Jazz

Vocal jazz, swing/big band, bebop/hard bop, cool, modal/spiritual, fusion, soul jazz, Latin & Afro-Cuban, bossa nova, smooth, free/avant-garde, third stream, gypsy jazz, nu jazz, lo-fi, jazz rap, ragtime/stride, gospel jazz. (tree: MUS-124)

30 families435 sub-genres
Click a family to fan out its sub-genres · dashed = cross-listed
Vocal JazzJazz StandardsGreat American Songbook JazzCrooner JazzJazz Torch SongScat SingingVocaleseSwing Vocal JazzBig Band Vocal JazzJazz-Pop VocalTraditional Pop JazzCabaret JazzLounge Vocal JazzSoulful Vocal JazzContemporary Vocal Jazz1Smooth JazzContemporary JazzContemporary Instrumental JazzSmooth Sax JazzSmooth Guitar JazzSmooth Piano JazzUrban Contemporary JazzQuiet Storm JazzAdult Contemporary JazzSmooth Jazz-FunkSmooth Latin JazzSmooth Bossa JazzSmooth FusionNew Adult JazzDinner Jazz2Swing JazzBig Band JazzClassic SwingDance Band JazzBallroom JazzKansas City SwingNew York SwingHarlem SwingJump SwingVocal SwingBig Band Vocal JazzHot SwingModern Swing RevivalNeo-SwingLarge Ensemble Swing3BebopBopHard BopStraight-Ahead JazzMainstream JazzModern JazzSmall Group JazzJazz QuintetJazz QuartetHorn Combo JazzSaxophone BopTrumpet BopBluesy Hard BopSoulful Hard BopPost-Bop4Cool JazzWest Coast JazzChamber JazzBirth-of-the-Cool LaneArranged Small-Group JazzLight Modern JazzPastel-Tone JazzCool BopCool Vocal JazzCool Piano JazzCool Big BandWest Coast Swing JazzCool Bossa JazzThird Stream Cool5Latin JazzAfro-Cuban JazzCubopMambo JazzRumba JazzCha-Cha JazzSalsa JazzCuban Big Band JazzAfro-Caribbean JazzLatin Jazz PianoLatin Jazz PercussionLatin Jazz FusionLatin Jazz VocalLatin Smooth JazzLatin Jazz-Rock6Bossa NovaBrazilian JazzSamba JazzBossa JazzVocal Bossa NovaCool Bossa JazzSmooth Bossa JazzBrazilian Jazz GuitarBrazilian Jazz PianoMPB JazzTropical JazzBrazilian Fusion JazzBossa LoungeSamba-Funk JazzBrazilian Jazz Vocal Pop7Jazz FusionJazz-RockElectric JazzFusion JazzProgressive Jazz FusionJazz-Funk FusionElectric Miles-Lane JazzFusion Guitar JazzElectric Piano FusionSynth Fusion JazzFusion Big BandLatin Fusion JazzSmooth FusionFunk-Rock JazzProgressive Fusion8Soul JazzJazz-FunkGroove JazzFunk JazzHammond Organ JazzOrgan Soul JazzBoogaloo JazzRare Groove JazzR&B JazzGospel Soul JazzFunk Fusion JazzSmooth Jazz-FunkAfro-Funk JazzDisco Jazz9New Orleans JazzTraditional JazzDixieland JazzHot JazzEarly JazzClassic JazzSecond Line JazzBrass Band JazzRagtime JazzNew Orleans Parade JazzCreole JazzStoryville JazzHot Club Early JazzRevivalist Traditional JazzTraditional Jazz Vocal10Lo-Fi JazzChill JazzCafé JazzStudy JazzJazzhopChillhop JazzLo-Fi Jazz BeatsBedroom JazzRainy Day JazzCozy JazzSoft Piano JazzAmbient JazzLo-Fi Bossa JazzLo-Fi Smooth JazzVinyl Jazz Loop11Jazz RapJazz-HopBoom-Bap Jazz RapNative Tongues-Lane Jazz RapLive-Band Jazz RapNeo-Jazz RapSpoken-Word Jazz RapSoul-Jazz RapJazz-TrapLo-Fi Jazz RapAfro-Jazz RapGospel Jazz RapAbstract Jazz RapBeat Tape Jazz12Blues JazzJazz BluesBoogie-WoogieJump JazzJump Blues JazzKansas City Blues JazzChicago Blues JazzPiano Blues JazzSax Blues JazzSoul-Blues JazzGospel-Blues JazzSwing BluesHard Bop BluesBluesy Organ JazzJazz-Rock Blues13Modal JazzSpiritual JazzPost-BopModern Post-BopAvant-Modal JazzColtrane-Lane Spiritual JazzMeditative JazzCosmic JazzEastern-Influenced JazzGospel-Modal JazzAfro-Spiritual JazzChamber Modal JazzLarge Ensemble Spiritual JazzPost-Bop Vocal Jazz14Nu JazzElectronic JazzBroken Beat JazzJazz HouseDeep House JazzJazztronicaDowntempo