Search results
People also ask
What is mainstream jazz?
When did jazz become mainstream?
Was jazz a mainstream part of pop culture in the 1950s?
When did mainstream jazz make a comeback?
Mainstream jazz is a term coined in the 1950s by music journalist Stanley Dance, who considered anything within the popular jazz of the Swing Era "mainstream", and did not include the bebop style.
- Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra – Mood Indigo
- Norah Jones – The Nearness of You
- Johnny Mathis – Misty
- Julie London – Cry Me A River
- Brother Bones and His Shadows – Sweet Georgia Brown
- Diana Krall – The Look of Love
- George Shearing – Lullaby of Birdland
- Ahmad Jamal – Poinciana
- Jimmy Smith – Organ Grinder Swing
- Modern Jazz Quartet – Django
According to Duke Ellington’s biographer, “Mood Indigo” is “an imperishable classic” and who are we to disagree? With lrving Mills having added the lyric, this remarkable 1930 standard has since been covered by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Joe Jackson, and Kelly Hogan.
The concluding song from jazz/pop fusionist Norah Jones’ multi-million-selling 2002 debut Come Away With Me, this Hoagy Carmichael standard was first recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1940.
With his lush velvet croon, Johnny Mathis became a world-conquering pop idol in the late 1950s. One of his biggest jazz songs was the romantic interpretation he gave to pianist Erroll Garner’s evergreen ballad “Misty” in 1959, which reached No. 12 in the US charts.
Over 500 renditions of this classic Arthur Hamilton-penned ballad exist, which all followed in the wake of torch song specialist Julie London’s original version recorded in 1955. The jazz song gained wider exposure after London was featured singing it in the 1956 hit movie, The Girl Can’t Help It.
This tune has been covered by plenty of jazz luminaries, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, and Django Reinhart included. The most famous version, however, is by Brother Bones and His Shadows. It’s played every time the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team takes the court.
Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s patient bossa nova is the perfect canvas for the gorgeous voice of Diana Krall, one of the greatest modern jazz vocalists. The song has been covered countless times, but Krall’s restrained delivery is a master class in doing a lot with a little.
Blind from birth, London-born pianist George Shearingreaped acclaim in America in the late 1940s and early 50s with his mix of swing and bebop; it was a unique sound crystallized by “Lullaby of Birdland,” a jazz song originally written in 1952 to advertise the famous New York club with the same name.
A pianist with a delicate touch from Pittsburgh, Ahmad Jamal‘s name is synonymous with “Poinciana,” an obscure 1930s pop song that became both a hit single and the cornerstone of his 1958 million-selling LP, At The Pershing: But Not For Me.
Hammond organ hero Jimmy Smithbroke into the US Hot 100 in 1965 when he teamed up with guitarist Kenny Burrell and drummer Grady Tate to record this punchy, blues-infused instrumental. It’s the musical equivalent of soul food.
Distinguished by Milt Jackson’s crystalline vibes sound, the Modern Jazz Quartet’s elegant chamber jazz style is epitomized by this haunting 1954 instrumental, written by the band’s pianist John Lewis as a homage to his friend, jazz guitar great Django Reinhardt, who had died the previous year.
- 15 min
- Ezra Collective. Formed of 5 of London’s premiere instrumentalists, Ezra collective are championing the new wave of UK Jazz music. The rich instrumentals played flawlessly throughout their songs, leave you appreciating their individual display of talent.
- Nubya Garcia. Nubya Nyasha Garcia is a British jazz artist, saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Her debut album, Source, is a modern Jazz masterpiece.
- Alfa Mist. Alfa Mist is a talented pianist and music producer from in Newham, East London. He weaves heavy beats into his music and released a solo piano project entitled On My Ones recently.
- Yussef Dayes. Yussef Dayes is a drummer and composer with deep roots in the South London jazz scene. He has grown his reputation through a broad network of collaborators in the scene, including Freddie Gibbs, Tom Misch, Masego, Alfa Mist and more.
Find Mainstream Jazz Albums, Artists and Songs, and Hand-Picked Top Mainstream Jazz Music on AllMusic.
NPR'S TOP 100 JAZZ SONGS OF ALL TIME · Playlist · 101 songs · 3.5K likes.
Mainstream jazz is the popular jazz music of an era. The term that was established in the 1950s by music journalist Stanley Dance, who considered anything wi...
The term Mainstream Jazz was coined by critic Stanley Dance to describe the type of music that trumpeter Buck Clayton and his contemporaries (veterans of the swing era) were playing in the 1950s. Rather than modernize their styles and play bop or join Dixieland bands (which some did on a part-time basis in order to survive), the former big-band ...
