Acid Jazz
Acid Jazz, also known as club jazz, is a vibrant genre characterized by its groovy fusion of jazz improvisation with the infectious rhythms of soul, funk, and disco, often featuring prominent brass, basslines, and a danceable energy. Emerging from the rare groove scene in London's club culture during the mid-1980s, it quickly expanded globally, drawing influences from classic jazz and R&B. Iconic artists like The Brand New Heavies, Incognito, and Jamiroquai epitomized the genre's sound. While its mainstream popularity waned with the rise of electronic club music in the late 1990s, its influence on subsequent jazz-funk and neo-soul acts remains significant.
More about Acid Jazz
Acid jazz is a musical movement born in London in the late 1980s, founded on the rediscovery and updating of 1960s and 1970s jazz. The eponymous Acid Jazz Records label, created in 1987 by Gilles Peterson and Eddie Piller, acted as its catalyst. This hybrid current fuses jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop and dance music, creating a warm and groovy sound that conquered London clubs before radiating worldwide. Dance and jazz were finally rediscovering their lost complicity, in an atmosphere of celebratory reclamation.
Musically, acid jazz is characterised by prominent funk basslines, warm brass, Hammond and Fender Rhodes keyboards, all anchored in rhythms borrowed from hip-hop and house music. Samples of rare records (rare groove) play an important role alongside sophisticated live arrangements. Soul vocals, male or female, add a strong emotional dimension to productions that have never lost their sense of celebration.
JAMIROQUAI remains the most globally recognised figure of the genre, with his funk-jazz anthems and irresistible basslines. Incognito is the other historic pillar, unwaveringly soulful. GILLES PETERSON continues to embody the original spirit as DJ and curator, while Lady Blackbird represents the most elegant contemporary renewal. KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE carries the torch across Asia.
Acid jazz permeates jazz festivals and soul and funk events alike. The Love Supreme Jazz Festival, We Out Here festival and similar events are emblematic showcases. Browse all Acid Jazz festivals on festt.io to find your next groove.