JazzTrip-Hop JazzFuture JazzIDM JazzElectro-SwingClub JazzAmbient Electronic JazzSample-Based Jazz15Acid JazzRare Groove JazzLounge JazzClub JazzJazz LoungeCocktail JazzBossa LoungeFunk Lounge JazzSoul Lounge JazzMod JazzRetro Groove JazzJazz DanceDeep Groove JazzSmooth Lounge JazzCafé Lounge Jazz16Gypsy JazzJazz ManoucheHot Club JazzDjango-Lane JazzAcoustic Swing GuitarString Swing JazzFrench Swing JazzEuropean Hot JazzViolin Swing JazzMusette JazzGypsy BossaGypsy Jazz WaltzGypsy Jazz VocalHot Club Fusion17Piano Trio JazzSmall Combo JazzJazz TrioJazz QuartetJazz QuintetStandards TrioModern Piano TrioBebop Piano TrioCool Piano TrioBill Evans-Lane TrioContemporary Piano JazzChamber Piano JazzFree Piano TrioLatin Piano TrioLo-Fi Piano Jazz18Organ Trio JazzHammond JazzGuitar Combo JazzJazz GuitarSoul Organ JazzBlues Organ JazzGroove Organ JazzHard Bop Organ ComboFunk Organ JazzGuitar Soul JazzSmooth Guitar JazzLatin Organ JazzJazz Guitar BalladJazz-Funk Guitar19RagtimeStride PianoEarly Piano JazzHarlem StrideClassic RagtimeNovelty PianoBarrelhouse PianoBoogie-Woogie PianoRagtime JazzPiano Roll JazzTin Pan Alley JazzEarly Swing PianoNew Orleans Piano JazzRagtime Revival20Contemporary Creative JazzAlternative JazzModern Creative JazzPost-Genre JazzIndie JazzArt JazzExperimental Contemporary JazzGenre-Fluid JazzJazz-R&B CrossoverJazz-Pop CrossoverJazz-Hip-Hop EnsembleChamber Creative JazzAmbient Creative JazzNew Composer JazzModern Improvised Music21Free JazzAvant-Garde JazzFree Improvisation JazzFire MusicEnergy MusicFree BopAvant-BopFree Spiritual JazzCollective ImprovisationOutside JazzLoft JazzFree Jazz Big BandFree Jazz VocalEuropean Free JazzAvant-Garde Saxophone Jazz22Third StreamClassical Jazz CrossoverChamber JazzOrchestral JazzSymphonic JazzJazz ConcertoModern Classical JazzString Quartet JazzJazz-Classical PianoBaroque JazzMinimalist JazzFilm-Score JazzChamber FusionContemporary Composition JazzConcert Hall Jazz23Modern Big Band JazzLarge Jazz EnsembleContemporary Big BandProgressive Big BandJazz OrchestraConcert Jazz OrchestraFusion Big BandLatin Big Band JazzSwing Big BandFree Jazz Big BandChamber Big BandPolitical Suite JazzFilmic Big Band JazzVocal Big Band Jazz24Gospel JazzSacred JazzSpiritual Gospel JazzJazz HymnJazz MassChurch Organ JazzGospel Soul JazzChoir JazzDevotional JazzSacred Suite JazzGospel Vocal JazzPraise JazzSpiritual Piano JazzHymn Reimagined Jazz25Jazz-FolkFolk JazzAmericana JazzAcoustic Roots JazzCountry JazzWestern Swing JazzBluegrass JazzNewgrass JazzString Band JazzPastoral JazzSinger-Songwriter JazzFolk-Bossa JazzAcoustic Guitar JazzRoots Fusion Jazz26World JazzAfro-JazzEthio-JazzSouth African JazzIndo-JazzMiddle Eastern JazzFlamenco JazzMediterranean JazzNordic JazzAsian Jazz FusionCeltic JazzAfrobeat JazzWorld Fusion JazzGlobal Spiritual Jazz27Jazz BalladsTorch SongsRomantic JazzLate Night JazzSlow JazzBallad StandardsPiano Ballad JazzSax Ballad JazzMood JazzIntimate JazzBossa BalladSmooth Ballad JazzCool Ballad JazzVocal Ballad Jazz28Experimental JazzNoise JazzFree ImprovisationElectroacoustic JazzSound Art JazzJazz Noise ImprovAvant-Jazz ElectronicsIndustrial JazzDrone JazzMicrotonal JazzImprov Collective JazzGlitch JazzExtended Technique JazzPost-Jazz291920s Jazz1930s Swing Era1940s Bebop Era1950s Cool Era1960s Modern Jazz1970s Fusion Era1980s Neo-Traditional Jazz1990s Acid Jazz EraHarlem Renaissance JazzLoft Jazz SceneBlue Note EraECM-Style JazzModern Streaming JazzContemporary Scene Jazz30Jazz

