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| Acid jazz | |
|---|---|
 The logo ofAcid Jazz Records, where the name was coined | |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1980s, London, United Kingdom |
| Derivative forms | |
Acid jazz (also known asclub jazz,psychedelic jazz, orgroove jazz) is amusic genre that combines elements offunk,soul, andhip hop.[1][2] Acid jazz originated in clubs in London during the 1980s with therare groove movement and spread to the United States, Western Europe, Latin America and Japan. Acts includedThe Brand New Heavies,Incognito,James Taylor Quartet,Us3, andJamiroquai from the UK, andGuru,Buckshot LeFonque andDigable Planets from the U.S. The rise of electronic club music in the middle to late 1990s led to a decline in interest, and in the twenty-first century, acid jazz became indistinct as a genre. Many acts that might have been defined as acid jazz are seen asjazz-funk, ornu jazz.
The genre's name was likely coined byGilles Peterson, and therecord label with the name was started by Bangs,[citation needed]Eddie Piller, and Gilles.[3][4] The name refers to theacid house genre, which was popular in UK clubs in the 1980s.[5] However, acid jazz is not an electronic music genre and has no relationship with the music genres named "acid" (acid house,acid trance,acid techno, etc.), which are heavily based on the "acid-like" sound, produced by theRoland TB-303 electronic music synthesizer. DJs Femi Williams and Marco Nelson fromYoung Disciples claimed in a recently unearthed 1992 TV interview that they coined the term because they had a club with acid playing downstairs and jazz upstairs, so they thought it would be amusing to name the upstairs room "The Acid Jazz Room".[6] The veracity of this claim predating Peterson's is dubious, as the interview in question took place five years after the Acid Jazz label was created, and Young Disciples were first active three years after the formation of the label.[7]
Acid jazz consisted of two related movements. The first was based on records by disc jockeys and music producers who added percussion and electronic dance beats to jazz tracks from the 1960s and 1970s.[8] The second movement included groups who were influenced by these recordings and who emphasized agroove.[5] Acid jazz borrowed from jazz, funk, and hip-hop. Because it relies heavily on percussion and live performance, it is sometimes associated with jazz, but its emphasis on groove aligns it more with funk, hip hop, and dance music.[9] The style is characterized by danceable grooves and long, repetitive compositions. Acid jazz bands usually include horns, a rhythm section (bass guitar, drum set and additional percussion), a vocalist who may sing or rap, and a DJ.[10]
Acid jazz has its origins in the 1950s, 1960s, whenpsychedelic styles were being incorporated into other musical genres, jazz being one of these. Acid jazz became popular in London clubs during the 1980s when disc jockeys associated with therare groove movement played obscure jazz records. Their interests were in the fringe ofjazz fusion,jazz funk, and thesoul jazz of 1960s. Particularly significant were records from theBlue Note catalogue.[4] These DJs included Gilles Peterson, who had residencies at several London clubs in the 1980s. Peterson began in a smallpirate radio station and then moved to the largerKiss-FM. In 1988 with producerEddie Piller he formed the labelAcid Jazz Records. The first release from the company was the compilationTotally Wired, which contained obscure jazz funk tracks from the 1970s with updated new tracks.[4]
In 1990 Peterson left to start the labelTalkin' Loud atPhonogram.[11] The company signedGalliano,Young Disciples, andUrban Species.[4] Another British record label,Fourth and Broadway Records, was formed in 1990 and began a compilation series with the title "The Rebirth of Cool". The label's roster includedPharoah Sanders,Stereo MCs,MC Solaar, andCourtney Pine.[4]
In 1991 acid jazz broke into the mainstream with the success ofBrand New Heavies. After oneself-titled album (1990) with Acid Jazz Records, the group signed withFFRR Records and had the hit singles "Never Stop" and "Dream Come True".[4] Other bands includedIncognito andUs3, whose "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" (1993) was the biggest hit in the genre.[12] Also successful wasJamiroquai, an early act for Acid Jazz Records that signed withSony, which releasedTravelling Without Moving (1996) and the hit single "Virtual Insanity".[5] Other live acts includedStereo MCs and theJames Taylor Quartet.[9] The mainstream success of acid jazz was followed by many compilations which left the public confused about the genre.[4]
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Acid jazz spread to the United States in the early 1990s.[4] It reached New York City in 1990 when British promoter Maurice Bernstein and his South African partner Jonathan Rudnick opened Groove Academy as a party at theGiant Step club in the basement of the Metropolis Café inUnion Square. Groove Academy turned into a record label and media company.[13] Acid jazz musicians in New York City includedBrooklyn Funk Essentials,DJ Smash, and Jerome Van Rossum. In San Francisco acid jazz was released byUbiquity Records,[4] by Solsonics in Los Angeles, andThe Greyboy Allstars in San Diego.[14]
A Tribe Called Quest borrowed from jazz for their albumThe Low End Theory (1991).[8] Under the nameBuckshot LeFonque,Branford Marsalis and Digable Planets won a Grammy Award for the 1993 single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)".[12]
Formed in New York in 1990,Groove Collective produced their self-titled debut in 1993.[5] The rapperGuru released a series of albums recorded with jazz musicians as theJazzmatazz series.[8]
Stemming fromChicago in 1993,Liquid Soul achieved a national profile in 1996 when their self-titled debut LP was re-released byArk21.[15] In 2000 their albumHere's the Deal was nominated in theGrammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album category.[16]
Acid jazz soon gained an international following, including in Japan, Germany, Brazil and Eastern Europe.[8] From Japan,United Future Organization gained an international reputation, signing an American record deal in 1994.[17] Other acts includeMondo Grosso[9] andGota Yashiki[18] in Japan, andSkalpel in Poland.[19]
The rise of electronic club music in the mid- to late-1990s led to a decline in interest in acid jazz among the record buying public, although the genre continued to have a reduced worldwide following.[4] In the twenty-first century the movement became so intertwined with other forms that it became indistinct as a genre and many acts that might have been defined as acid jazz are now seen as jazz funk,neo soul orjazz rap.[5]
Q magazine stated "Acid jazz was the most significant jazz form to emerge out of the British music scene".[20] One major legacy of the genre is its influence on thejam band movement, with acid jazz proving a suitable medium for extended improvisation for acts such asMedeski, Martin and Wood[5] andThe Greyboy Allstars.[21]
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