genres, just like one must try different foods, in order to expand one’s palette, know more about oneself, and know more about others.
Beyond our personal palettes, there are — for better or worse — tastes/genres that are considered of the “high arts”, or as some people say, fancy. Some of these genres that come to mind are classical, baroque, and romantic era music (we’ll simplify these to classical music, just for argument’s sake). These are genres that have a general consensus of being “good”, or at least an indicator of having a “good” palette. People would consider classical music fancy, just like people consider enjoying a plate of Wagyu steak, Caviar, or Beef Wellington fancy.
The issue arises then with the purpose of listening to the music in the first place. Classical music can be moving, invigorating, and even life-changing, but should people listen to it just because it’s regarded as “good”? What if the person listens to it, but simply does not like it? Does someone really need to sit through three movements, in order to be thoroughly moved by the music? If the purpose of listening to music is to expand oneself, then surely there has to be one genre that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is able to move the waves of the soul like a flowing river. That genre is most definitely Jazz.
If classical music is the serene, delicate, introverted mother of all music, then Jazz is the extroverted, bombastic, passionate offspring of it. Jazz is full of vigor, raw emotion, and the flutter that one associates with being human, and being alive. If Jazz were food, it would be soul food: Jerk chicken, Oxtail, Rice & Beans, Baked Mac & Cheese, Fried Chicken, and other foods that have plenty of spice, love, and passion put into it.
Jazz On Different Levels
On the intellectual level, Jazz does not follow music theory, while still using many of the instruments found in an orchestra (such as the piano, bass, percussion, among others), exploring the different avenues of music, and having that intimate connection with the listener. Furthermore, the mathematical composition of a piece expected in classical music, is replaced with a more emotive way of playing, usually referred to as the “swing” of the piece.
On the technical level, Jazz is as difficult and complicated to play as classical music, with some pieces requiring insane endurance and skill, just to be able to perform certain songs. For example, there’s the song “Caravan”, featured as one of the two main songs shown in Whiplash (2014). In double-time (the tempo that the song was played at in the film) measures at 208 BPM, which is this fast. Playing just the drums at this speed is taxing, and requires a great level of skill. Another layer of technical difficulty is that most jazz songs also go against natural chord progression, meaning that a regular musician will have trouble playing jazz due to his muscle memory, and the need to play the “right” sound (or the sound that comes next in chord progression).
On the emotional level, Jazz has as much of an impact as classical would, only quicker and (sometimes) more joyful. Listening to Jazz can land you in an array of different scenarios: feeling like you’re fluttering in a field with flowers and butterflies, feeling like you’re in a high-stakes speedy chase while dodging all sorts of obstacles, feeling like you’re uncovering a long-kept secret of a crime-riddled city, or simply feeling like you’re kicking back and enjoying some smoky bourbon or whisky, while letting the smooth jingle dance in your ears, and the strong liquor caress your taste buds.
Jazz embodies so much of the indomitable human spirit, that I would say it is the closest genre connected to the heart. Culturally, it has had such a profound impact on different parts of the world, such as in Harlem, Tokyo, Brazil, etc, which have had their own styles of Jazz. Just like humans, Jazz can mold itself to fit in different situations, adapting to the specific taste needed for the moment. It thrives in harsh conditions, and becomes a strong method to inspire hope in places that might otherwise be considered hopeless, constantly proving to itself and others that it will persevere, no matter what.
Some Recommendations For Jazz
Hopefully, by now I’ve convinced you to listen to a little bit of Jazz, so I will be listing some recommendations below.
A perfect fit for discovering a mystery would be “Yum Yum”, by Snazzback and China Bowls. The voice, lyrics, and the instrumentation blend together to slowly build suspense, as well as a sense of discovery, great for getting the creative juices flowing.
A great fit for a chase/fight would be “Iron Starlet”, by Connie Han. The fast tempo, as well as the wonderful dance between the piano and saxophone helps with creating a fight scene in your head, as if the instruments themselves were fighting in a well-choreographed manner.
A beautiful fit for walking through a field of flowers with butterflies would be “Caipi”, by Kurt Rosenwinkel and Pedro Martins. Albeit a bit of a stretch for Jazz, the song and theme fit perfectly for skipping across a flower-filled garden, without a shred of doubt nor worry.
Last but definitely not least, a smooth song for kicking back, relaxing, and drinking whisky would be “Beep Durple”, by Cory Weeds. This is moreso the Jazz one expects to hear at bars, but a bit more active than coffee shop jazz. The complexity of the notes, mixed with the complexity of your drink in hand, caresses your brain in a way that is stimulating enough to keep you in the moment, but smooth enough to get into and unwind.
What do you think about Jazz? Any recommendations? Let me know in the comments!
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