All that jazz

To the mindful listener, jazz is a hive of intriguing musical voices. Open your ears and see where the conversation leads you

Syncopated rhythms, extended harmonies and sprawling solos. Jazz is a special breed of music that breaks the rules, goes off script and challenges you to expect the unexpected. It also has the power to reduce stress, pain and anxiety, and spark creativity.

Jazz emerged from the southern US city of New Orleans in the early 20th century. With its improvisation and rhythmic gymnastics, it has spontaneity at its core. Madeline Castrey is a musicologist, musician and academic, and she explains that it’s the unpredictability that sets jazz apart from other genres, and also its musical complexity.

‘With jazz music there are so many melodic and harmonic intricacies that make it stylistically so distinctive. For instance, you might hear chord extensions and substitutions, chromaticism, dissonance – all things that create a truly unique listening experience, which in turn makes pieces all the more emotive and colourful.’

She says it’s a similar story with the performance aspect. ‘The use of improvisation means that it’s quite common for no two performances of the same piece to sound the same. As a musician playing jazz, there is a heightened opportunity for connection with fellow players and there really is no greater joy than “speaking without speaking”. It’s knowing glances, nods of the head – all small nuances of communication that can signal the end of a section or the extension of a solo. This in turn extends to the audience – whether live in the room or listening to a recording at home – who can be equally stimulated by the unpredictability of the performance.’