1Vocal Jazz / Standards / Crooner Jazz

The most listener-friendly jazz doorway: singers, standards, romantic phrasing, swing feel, piano trio backing, big-band support, torch songs, and classic songbook material.

Vocal Jazz / Standards / Crooner Jazz

The most listener-friendly jazz doorway: singers, standards, romantic phrasing, swing feel, piano trio backing, big-band support, torch songs, and classic songbook material.

Smooth / Contemporary Jazz

The broad modern jazz-listener bucket: polished sax, clean production, melodic improvisation, R&B harmony, adult-contemporary textures, and accessible instrumental hooks.

Swing / Big Band Jazz

The big recognizable classic jazz family: danceable rhythm, horn sections, arranged riffs, walking bass, section interplay, ballroom energy, and large-ensemble power.

Bebop / Hard Bop / Straight-Ahead Jazz

The core jazz-club family: fast lines, complex harmony, small groups, improvisational virtuosity, walking bass, ride cymbal, and horn-led heads.

Cool Jazz / West Coast / Chamber Jazz

A more relaxed, refined, arranged, and lighter-toned branch of modern jazz: subtler tone colors, slower vibrato, softer drumming, and restrained interaction.

Latin Jazz / Afro-Cuban Jazz

The home for jazz with Afro-Cuban, Caribbean, Latin American, clave-based, and percussion-forward languages.

Bossa Nova / Brazilian Jazz

One of the most globally recognizable jazz-adjacent families: soft samba pulse, nylon-string guitar, airy vocals, relaxed swing, sophisticated harmony, and romantic atmosphere.

Jazz Fusion / Jazz-Rock / Electric Jazz

Jazz meeting rock, funk, electric keyboards, amplified bass, complex rhythm, extended soloing, and studio-era experimentation.

Soul Jazz / Jazz-Funk / Groove Jazz

Groove-centered jazz: organ, electric piano, blues phrasing, funk basslines, gospel feeling, danceable rhythm, and R&B/soul crossover.

