Dixieland music or New Orleans jazz, sometimes referred to as hot jazz or early jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. Stylistically it is essentially a form of Ragtime , typically transposed for brass band, banjo and/or clarinet.

Classic Jazz - At the beginning of the 1900's, Jazz styles took the form of small band music and its origin credited to New Orleans. This musical style is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Dixieland" but is less solo-oriented.

Jazz Rap - Developed as a sub-genre to Hip Hop from origins in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Jazz Rap encompasses various attempts by artists at fusing African-American music of the past with present day commercial trends. Keeping the signature heavy beats of Hip Hop, a more sophisticated Jazz influenced structure enhances the often bland harmonic back-drop characteristic of more pop oriented Rap music.

The Blues – Of all the jazz styles, this one truly impacted the development of jazz. In the early 20th century, the blues vocalist emerged on the jazz scene, profoundly expressing the emotions of the African American community. This style of singing was usually performed with piano, guitar, and harmonica.

Jazz music is characterized by blue notes and call-and-response vocals, much like the blues genre. It differs in its swing style, though, with a dominant element of improvisation. Jazz is world-famous among intellectuals who call it one of America’s “original forms of art.” Jazz Music Genre Origins

Tights and leotards are fine, but most jazz dancers prefer to wear jazz or dance pants. These pants are usually boot-cut or flared styles, as tight leg bottoms restrict ankle movement. Tops usually worn for jazz include form-fitting tank tops, T-shirts, or leotards.

Teaching Jazz Articulation and Style. By NAfME Member Christopher Barrick . Along with improvisation, jazz style can be one of the more challenging aspects of teaching jazz. Since so much of jazz style comes from articulation, it is difficult to address one without the other. Let’s look at some common tenants of jazz articulation.

Jazz dance, any dance to jazz accompaniments, composed of a profusion of forms. Jazz dance paralleled the birth and spread of jazz itself from roots in black American society and was popularized in ballrooms by the big bands of the swing era (1930s and ’40s). It radically altered the style of American and European stage and social dance in the 20th century.