Acid jazz
Encyclopedia
Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz
, funk
and hip-hop, particularly looped
beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk
onto electronic
dance
: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers
, Donald Byrd
and Grant Green
are often credited as forerunners of acid jazz. Acid jazz has also experienced minor influences from soul
, house
, and disco
.
While acid jazz often contains various types of electronic composition (sometimes including sampling or live DJ cutting and scratching), it is just as likely to be played live by musicians, who often showcase jazz interpretation as part of their performance. The compositions of groups such as Jamiroquai
, Galliano
, Urban Species
, The Brand New Heavies, Los Amigos Invisibles
and Incognito
often feature chord structures usually associated with jazz music.
The acid jazz "movement" is also seen as a revival of jazz-funk
or jazz fusion
or soul jazz
by leading DJs such as Norman Jay
or Gilles Peterson
or Patrick Forge
, also known as "rare groove
crate diggers" or "Cataroos".
Q
magazine stated "Acid jazz was the most significant jazz form to emerge out of the British music scene".
's rare groove
scene of the late seventies and early eighties and various other alternative groups, including the London mod scene. It is distinguished from the Northern Soul
scene (then popular in the South of England with clubs such as the 100 Club in Oxford Street
) but still portrayed various similarities.
The name came into common parlance with the Acid Jazz label but in reality the scene had existed in disparate forms and without a distinguishing name for some time beforehand. Journalists at the time appeared very confused by the genre and made various attempts to connect it to the London mod scene (by links with various former members of that scene, prominently Eddie Piller
and the James Taylor Quartet
, Taylor having formerly been Hammond Player for sixties garage band
The Prisoners
). Infamously, ID magazine
ran an article on Acid Jazz Mods which irritated both mods and "acid jazz fans" in equal amounts.
The scene always had two halves, those who liked the original jazz and soul recordings and those who followed the new bands signed by labels like Acid Jazz. It is the former who still probably support their music, many of the early bands having fallen well by the wayside. Attempts to integrate the music with hip hop and jungle are now regarded by many as misguided attempts to keep the music fresh whilst leading it a long way from its starting point, attempts that were regarded with disdain by many.
An important gauge of the UK scene and the creation of the genre are to be found in the UK's Straight No Chaser magazine
. Similarly, clothing labels like Duffer of St George were closely associated with the scene, although the "right outfit" was never essential.
Disc jockeys Gilles Peterson
and Chris Bangs are generally credited with coining the term acid jazz at a 1987 'Talkin' Loud Sayin Something' session. At the time, this was Peterson's regular Sunday afternoon club at Dingwalls in Camden
, London
.
In his Radio 1
biography, Peterson describes how the term acid jazz came about. "We put on this old 7-inch by Mickey and the Soul Generation which was a rare groove record with a mad rock guitar intro and no beat. I started vary speeding it so it sounded all warped. Chris Bangs got on the microphone and said, 'If that was acid house, this is acid jazz'. That's how acid jazz started, just a joke!"
Notable British acid jazz bands of the 1990s included Brand New Heavies, Galliano, Incognito
, James Taylor Quartet
, Jamiroquai
(also classified as funk and disco) and Urban Species, US3
(also classified as jazz rap), as well as dozens of less commercially successful artists. Later, Repercussions who had a top hit, Promise me nothing. According to the book The Techno Primer, the 1993 album Road to Freedom
by Young Disciples
was "very influential" in the genre, as the band "set the tone for this movement." Other more recent groups who have produced music in this genre include Mother Earth and Down to the Bone.
Few record labels have specialized in acid jazz; some include "Acid jazz records", "Ninja tune", and "Mo'wax".
notable acid jazz groups have included Groove Collective
, Brooklyn Funk Essentials
and Grammy nominated Liquid Soul
; although during the 1990s the major contributions from the US to jazz fusion were predominantly in jazz-house (from labels such as 8 Ball Records) and jazz-rap, particularly by artists such as A Tribe Called Quest
, Black Sheep
, De la Soul
, the Jungle Brothers
, and Digable Planets
.
From Japan, notable artists included DJ Krush
, Gota
and United Future Organization
who released 'I Love my Baby: My Baby Loves Jazz' as well as a cover of Van Morrison
's 'Moondance'; another prominent artist from Japan was the female vocalist, Monday Michiru
.
Acid jazz scene developed in Eastern Europe as well, with bands like Skalpel
from Poland and Moscow Grooves Institute
from Russia.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and hip-hop, particularly looped
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk
Jazz-funk
Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
onto electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk .- Biography :Ayers...
, Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...
and Grant Green
Grant Green
Grant Green was a jazz guitarist and composer....
are often credited as forerunners of acid jazz. Acid jazz has also experienced minor influences from soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, and disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
.
While acid jazz often contains various types of electronic composition (sometimes including sampling or live DJ cutting and scratching), it is just as likely to be played live by musicians, who often showcase jazz interpretation as part of their performance. The compositions of groups such as Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
, Galliano
Galliano (band)
Galliano were a London-based acid jazz group, which started in 1988. The group was the first signing to Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud label. The original members were Rob Gallagher , Constantine Weir , Michael Snaith , and Crispin Robinson...
, Urban Species
Urban Species (band)
Urban Species is a British hip-hop band, best known for several hit singles during the 1990s. The band's music draws on a diverse range of influences and combines live playing with samples and programming, resulting in an organic sound that has sometimes been compared to a British version of...
, The Brand New Heavies, Los Amigos Invisibles
Los Amigos Invisibles
Los Amigos Invisibles is a multiple-Grammy nominated and Latin Grammy winning Venezuelan band that plays a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms...
and Incognito
Incognito (band)
Incognito is a British band, as well as one of the members of the United Kingdom's acid jazz movement. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981, with thirteen more albums following, the last of which, Transatlantic RPM, was released in 2010....
often feature chord structures usually associated with jazz music.
The acid jazz "movement" is also seen as a revival of jazz-funk
Jazz-funk
Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
or jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
or soul jazz
Soul jazz
Soul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...
by leading DJs such as Norman Jay
Norman Jay
Norman Jay MBE is an innovative and pioneering British DJ. He first came to prominence playing unlicensed or 'warehouse' parties in the early 1980s, such as Shake 'n' Fingerpop. His diverse and deep musical knowledge and his refusal to be restricted to playing from any single genre distinguishes...
or Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson , is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquai...
or Patrick Forge
Patrick Forge
Patrick Forge is a British jazz, jazz-dance and soul music DJ who spent much of the late 1980s and early 1990s DJing alongside Gilles Peterson at the famous Dingwalls club in Camden, North London....
, also known as "rare groove
Rare groove
Rare groove is defined as very hard to source or relatively obscure soul or jazz music. Rare groove is primarily associated with funk, jazz and pop, but is also connected to sub-genres including jazz fusion, Latin jazz, soul, R&B, northern soul, and disco. Vinyl records that fall into this...
crate diggers" or "Cataroos".
Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine stated "Acid jazz was the most significant jazz form to emerge out of the British music scene".
Origins in UK
The sound and clubs that went with it arose out of Southern EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's rare groove
Rare groove
Rare groove is defined as very hard to source or relatively obscure soul or jazz music. Rare groove is primarily associated with funk, jazz and pop, but is also connected to sub-genres including jazz fusion, Latin jazz, soul, R&B, northern soul, and disco. Vinyl records that fall into this...
scene of the late seventies and early eighties and various other alternative groups, including the London mod scene. It is distinguished from the Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
scene (then popular in the South of England with clubs such as the 100 Club in Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
) but still portrayed various similarities.
The name came into common parlance with the Acid Jazz label but in reality the scene had existed in disparate forms and without a distinguishing name for some time beforehand. Journalists at the time appeared very confused by the genre and made various attempts to connect it to the London mod scene (by links with various former members of that scene, prominently Eddie Piller
Eddie Piller
Eddie Piller is an English DJ and record label entrepreneur.Starting his career in the 1980s as a part of the English mod revival, Piller launched the underground fanzine Extraordinary Sensations and operated as a DJ and concert promoter. In 1985, he started the Countdown Records label, through...
and the James Taylor Quartet
James Taylor Quartet
The James Taylor Quartet are a British four-piece jazz funk band who have become renowned for their live performances. They were formed by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners in the wake of Stiff Records' bankruptcy...
, Taylor having formerly been Hammond Player for sixties garage band
Garage band
The term garage band can refer to:* A band that performs garage rock* GarageBand, audio production software published by Apple Inc.* GarageBand.com, a website that helps publicize emerging bands...
The Prisoners
The Prisoners
The Prisoners were a band who formed in 1980 in Rochester, Kent, England. Their 1960s garage sound made them a regular live fixture in London's underground "psychedelic revival" and "mod revival" scene of the early 1980s. They often toured with The Milkshakes, who included Billy Childish on guitar...
). Infamously, ID magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
ran an article on Acid Jazz Mods which irritated both mods and "acid jazz fans" in equal amounts.
The scene always had two halves, those who liked the original jazz and soul recordings and those who followed the new bands signed by labels like Acid Jazz. It is the former who still probably support their music, many of the early bands having fallen well by the wayside. Attempts to integrate the music with hip hop and jungle are now regarded by many as misguided attempts to keep the music fresh whilst leading it a long way from its starting point, attempts that were regarded with disdain by many.
