Acid jazz
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Acid jazz | |
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hip hop | |
Cultural origins | 1980s, London, United Kingdom |
Derivative forms |
Acid jazz (also known as club jazz, psychedelic jazz, or groove jazz) is a
Characteristics

Etymology
The genre's name was likely coined by Gilles Peterson, and the label was started by Bangs, Eddie Piller, and Gilles.[3][4] The name refers to the acid house genre, which was popular in UK clubs in the 1980s.[5] However, DJs Femi Williams and Marco Nelson from Young 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]
Evolution
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 a groove.[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]
History
Origin
Acid jazz has its origins in the 1950s, 1960s, when
In 1990 Peterson left to start the label
In 1991 acid jazz broke into the mainstream with the success of
Acid jazz in the US

Acid jazz spread to the United States in the early 1990s.
A Tribe Called Quest borrowed from jazz for their album The Low End Theory (1991).[8] Under the name Buckshot 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 rapper Guru released a series of albums recorded with jazz musicians as the Jazzmatazz series.[8]
Stemming from
Around the world
Acid jazz soon gained an international following, including in Japan, Germany, Brazil and Eastern Europe.
Decline
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 or jazz rap.[5]
See also
References
- ISBN 0-141-00646-3.
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-56159-284-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-87930-628-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-34199-1.
- ^ "Jamiroquai". ABC listen. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Jamiroquai". ABC listen. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-983187-6.
- ^ a b c "Acid Jazz Music Genre Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ISBN 1-884365-32-9.
- ISBN 978-0-7535-0252-5. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-133-16927-7.
- ISBN 0-521-66388-1.
- ^ "Greyboy Allstars | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Liquid Soul". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ "Liquid Soul". GRAMMY.com. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ISBN 0-87930-628-9, p. 536.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Gota". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ISBN 0-19-531373-9.
- ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
- ^ Bush, John. "Greyboy Allstars". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 September 2019.