Soul jazz was a relative of hard bop that featured small organ-based combos with guitar accompaniment (sometimes also including blues and gospel). As “people music“, its infectious grooves quickly gained followers.
Though soul jazz was overshadowed by Miles Davis and fusion during the ’70s, its popularity remains. Something Else! ensemble renews this genre’s spirit through an eclectic and energetic playlist.
Origins
Soul jazz, which emerged during the early 1960s, is characterized by an uptempo style built upon groove-based performance. This method usually starts with an infectious bass line (typically played on a Hammond organ but sometimes also by string bassist) to set rhythm for the band to follow and is further embellished by musicians using elements from gospel, blues, R&B or even other jazz genres as source material for their compositions.
As its name implies, jazz for black audiences was designed to appeal to black audiences. The style became widely popular during the peak of black pop fame during artists like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway; Atlantic Records in New York produced funk/soul fusions; while Stax & Hi records in Memphis (home to Booker T & the MG’s, Wilson Pickett and Sam Cooke) produced Southern soul.
mainstream jazz media was often dismissive of soul jazz, particularly after Miles Davis introduced its innovations and Weather Report, Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner began pioneering jazz/rock fusion. Yet many musicians who played soul jazz created compelling music; particularly Vince Herring (the founder of Something Else!) and Jeremy Pelt as well as Charles Earland, Jim McGriff, Jack McDuff & Groove Holmes as guitarists and John Patton and Al Jackson on bass as bassists were well known examples among soul jazz players.
These groups tended to be small, featuring at least one organist and often featuring at least tenor-oriented saxophonists and drumming styles that gave their music its distinctive sound; typically these drumming ensembles included drummers who used snare-and-hashtag drumming patterns on snare drums to produce distinctive rhythmic sounds that made up much of this genre’s repertoire.
Funk and disco contributed to altering the sound of soul jazz, yet its fundamental appeal remained undiminished. Fusing contemporary R&B and soul with hard bop’s powerful energy created a dynamic style which has endured into the 21st century. Neo soul and alternative R&B have emerged as two popular forms of this genre; more retro forms are also popular today such as those popularised by Amy Winehouse and Michael Kiwanuka.
Styles
Soul jazz first emerged in the mid ’60s, creating an exciting blend of contemporary soul music, R&B, hard bop, and jazz, which still remains iconic today. Soul Jazz features an all-star lineup led by alto saxophonist Vincent Herring alongside trumpet player Jeremy Pelt, Wayne Escoffery on tenor saxophone, Paul Bollenback on guitar, David Kikoski on bass, and Otis Brown III on drums.
Hard bop relied heavily on 12-bar blues forms and swing rhythms; by contrast, soul jazz utilized more modern chord progressions with added gospel and R&B elements that made its music particularly danceable – something Horace Silver’s “The Preacher” and Bobby Timmons’ classic “Moanin'” epitomized this sound.
Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff, Charles Earland, Don Patterson and Richard “Groove” Holmes all recorded in this style; so too did Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Hank Crawford Stanley Turrentine Ray Charles among others. Furthermore, its influence rippled through New York City’s Puerto Rican and Cuban neighborhoods to produce what became known as “Salsa Jazz.”
Booker T and the MG’s and Ray Charles both became pop superstars thanks to organ-led combos in their bands; soul jazz introduced movement and groove into jazz while also introducing guitarists as one of its key components – many successful soul jazz musicians combined piano with organ and guitar into trios for maximum sound depth.
Something Else! isn’t designed to teach a new generation how to play jazz, but the group does provide an inspiring glimpse of what it takes to be a masterful performer. They attack classic tunes with incredible intensity and passion that breathes new life into the genre – guaranteeing an experience that is impossible not to move with!
Influences
Soul Jazz emerged out of the hard bop movement during the mid ’50s, when small organ-based groups performed in clubs on the fringes of urban America. It combined sophisticated techniques with jazz’s improvisational flair while adding in gospel and blues grooves for an earthy yet groove-driven sound.
Music of this genre had a major influence on other genres, including neo-Latin styles that emerged in New York City’s Puerto Rican and Cuban neighborhoods in the late ’60s and ’70s, creating the genre known as Salsa jazz. Additionally, this music also had a considerable impact on Texas rhythm and blues styles popularized by country and western singer Barbara Lynn in early ’70s Texas rhythm and blues styles.
Many of jazz’s greatest musicians found a home on the Soul Jazz scene, most notably Hammond organists Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff and Johnny Hammond Smith who often led bands. Saxophonists Cannonball Adderley, Herbie Hancock Freddie Hubbard as well as tenor players Hank Crawford and Stanley Turrentine were regular participants as well.
Many purists of jazz may dismiss soul jazz as a shallow mixture of R&B backbeats, disposable rock n’ roll rhythms and boogaloo melodies; yet soul jazz was immensely influential on younger listeners who felt its rhythms. Listeners could move to its beats easily.
Jazz was an immensely powerful form of music that could connect with masses across generations, while its danceability ensured its popularity would endure for decades to come. Jazz remains influential even today as its influence can still be felt today through contemporary forms like jazz rap combining elements from hip hop with soul, R&B and jazz in a unique combination – this results in music that continues to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds!
Recordings
Soul jazz combined sophisticated techniques and improvisational flair with dance-oriented forms that reached out to a much wider audience. This earthy energy also contributed to its lasting popularity; Hammond B-3 organs remain central features decades later. Gilles Peterson-curated labels that specialize in offering informed overviews of various music scenes provide the ideal starting point. This compilation by one such label serves as an ideal introduction into soul jazz’s world.
Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove and Stanley Turrentine’s groove-centric tunes can be heard throughout this album with infectious vitality from this dream band. A particularly captivating highlight is a take on “Naima,” written by John Coltrane specifically arranged to highlight their strengths as an ensemble.
This New Orleans-based label provides a perfect introduction to the hot musical sounds originating in that city in the 1960s and 70s by artists such as the Meters, Professor Longhair and James Chance & the Contortions. Jeremy Pelt’s trumpet provides especially emotive tones embellished by chromatic flourishes and vibrant glissandos; Wayne Escoffery contributes with energy-building angular lines and rhythmic creativity on tenor saxophone.
This album showcases an eclectic range of jazz, blues and gospel vocals with piano, bass, drums, guitar and percussion backing them. Unfortunately the mix is slightly off balance; too much slow funk lingers for too long at times; but there are enough standout tracks here such as Fontella Bass’ absurdist sass or Art Ensemble of Chicago’s moody cool funk that explodes into jazz firestorms to compensate.
As well as reissuing classic recordings, the label has also created some impressive contemporary releases. One such compilation features Yoruba sacred songs and Fuji street music from Nigeria performed by artists like Horuna Ishola’s Group Apala songs – providing an invaluable survey of cultural legacy. This release comes complete with book and CD formats; an invaluable snapshot into Nigerian life!
Although the label has released albums documenting various traditions, this compilation may be its most in-depth to date. Focusing on Rastafarianism’s signature nyabinghi drumming style – featuring tracks by artists like Count Ossie & Mystic Revelation of Rastafari and Cedric ‘Im’ Brookes that range from atmospheric grounation chants to lively paeans to Jah – this album provides an outstanding glimpse at that style of drumming music that’s been rarely heard before!