An important gauge of the UK scene and the creation of the genre are to be found in the UK's Straight No Chaser magazine
Straight No Chaser (magazine)
Straight No Chaser was an influential British music magazine, based in London, which covered various forms of black music and electronic music....
. Similarly, clothing labels like Duffer of St George were closely associated with the scene, although the "right outfit" was never essential.
Disc jockeys Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson , is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquai...
and Chris Bangs are generally credited with coining the term acid jazz at a 1987 'Talkin' Loud Sayin Something' session. At the time, this was Peterson's regular Sunday afternoon club at Dingwalls in Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In his Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
biography, Peterson describes how the term acid jazz came about. "We put on this old 7-inch by Mickey and the Soul Generation which was a rare groove record with a mad rock guitar intro and no beat. I started vary speeding it so it sounded all warped. Chris Bangs got on the microphone and said, 'If that was acid house, this is acid jazz'. That's how acid jazz started, just a joke!"
Notable British acid jazz bands of the 1990s included Brand New Heavies, Galliano, Incognito
Incognito (band)
Incognito is a British band, as well as one of the members of the United Kingdom's acid jazz movement. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981, with thirteen more albums following, the last of which, Transatlantic RPM, was released in 2010....
, James Taylor Quartet
James Taylor Quartet
The James Taylor Quartet are a British four-piece jazz funk band who have become renowned for their live performances. They were formed by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners in the wake of Stiff Records' bankruptcy...
, Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
(also classified as funk and disco) and Urban Species, US3
US3
Us3 is a jazz-rap group founded in London in 1991. Their name was inspired by a Horace Parlan recording produced by Alfred Lion, the founder of Blue Note Records. On their debut album, Hand on the Torch, Us3 used samples from the Blue Note Records catalogue, all originally produced by...
(also classified as jazz rap), as well as dozens of less commercially successful artists. Later, Repercussions who had a top hit, Promise me nothing. According to the book The Techno Primer, the 1993 album Road to Freedom
Road to Freedom (album)
Road to Freedom is the debut album of soul and jazz band Young Disciples, the only album the band ever released. Issued in 1991 on the Talkin' Loud label in the UK and on Polygram in the US, the critically well-received album was influential in the music genres of acid jazz and neo soul...
by Young Disciples
Young Disciples
Young Disciples was a British / American acid jazz band, formed in London in 1990 by Carleen Anderson , Marc Nelson plus Femi Williams ....
was "very influential" in the genre, as the band "set the tone for this movement." Other more recent groups who have produced music in this genre include Mother Earth and Down to the Bone.
Few record labels have specialized in acid jazz; some include "Acid jazz records", "Ninja tune", and "Mo'wax".
International scene
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
notable acid jazz groups have included Groove Collective
Groove Collective
Groove Collective is a contemporary jazz group. In 2007 they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year for the release People People Music Music on the Savoy Jazz label.-Style:Groove Collective was formed in 1990...
, Brooklyn Funk Essentials
Brooklyn Funk Essentials
Brooklyn Funk Essentials is a music collective who mix jazz, funk, and hip hop, featuring musicians and poets from different cultures. The band was conceived in 1993 by producer Arthur Baker and bassist and musical director Lati Kronlund...
and Grammy nominated Liquid Soul
Liquid Soul
Liquid Soul is a jazz, hip-hop, funk, freestyle fusion ensemble formed in 1994 from Chicago, Illinois which helped pioneer the Acid Jazz movement in the United States in the 90's...
; although during the 1990s the major contributions from the US to jazz fusion were predominantly in jazz-house (from labels such as 8 Ball Records) and jazz-rap, particularly by artists such as A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
, Black Sheep
Black Sheep (hip hop group)
Black Sheep is an alternative hip hop duo from Queens, New York, composed of Andres "Dres" Titus and William "Mista Lawnge" McLean. The duo is from New York but met as teenagers in North Carolina, where both of their families relocated. The group was an affiliate of the Native Tongues, which...
, De la Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, the Jungle Brothers
Jungle Brothers
The Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop group that pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop and also became the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer. The group began performing in the mid-1980s and released its first album, Straight Out the Jungle, in July 1988...
, and Digable Planets
Digable Planets
Digable Planets is an American alternative hip hop trio based in New York City, composed of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler , Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving . They released their debut album Reachin' in 1993, and their follow-up album Blowout Comb in 1994...
.
From Japan, notable artists included DJ Krush
DJ Krush
, better known as DJ Krush, is a producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature and extensive use of jazz and soul samples.-Biography:...
