Vocal jazz
Svetlana
Night at the Movies
A collection reinterpreting songs associated with cinema through a jazz ensemble setting.
Open project archive →Plunge Music genre guide
Jazz.
Improvisation, syncopation and ensemble conversation. Explore jazz as a living language—from swing and hard bop to free, fusion and contemporary crossover forms.
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These archived project pages provide routes into vocal jazz, contemporary ensembles, experimental composition and blues-rooted performance.
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Live session
Aubrey Logan
Where The Sunshine Is Expensive
Music recorded in front of a live studio audience.
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Songcraft
Anoushka Lucas
Dark Soul
A debut album shaped over several years of writing and development.
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Ensemble
Town of Cats
The Sanguine Sunset
An independent EP presented alongside material documenting its creation.
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Composition
John Zorn
The Book Beriah
The concluding group of compositions in the long-running Masada body of work.
View archive →Map the sound
Jazz sub-genres
Jazz changes through place, instrumentation and approach. Use these pathways to move from arranged big-band writing to open improvisation and groove-led hybrids.
Avant-garde jazz
Explore →Big band
Explore →Cool jazz
Explore →Crossover jazz
Explore →Free jazz
Explore →Gypsy jazz
Explore →Hard bop
Explore →Jazz blues
Explore →Jazz fusion
Explore →Jazz-funk
Explore →Latin jazz
Explore →Mainstream jazz
Explore →Modal jazz
Explore →Nu jazz
Explore →Soul jazz
Explore →Swing
Explore →Trad jazz
Explore →West Coast jazz
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Listening notes
What to listen for
Jazz rewards attention to relationships. A melody may be familiar, but its meaning shifts as the rhythm section, soloist and arrangement respond to one another.
01Time and swing
Notice where the pulse sits and how players lean around it rather than striking every beat identically.
Notice where the pulse sits and how players lean around it rather than striking every beat identically.
02Improvised development
Follow how a solo transforms short motifs through rhythm, register, repetition and space.
Follow how a solo transforms short motifs through rhythm, register, repetition and space.
03Ensemble conversation
Listen for accompaniment that answers, redirects or leaves room for another musician.
Listen for accompaniment that answers, redirects or leaves room for another musician.
04Tone and articulation
Breath, attack, sustain and dynamics can define a performance as strongly as the notes themselves.
Breath, attack, sustain and dynamics can define a performance as strongly as the notes themselves.
More routes in
Across the archive
Continue through distinctive corners of the jazz project archive, from orchestral arranging to live recordings and electric ensemble work.
Browse what’s new →Gil Evans Orchestra
An ensemble recording centred on large-scale arranging and orchestral colour.
Open archive →Tokyo, Chicago, NYC
A trilogy documenting performances by Frank Catalano and Jimmy Chamberlin in three cities.
Open archive →Fat-Suit: Album 4
A group project drawing on jazz, groove and contemporary ensemble textures.
Open archive →Quick answers
Jazz FAQ
Use the genre routes and archived project pages to build a listening path that suits your interests.
Visit help →What defines jazz?
Jazz covers many styles, but improvisation, rhythmic flexibility, individual tone and interaction between musicians are recurring features.
Where should a new listener begin?
Start with an instrument or quality you already enjoy—voice, piano, brass, strong rhythm or spacious arrangement—then follow the closest sub-genre.
What is improvisation?
Improvisation is music shaped during performance. Players draw on melody, harmony, rhythm and attentive responses to the ensemble.
How are swing and big band different?
Swing can describe a rhythmic feel and an era, while big band refers chiefly to a larger arranged ensemble of brass, reeds and rhythm section.
Does jazz include electronic instruments?
Yes. Fusion, jazz-funk, nu jazz and many contemporary styles use electric keyboards, amplified instruments, synthesis and studio production.
Where can I find every jazz project?
The complete jazz view gathers available project archives and can be narrowed using the listed sub-genres.