Jazz  •  New Orleans/Classic Jazz

Early Jazz

Overview Artists Albums Songs

Not all jazz from the 1920s can be described as New Orleans jazz or Dixieland. The 1920s were a rich decade musically, with jazz-influenced dance bands and a gradual emphasis on solo (as opposed to collective) improvisations. Whether it be the stride pianists, the increasingly adventurous horn soloists, or the arranged music that predates swing, much of the jazz from this decade can be given the umbrella title of Classic Jazz. Some of the modern-day revivalists -- many can be heard on the Stomp Off label -- who look beyond the Dixieland repertoire into the music of Fletcher Henderson, Clarence Williams, and Bix Beiderbecke (to name a few) are playing in this open-ended style.