, Gota
Gota Yashiki
Gota Yashiki is both an independent acid jazz artist and drum player, as a member of the band Simply Red. He was born in Kyoto, Japan, on 26 February 1962, where at a young age he learned how to play traditional Japanese drums. This interest in drumming propelled him into the music scene, and he...
and United Future Organization
United Future Organization
United Future Organization otherwise known as UFO is a nu-jazz duo made up of Japanese-born and Frenchman . In 1994, the group appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool...
who released 'I Love my Baby: My Baby Loves Jazz' as well as a cover of Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
's 'Moondance'; another prominent artist from Japan was the female vocalist, Monday Michiru
Monday Michiru
Monday Michiru Sipiagin is a Japanese American actress, singer, and songwriter whose music encompasses and fuses a wide variety of genres including jazz, dance, pop, and soul...
.
Acid jazz scene developed in Eastern Europe as well, with bands like Skalpel
Skalpel
Skalpel are nu jazz DJs and musicians, Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudło, from Wrocław in Poland. Their musical style is a distinctive blend of hip hop beats, laced with samples lifted from the rich seam of Polish jazz records of the 1960s and 1970s.-History:...
from Poland and Moscow Grooves Institute
Moscow Grooves Institute
The Moscow Grooves Institute is a Russian electronic musical project.-History:MGI was created in 1995 by Moscow musicians Arkady Martinenko of Megapolis, Heat of the Earth and the Eject Project, and Boris Nazarov. Together with the "Ministry of Psycho" project, MGI played a number of live...
from Russia.
Key artists
- A Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
- Brand New HeaviesBrand New HeaviesThe Brand New Heavies are an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing, a suburb of London, England.-Biography:The Brand New Heavies began in the 1980s as an instrumental acid jazz group called Brother International....
- Brooklyn Funk EssentialsBrooklyn Funk EssentialsBrooklyn Funk Essentials is a music collective who mix jazz, funk, and hip hop, featuring musicians and poets from different cultures. The band was conceived in 1993 by producer Arthur Baker and bassist and musical director Lati Kronlund...
- CorduroyCorduroy (band)Corduroy were a four-piece acid jazz outfit based in London, formed around twins Ben Addison and Scott Addison , who were previously in Sire Records act Boys Wonder . Joining the twins in the band were Richard Searle and guitarist Simon Nelson-Smith...
- Count BasicCount BasicCount Basic are an Austrian band who play a variety of R&B, trip-hop, acid jazz and smooth jazz. The band's principal members were guitarist Peter Legat and the two vocalists Kelli Sae and Valerie Etienne but the band decided to go on only with Kelli Sae after the first album.-Discography:*1995...
- D*Note
- Digable PlanetsDigable PlanetsDigable Planets is an American alternative hip hop trio based in New York City, composed of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler , Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving . They released their debut album Reachin' in 1993, and their follow-up album Blowout Comb in 1994...
- DJ KrushDJ Krush, better known as DJ Krush, is a producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature and extensive use of jazz and soul samples.-Biography:...
- Erik TruffazErik TruffazErik Truffaz is a Swiss-born French jazz trumpeter, infusing elements of hip hop, rock and roll and dance music into his compositions. He signed with the French EMI label in 1996. Truffaz gained international attention with his second album on Blue Note, The Dawn, produced together with Pat...
- Erykah BaduErykah BaduErica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
- Funki PorciniFunki PorciniFunki Porcini is musician and film maker, James Braddell, from England.His music is a combination of Downtempo, Breakbeat and Jazz with elements of Hip hop, Drum and bass, sampling and time-stretched vocals...
- Gang StarrGang StarrGang Starr was an influential East Coast hip hop duo that consisted of the late MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier. Their style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop.-Background:...
- Gilles PetersonGilles PetersonGilles Peterson , is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquai...
- Groove CollectiveGroove CollectiveGroove Collective is a contemporary jazz group. In 2007 they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year for the release People People Music Music on the Savoy Jazz label.-Style:Groove Collective was formed in 1990...
- IncognitoIncognito (band)Incognito is a British band, as well as one of the members of the United Kingdom's acid jazz movement. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981, with thirteen more albums following, the last of which, Transatlantic RPM, was released in 2010....
- James Taylor QuartetJames Taylor QuartetThe James Taylor Quartet are a British four-piece jazz funk band who have become renowned for their live performances. They were formed by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners in the wake of Stiff Records' bankruptcy...
- JamiroquaiJamiroquaiJamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
- JazzanovaJazzanovaJazzanova is a German Berlin-based DJ/producer collective consisting of Alexander Barck, Claas Brieler, Jürgen von Knoblauch, Roskow Kretschmann, Stefan Leisering, and Axel Reinemer. Formed in 1995, the group is one of the foremost proponents of the nu-jazz, chillout and jazz house styles of music...
- Kruder & DorfmeisterKruder & DorfmeisterKruder & Dorfmeister, named after members Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, is an Austrian duo most known for their downtempo-dub remixes of pop, hip-hop and drum and bass songs.-Style:...
- Liquid SoulLiquid SoulLiquid Soul is a jazz, hip-hop, funk, freestyle fusion ensemble formed in 1994 from Chicago, Illinois which helped pioneer the Acid Jazz movement in the United States in the 90's...
- Ronny JordanRonny JordanRonny Jordan is a guitarist at the forefront of the acid jazz movement at the end of the twentieth century. Additionally, Jordan can be included in several other jazz genres such as urban jazz, jazz funk, crossover jazz, and smooth jazz...
- Stereo MCsStereo MCsStereo MCs are an English electronic dance group, which formed in Clapham, London in 1985. They are best known worldwide for their 1992 transatlantic Top 20 hit single, "Connected"...
- St. Germain
- Thievery CorporationThievery CorporationThievery Corporation is a Washington, D.C. based recording artist and DJ duo consisting of Rob Garza, Eric Hilton, and their supporting artists, including current drummer Jeff Franca...
- United Future OrganizationUnited Future OrganizationUnited Future Organization otherwise known as UFO is a nu-jazz duo made up of Japanese-born and Frenchman . In 1994, the group appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool...
- Urban Species
- US3US3Us3 is a jazz-rap group founded in London in 1991. Their name was inspired by a Horace Parlan recording produced by Alfred Lion, the founder of Blue Note Records. On their debut album, Hand on the Torch, Us3 used samples from the Blue Note Records catalogue, all originally produced by...
- VASSY
- Young DisciplesYoung DisciplesYoung Disciples was a British / American acid jazz band, formed in London in 1990 by Carleen Anderson , Marc Nelson plus Femi Williams ....
Other notable artists
- AzymuthAzymuthAzymuth is a three-piece electric funk jazz group from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Formed in 1972, the members are Jose Roberto Bertrami , Alex Malheiros , and Ivan Conti .-History:...
- The Asteroids Galaxy TourThe Asteroids Galaxy TourThe Asteroids Galaxy Tour is a Danish pop band consisting of vocalist Mette Lindberg and producer Lars Iversen.When performing live the band extends to a six-piece with horn section, featuring Miloud Carl Sabri , Sven Meinild , Mads Brinch Nielsen , and Rasmus Valldorf . Lars Iversen is the primary...
- Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
- Bird
- BlazzajBlazzajBlazzaj is a Romanian Acid Jazz band founded in 1996 by Eddie Neumann and Florin Barbu as FunkinLeFree. Since August 1998 the band is known as Blazzaj...
- Blue Six
- Bonobo
- The Cat EmpireThe Cat EmpireThe Cat Empire are an Australian ska and jazz band formed in 1999. Core members are Harry James Angus , Will Hull-Brown , Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala , Ollie McGill , Ryan Monro and Felix Riebl...
- ClazziquaiClazziquaiClazziquai , also known as Clazziquai Project, is a South Korean experimental band that combines several genres including electronic music, acid jazz and house. The group's first short unofficial albums were released online in 2001, spreading its music through words of "netizens," who positively...
- Directions In GrooveDirections In GrooveDirections In Groove were a popular Australian acid jazz band originally from the suburb of Redfern in Sydney, who produced several distinctive acid-jazz / groove / funk albums in the 1990s....
- DJ CamDJ CamDJ Cam is a French DJ. His tunes are almost entirely a hybrid of both hip-hop and jazz music, and is presented in an abstract manner. His first LP was Underground Vibes in 1994, and was revolutionary for its time, featuring familiar jazz samples and many vibe samples and heavy hip-hop influences...
- DJ GreyboyDJ GreyboyDJ Greyboy is an acid jazz DJ from San Diego, California now Residing in Long Beach, California. Back in the day he was the partner of Rob Dyrdek in Crime on the Turn Tables. His style of music includes hip hop, soul, funk, experimental, and acid jazz rare grooves. Greyboy has tracks on numerous...
- Dodge City ProductionsDodge City ProductionsDodge City Productions were a British hip hop/Acid jazz group based in London formed by IG Culture and DJ Dodge . They were one of the leaders of the Acid Jazz movement, and also received much acclaim and success for their remixes, usually done as "City Lick"...
