ACADEMIC JAZZ IN THE POSTMODERN ERA: NU-JAZZ IN CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITIONAL PRACTICE

Abstract

The impact of technology on jazz has been profound, provocative, and far-reaching since the genre’s inception. Combining the musical qualities of jazz with those of electronic music requires a high degree of imaginative subtlety, as musicians approach this synthesis from a foundation of deep experience in jazz practice. In the late 1990s, a new subgenre emerged, nu-jazz, combining jazz with dance-music elements, particularly funk and electronica, alongside free improvisation. Its sonic approaches range from extensive use of electronic devices to purely live instrumentation, with numerous hybrid configurations of acoustic instruments and electronic processing in between. What remains constant is jazz-specific phrasing and harmonic conception.

This study examines the author’s composition Summit as a case study of compositional strategies derived from the Third-Stream movement within a heterogeneous contemporary stylistic context. This approach represents one possible means of maintaining the relevance of jazz composition for younger, contemporary audiences.