As part of our New Jazz series, we’ve asked some leading writers and thinkers on the subject to share their thoughts. The following comes from Norman Mayers, Editor in Chief of Nu-Soul Magazine.

What is thing called new jazz or nu-jazz? Jazz has been around before many of us were even born, serving as the building blocks for so many genres of music that we call our own. The development of hip-hop, soul, and most electronic forms owe a great debt to the ongoing open conversation of sounds that is jazz.

But even as other genres have taken liberally from jazz to create their own destinies, so has jazz morphed to reflect the times. DJ and dance culture seems to be the most obvious influence since there is a clear parallel in their approach to sound. Both jazz and electronica deal in emotions and thematic elements creating stories with very little words. They both represent an underground urban sensibility that favors the live communal experience over the recorded. By incorporating elements of electronica, jazz has been reborn for a new generation.

As written by Norman Mayers, Editor in Chief, Nu-Soul Magazine
www.nu-soulmag.com