- DreamlinDreamlinDreamlin is an electronic music group from Belarus.Dreamlin, hailing from Minsk, Belarus started when Denis «C4» Korabkov, who used to play guitar with a local cult, psychedelic reggae band at the time met Egor Kunovsky, who had long been involved with music software and computers.In 2000, they...
- Drizabone
- D'SoundD'SoundD'Sound is a Norwegian pop band based in Oslo, Norway. The band currently is composed of Simone Larsen, the lead vocalist, and Jonny Sjo, the bassist.-Band history:...
- DZihan & KamienDZihan & KamiendZihan & Kamien are a downtempo house and acid jazz music duo based in Vienna, Austria. Their sound has been described as having "jazzy texture, trip-hop rhythms and Eastern ambience." Their first production single, Der Bauch, released in 1996 under the name MC Sultan, was popular in European...
- ElektrotwistElektrotwistElektrotwist is an electronic band from Germany. Their music is based on sounds and samples from the period of 1957-1962 exclusively thus achieving a particular retro-dance feel.-History:...
- Fat Freddy's DropFat Freddy's DropFat Freddy’s Drop is a seven-piece band from Wellington, New Zealand, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by musicians from other bands in Wellington, Fat Freddy’s Drop...
- Five Point PlanFive Point PlanFive Point Plan was a San Francisco based band with a mixed music style of funk, acid jazz, hiphop, and soul. They released their debut album "Five Point Plan" in 1999 which was followed by the critically acclaimed second album "Rare" in 2002. UK indie label Café de Soul included tracks from the...
- Freak Power
- Four 80 East
- Greyboy Allstars
- Gota YashikiGota YashikiGota Yashiki is both an independent acid jazz artist and drum player, as a member of the band Simply Red. He was born in Kyoto, Japan, on 26 February 1962, where at a young age he learned how to play traditional Japanese drums. This interest in drumming propelled him into the music scene, and he...
- HeavyshiftHeavyshiftHeavyshift is the name of a British acid jazz trio composed of William South and John Wallace and Julian Fenton , who first met and started gigging together around 1994. They have so far released four albums...
- Jaga JazzistJaga JazzistJaga Jazzist is an experimental jazz band from Norway that rose to prominence when the BBC named their first album, A Livingroom Hush , the best jazz album of 2002. The core of the band are brothers and main songwriters Lars and Martin Horntveth...
- JazzholeJazzholeJazzhole is a New York-based band, widely regarded as one of the key members of the acid jazz movement.Their debut album, The Jazzhole, was released in 1994, followed by five others. Their latest, Poet’s Walk, was released in 2006....
- JazztronikJazztronikJazztronik is the Japanese Tokyo-based DJ/producer Ryota Nozaki.As one of Japan's leading DJs, Ryota Nozaki is known not only in Japan, but also in Europe, New Zealand and the United States...
- JestofunkJestofunkJestofunk are an Italian acid jazz musical group, formed in 1992 by DJ MozArt and DJ Blade. They collaborated with American musician CeCe Rogers on their 1997 début album, Love in a Black Dimension, as well as later projects. The album sold 50,000 copies in Italy...
- Kanda, Kodža i NebojšaKanda, Kodža i NebojšaKanda, Kodža i Nebojša is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.- Formation, first releases :...
- KoopKoop (band)Koop is an electronic jazz duo from Sweden, consisting of Magnus Zingmark and Oscar Simonsson.Koop won a Swedish Grammy Award in 2003 for the album "Waltz for Koop", and received a Gold certification for sales of their most recent album, Koop Islands...
- Kyoto Jazz MassiveKyoto Jazz MassiveKyoto Jazz Massive is a musical project specialising in broken beat and electronic styles, consisting of the two brothers Okino Shuya and Okino Yoshihiro. The group has also included Hajime Yoshizawa, the pianist producer, on a number of works and albums...
- Liquid SoulLiquid SoulLiquid Soul is a jazz, hip-hop, funk, freestyle fusion ensemble formed in 1994 from Chicago, Illinois which helped pioneer the Acid Jazz movement in the United States in the 90's...
- Luke VibertLuke VibertLuke Vibert is a British recording artist and producer known for his work in many subgenres of electronic music. Vibert began his musical career as a member of the Hate Brothers, only later branching out into his own compositions...
- Los Amigos InvisiblesLos Amigos InvisiblesLos Amigos Invisibles is a multiple-Grammy nominated and Latin Grammy winning Venezuelan band that plays a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms...
- Marius KahanMarius KahanMarius Kahan is a crossover jazz/funk/Latin electric violinist and composer.Classically trained at Trinity College, London, he was attracted, via progressive rock, to jazz at a time when notable figures of the genre were developing new means of expression through the use of electric instruments,...
