Folk jazz
Encyclopedia
Folk jazz is a broad term for music that pairs traditional folk music
with elements of jazz music, featuring richly elaborated songs whose textures are rooted in both styles.
This genre's origins can be traced back to the fifties
, when artists like Jimmy Giuffre
and Tony Scott
pursued distinct approaches to folk music production, initially, as a vehicle for soloist expression, and its apex is usually referenced as happening during the middle and latter parts of the sixties
(a background it shares with other contemporary hybrid genres, such as psychedelic folk), when some already established folk
musicians incorporated diverse musical traditions into their works, and many already popular musical styles underwent a process of massive diversification as many counter-culture-related bands embraced a spirit of free experimentation and inclusiveness reflected in their works each time more frequently (a trend that, after becoming widespread, would be continued in the following decade). . For instance, Bob Dylan's 1966 double album Blonde on Blonde
' s starting track, "Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35", blends various Americana
traditions with a jazzy rhythm. In 1969
, Tim Buckley
released Happy Sad
, an album in which he hinted at his early jazz influences – most notably Miles Davis – by infusing his folk-based songs with a non-traditional jazz timbre (a decision that, however, negatively impacted his sales figures by alienating him from his audience). Pentangle's
album from that same year, Basket of Light
, too, exhibited a certain degree of folk jazz experimentation, amidst other releases from that time, the majority of which were not as commercially successful. Further developments occurred during the seventies
, as evidenced in albums like Nick Drake
's Bryter Layter
, Joni Mitchell
's Hejira
, and various works originating in the progressive rock
and folk rock
scenes, which continued the exploration of this genre.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
with elements of jazz music, featuring richly elaborated songs whose textures are rooted in both styles.
This genre's origins can be traced back to the fifties
1950s in music
For music from a year in the 1950s, go to 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1950s....
, when artists like Jimmy Giuffre
Jimmy Giuffre
James Peter Giuffre was an American jazz clarinet and saxophone player, composer and arranger. He is notable for his development of forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating forms of free improvisation.-Biography:Born in Dallas, Texas, of Italian ancestry,...
and Tony Scott
Tony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
pursued distinct approaches to folk music production, initially, as a vehicle for soloist expression, and its apex is usually referenced as happening during the middle and latter parts of the sixties
1960s in music
For music from a year in the 1960s, go to 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1960s....
(a background it shares with other contemporary hybrid genres, such as psychedelic folk), when some already established folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
musicians incorporated diverse musical traditions into their works, and many already popular musical styles underwent a process of massive diversification as many counter-culture-related bands embraced a spirit of free experimentation and inclusiveness reflected in their works each time more frequently (a trend that, after becoming widespread, would be continued in the following decade). . For instance, Bob Dylan's 1966 double album Blonde on Blonde
Blonde on Blonde
Blonde on Blonde is American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's seventh studio album, released in May or June 1966 on Columbia Records and produced by Bob Johnston. Recording sessions commenced in New York in October 1965, with a plethora of backing musicians, including members of Dylan's live backing...
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
traditions with a jazzy rhythm. In 1969
1969 in music
-Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event...
, Tim Buckley
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
released Happy Sad
Happy Sad
Happy Sad is the third album by singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, released in 1969. It was recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, California. It marked the beginning of Buckley's experimental period, as it incorporated elements of jazz that he had never used before. Many of the songs...
, an album in which he hinted at his early jazz influences – most notably Miles Davis – by infusing his folk-based songs with a non-traditional jazz timbre (a decision that, however, negatively impacted his sales figures by alienating him from his audience). Pentangle's
Pentangle
Pentangle may refer to:*another word for a pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes*Pentangle , a British folk-rock band*The Pentangle, the 1968 album by the band Pentangle...
album from that same year, Basket of Light
Basket of Light
Basket of Light is a 1969 album by the folk rock group Pentangle. It reached #5 on the UK charts largely on the basis of the single "Light Flight" , the theme from BBC1's first colour drama series Take Three Girls.-A side:-B side:...
, too, exhibited a certain degree of folk jazz experimentation, amidst other releases from that time, the majority of which were not as commercially successful. Further developments occurred during the seventies
1970s in music
For music from a year in the 1970s, go to 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1970s....
, as evidenced in albums like Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
's Bryter Layter
Bryter Layter
Bryter Layter, recorded in 1970, was the second of three albums by British folk musician Nick Drake. Like Five Leaves Left, the album contains no unaccompanied songs: Drake was accompanied by part of the British folk rock group Fairport Convention and John Cale from The Velvet Underground, as well...
, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
's Hejira
Hejira (album)
Hejira is a 1976 folk/rock/jazz album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. The album title is a transliteration of the Arabic word hijra, which means "journey", referring specifically to the prophet Muhammad's and his followers' escape from Mecca to Medina in 622...
, and various works originating in the progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
scenes, which continued the exploration of this genre.