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Article: What is Jazz?

A Tale of Two Genres: The Surprising Similarities in the Development of Jazz and Classical Music

by Kurt Ellenberger
January 7, 2022

Jazz and classical music are two of the most monumental achievements in human history. Together, they encompass a range of expressive capabilities that is simply astounding, giving voice to the human experience from centuries past to the present and in doing so, enriching our lives immeasurably. This is more remarkable when one considers that they have ...

Article: Readers Poll Results

Musical And Lyrical Sophistication In Jazz And Other Genres

by Kurt Ellenberger
December 14, 2021

This scatter graph (directly below) shows the results of an All About Jazz Readers' Poll that was conducted during portions of 2021. There were almost 400 participants who rated these genres on their “musical and lyrical sophistication" on a 10 point scale. No instructions were given on the definition of “sophistication"—the participants were free to use ...

Article: Interview

Michael Wollny: Treasures from the Wunderkammer

by Kurt Ellenberger
July 6, 2021

German pianist Michael Wollny is one of the most exciting and important jazz artists of our time. His work is marked by exquisite pianism and a restless creativity and search for expression that knows no stylistic boundaries. Wollny's output has been remarkable both in quality and quantity--he is in his early 40s, and has released almost ...

Article: Interview

Emiliano Sampaio: Rising Transatlantic Star

by Kurt Ellenberger
April 5, 2021

In 2013, I was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach and to work on a research project at the Kunstuniversität Graz ("University of the Arts in Graz"). I taught a first-year course in jazz theory that was really a delight. These students were already extremely accomplished performers and composers. About half of the class was comprised ...

Article: What is Jazz?

Building a Jazz Audience: The Sisyphus Redux

by Kurt Ellenberger
March 2, 2021

Since my controversial article on jazz education and audience development, many have asked “Well, if education isn't the answer, what's the solution? How do we develop and maintain a strong jazz audience?" Audience development is a complicated issue, and it's not limited to jazz. Every artist and arts organization is trying to answer the ...

Article: What is Jazz?

Ghosts In The Machine, Part 5: Jazz Musicians And Popular Music

by Kurt Ellenberger
February 26, 2021

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Part 5: Jazz in Academia Jazz musicians have always been acutely aware of the “byproduct" of becoming proficient in jazz. Jazz training, even if rudimentary, provides the ability to master or at least become fluent in other styles in a ...

Article: What is Jazz?

Ghosts In The Machine, Part 4: Jazz Musicians And Popular Music

by Kurt Ellenberger
February 24, 2021

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Part 4: Jazz in the Trenches In my previous articles, I detailed the enormous influence that jazz musicians have had on popular music since the 1960s. This may, early on, have been a matter of survival; as the popularity of ...

Article: What is Jazz?

Ghosts In The Machine, Part 3: Jazz Musicians And Popular Music

by Kurt Ellenberger
February 23, 2021

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Part 3: The GhostsIn a recent essay in Commentary, Terry Teachout, arts and culture critic for the Wall Street Journal, makes an argument for the date on which the jazz era officially ended and the rock/pop era began--May 9, ...

Article: What is Jazz?

Ghosts In The Machine, Part 2: Jazz Musicians And Popular Music

by Kurt Ellenberger
February 16, 2021

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Part II: The Machinery Jazz musicians have played an important role in the development of popular music from the 1960s until today (we should also remember that jazz actually was popular music from the 1920s-1940s). For those who know the ...

Article: What is Jazz?

Ghosts In The Machine, Part 1: Jazz Musicians And Popular Music

by Kurt Ellenberger
February 14, 2021

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Part I: The MachinesJazz and classical musicians have long had a troubled relationship with pop music. (By “pop music," I mean all styles outside of classical and jazz--country, rock, hip-hop, rap, etc.--any style that enjoys a double-digit market share is ...