- Mark FarinaMark FarinaMark Farina is a disc jockey and musician, known for his Chicago house, acid jazz and downtempo works. Notable releases include Mood and the Mushroom Jazz series , and recently known also from house compilations El Divinio...
- Medeski, Martin, and WoodMedeski Martin & WoodMedeski Martin & Wood is an American jazz trio formed in 1991, consisting of John Medeski on keyboards and piano, Billy Martin on drums and percussion, and Chris Wood on double bass and bass guitar....
- Melvin SparksMelvin SparksMelvin Sparks was an American soul jazz, hard bop and jazz blues guitarist. He recorded a number of albums for Prestige Records, later recording for Savant Records...
- MojackMojackMojack is an instrumental rock band, formed by ex-Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. The music of Mojack is similar to another one of Ginn's instrumental projects, Gone, however, it is much more jazz-oriented...
- MolokoMolokoMoloko were an Anglo-Irish electronic/pop duo consisting of Róisín Murphy from Wicklow, Ireland and Mark Brydon, from Sunderland, England.- Origin of band name :...
- MoodymannMoodymannMoodymann also known as Kenny Dixon Jr or KDJ for short, is a Techno/House musician based in Detroit, Michigan.He creates a thoroughly hybrid form of techno/house dance music, jazz, soul, disco and funk via his innovative use of reworked riffs, samples , and grooves taken from...
- Mondo GrossoMondo GrossoShinichi Osawa , also known as Mondo Grosso, is an artist currently signed onto Avex Trax's "Rhythm Zone" label. Previously he was signed to Sony Music Japan's FEARLESS RECORDS division and released albums under the title of 'Mondo Grosso', which is Italian for "big world". He was born on February...
- Monday MichiruMonday MichiruMonday Michiru Sipiagin is a Japanese American actress, singer, and songwriter whose music encompasses and fuses a wide variety of genres including jazz, dance, pop, and soul...
- Mr. ScruffMr. ScruffMr. Scruff is the recording name of Andy Carthy , a British DJ and artist. He lives in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University...
- MukiMukiMuki was an English acid jazz duo, consisting of Luke Mullen and Jules Evans. Their first single, "Jahbar", was released in 1996. This was followed by two albums on the Mantra Recordings label, both of which combines funk drumming , jazz keyboards , electronic programming and guest vocals...
- Noel McKoyNoel McKoyNoel McKoy is a U.K. based soul music singer. His music is a collection of soul, gospel, funk and northern soul intertwined. He also currently owns the Dutch Pot, a nightclub located in London. He has cited his influences as The Beatles, Dennis Brown, Chaka Khan, Martin Luther King and Nelson...
- Nicola ConteNicola ConteNicola Conte is an Italian DJ, producer, guitarist, and bandleader, known initially for introducing an innovative style of acid jazz that incorporates bossa nova themes, melodies drawn from Italian film scores of the 1960s, easy listening themes, and ethnic Indian music...
- NujabesNujabeswas a Japanese hip hop producer and DJ who recorded under the name , the reverse spelling of his name in Japanese order. Nujabes was also owner of the Shibuya record stores, T Records and Guinness Records and founder of the independent label Hydeout Productions....
- Omar Lye-FookOmar Lye-FookOmar Lye-Fook and known as Omar, is an internationally acclaimed British soul singer, songwriter and musician. Omar grew up in Canterbury, Kent. He learned his craft classically, playing the trumpet, piano and percussion. Omar also spent two years at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, and...
- OutKastOutKastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
- Paolo Achenza Trio
- Paul MoranPaul MoranPaul Moran may refer to:*Paul Moran *Paul Moran *Paul Moran...
- Phil DavisPhil DavisPhilip Davis is an English film actor, writer and director who has appeared in many films and television series. He has written and directed various dramas during his career.-Personal life:...
- PrafulPrafulPraful is a recent acid jazz mixture band that uses a multitude of instruments, from tenor and soprano saxophones to Indian bamboo flutes, pandeiros, Fender Rhodes and many other exotic instruments. Two of the CDs One Day Deep and Pyramid in Your Backyard have won many awards and worldwide...
- Reuben WilsonReuben WilsonReuben Wilson is a jazz organist. He performs soul jazz and acid jazz, and is best known for his title track "Got To Get Your Own"He was born in Mounds, Oklahoma and his family moved to Pasadena when he was 5....
- rad.
- RJD2RJD2RJD2 is an American music producer, singer and musician. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label where he released two largely instrumental hip hop albums and has produced tracks...