Traditional / New Orleans / Dixieland Jazz

The oldest front-porch and parade-rooted jazz family: collective improvisation, clarinet/cornet/trombone front line, banjo or piano, tuba or bass, and second-line energy.

Lo-Fi Jazz / Chill Jazz / Café Jazz

A modern listener-facing streaming bucket: mellow chords, soft drums, brushed snares, Rhodes, dusty ambience, café mood, study playlists, and jazz-hop crossover.

Jazz Rap / Hip-Hop Jazz

The bridge between jazz harmony and hip-hop rhythm: sampled jazz loops, live jazz bands, spoken flow, boom-bap drums, Rhodes, upright bass, horns, and socially aware lyricism.

Blues Jazz / Boogie-Woogie / Jump Jazz

Jazz closest to blues roots: shuffle, blue notes, gospel/blues phrasing, boogie left hand, jump rhythm, and roadhouse energy.

Modal / Spiritual / Post-Bop Jazz

The searching, expansive, harmony-looser side of modern jazz: modes, long vamps, spiritual themes, open forms, meditative repetition, and intense improvisation.

Nu Jazz / Electronic / Club Jazz

Jazz blended with electronic production, dance rhythms, samples, broken beat, house, downtempo, and club culture.

Acid Jazz / Rare Groove / Lounge Jazz

The clubby, stylish, groove-record-store side of jazz: funk bass, soul vocals, organ, horns, DJ culture, lounge atmosphere, and retro-modern rhythm.

Gypsy Jazz / Hot Club / Manouche

The acoustic string-swing family: fast guitar runs, violin, rhythm guitar "la pompe," European café atmosphere, and virtuosic acoustic improvisation.

Piano Trio / Small Combo Jazz

A highly important format-family: piano, bass, drums; or compact instrumental combos with close interaction, standards, originals, and improvisational dialogue.

Organ Trio / Guitar Combo Jazz

A groove-heavy club and small-combo lane: Hammond organ, guitar, drums, blues phrasing, soul-jazz energy, gospel color, and tight rhythmic pocket.

Ragtime / Stride / Early Piano Jazz

The pre-jazz and early-jazz piano lineage: syncopated ragtime, stride left hand, parlor-to-club virtuosity, and early swing vocabulary.

Contemporary Creative / Alternative Jazz

The modern boundary-crossing jazz family: new composition, genre fusion, art-music influence, unusual ensembles, alternative jazz, and post-genre aesthetics.

Free Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz

The freedom-seeking side of jazz: open harmony, collective improvisation, extended techniques, nontraditional form, raw expression, and high experimentation.

Third Stream / Classical Crossover Jazz

Jazz meeting classical composition: chamber writing, orchestral colors, counterpoint, formal structures, contemporary classical influence, and written/improvised balance.

Modern Big Band / Large Ensemble Jazz

Large-format jazz beyond old-school swing: modern arranging, contemporary harmony, progressive orchestration, fusion colors, political suites, filmic writing, and large-ensemble experimentation.

Gospel / Sacred Jazz

Jazz rooted in church music and spiritual worship: gospel harmony, sacred suites, hymn reinterpretation, choir-and-combo writing, and devotional improvisation.

Jazz-Folk / Americana / Roots

Jazz blended with folk, Americana, country, and acoustic roots: acoustic instrumentation, storytelling melody, pastoral mood, and string-band color.

Global / World Jazz Fusion

Jazz fused with traditions from around the world: regional scales, instruments, rhythms, and cross-cultural collaboration beyond the Latin/Brazilian families.

Jazz Ballads / Torch / Romantic Jazz

The slow, intimate, emotional core of jazz: ballads, torch songs, romantic standards, late-night mood, and lyrical improvisation.

Experimental / Noise / Free Improvisation Jazz

The furthest-out experimental jazz lane: noise, electronics, extended technique, free improvisation, sound art, and boundary dissolution.

Era / Scene Labels

Catch-all bucket for time-period and scene tags people use to describe jazz historically rather than by style.