- SkalpelSkalpelSkalpel are nu jazz DJs and musicians, Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudło, from Wrocław in Poland. Their musical style is a distinctive blend of hip hop beats, laced with samples lifted from the rich seam of Polish jazz records of the 1960s and 1970s.-History:...
- Smoke CitySmoke CitySmoke City were an English band, who blended acid jazz and trip hop, borrowing from Brazilian styles such as samba and bossa nova. They are best known for their single "Underwater Love", which was a major hit in 1997, after being used in a Levi's television advertisement, "Mermaids" .In 1997, the...
- SnowboySnowboySnowboy is a UK-based Afro Cuban percussionist, bandleader, DJ, music critic, journalist and music promoter.Featured in the Who's Who of Latin American Music, Snowboy has released 11 albums and 17 singles in a career that spans over 15 years and has taken him and his authentic Afro-Cuban sound to...
- SouliveSouliveSoulive is a funk/jazz trio that originated in Woodstock, New York, and is known for its solos and catchy, upbeat songs. The band consists of Eric Krasno , Alan Evans , Neal Evans...
- Swing Out SisterSwing Out SisterSwing Out Sister are a British "sophisti-pop" group best known worldwide for their 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game" and a remake of "Am I the Same Girl?" Though album sales in the U.S. and Europe have levelled off since the early 1990s, the...
- S-Tone Inc.S-Tone Inc.S-Tone Inc. is multi-instrumentalist jazz musician Stefano Tirone's main musical project. Originating from Milan, Italy, Tirone has been a professional musician for over twenty years. The first official S-tone Inc...
- The Cinematic OrchestraThe Cinematic OrchestraThe Cinematic Orchestra is a British jazz and electronic outfit, created in 1997 by Jason Swinscoe. The band is signed to Ninja Tune independent record label. In addition to Swinscoe, the band includes PC former DJ Food member on turntables, Luke Flowers , Tom Chant , Nick Ramm , Stuart McCallum ...
- Wax TailorWax TailorWax Tailor is the alias of French trip hop/hip hop producer, Jean-Christophe Le Saoût . He started in 2004 with two EP's . The first album Tales of the Forgotten Melodies was released in March 2005, mixing hip-hop, downtempo, trip-hop with samples extracted from movies...
- Xploding PlastixXploding PlastixXploding Plastix is a Norwegian two-man band playing Electrofunk/Big beat music with elements of jazz. Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard Wennersberg Hagen formed the group in early 1999, and submitted their first demotape in 2000...
See also
- Acid Jazz RecordsAcid Jazz RecordsAcid Jazz is a record label based in east London. It takes its name from acid jazz, a genre of jazz music. Alternative version states that the genre itself was named after the record label...
- Nu-jazz
- Jazz rapJazz rapJazz rap is a sub-genre of hip hop which incorporates jazz influences, developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The lyrics are often based on political consciousness, Afrocentricity, and general positivism...
- Broken beatBroken beatBroken beat is an electronic music genre that can be characterized by syncopated rhythm typically in 4/4 meter, with staggered or punctuated snare beats and/or hand claps....
- Michael Franti & Spearhead
- Trip hopTrip hopTrip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
- Jazz-FunkJazz-funkJazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
- Soul jazzSoul jazzSoul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...
- Jazz fusionJazz fusionJazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
- Deep FunkDeep FunkDeep Funk is a genre of funk music which, unlike traditional mainstream funk, has a more soulful, rawer, grittier, and "heavier" sound. The term "deep funk" is also the name of the scene of collectors, DJ's, and musicians who are into deep funk as a genre....
- Ninja TuneNinja TuneNinja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
- GrooveraGrooveraGroovera is an independent, multi-channel, commercial-free, and listener-supported Internet-only radio station dedicated to the loosely-typed genres of music "smooth electronica", "soft techno" and most commonly "chill-out music". Specifically, Groovera features mixes of downtempo, future lounge,...
- Eddie PillerEddie PillerEddie Piller is an English DJ and record label entrepreneur.Starting his career in the 1980s as a part of the English mod revival, Piller launched the underground fanzine Extraordinary Sensations and operated as a DJ and concert promoter. In 1985, he started the Countdown Records label, through...
- List of electronic music genres
External links
- Acid Jazz Portal
- 'What Is Acid Jazz?' feature, 1988 by Chris HuntChris HuntChris Hunt is a magazine editor, journalist and author. He has worked in journalism for over twenty years, most often writing about football or rock music. He was managing editor of Match from 1993 to 2001, a period that saw the weekly title become Britain's biggest selling football magazine...
- List Archive
- The Acid Jazz Channel (over 2000 jazz and acid jazz vids that play continuously.)
- Acid Jazz Blog