Some people are not familiar with the greatness that is jazz, and they just live their lives without its presence.  I suppose living in ignorance is better than knowing that jazz is out there and just not taking advantage of that fact.

Jazz has lived many lives from the first time it was introduced and called jazz for the first time.  It has gone through many stages and eras.  Big band, swing, improvisation, piano, and more have all been a part of what makes jazz what it is, one of the greatest genres of music ever.

And because jazz is so great, you know that there have had to be many great people involved along the way as well.  The people of jazz are really the elements of jazz music.  The genre really would not be what it is today without all of the jazz greats influencing it.  Take a look at all those who contributed to jazz along the way in the Periodic Table of Jazz below.

I am convinced Ella Fitzgerald was an angel. That voice just makes me melt, and there are few songs more cheerful than “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

I’ve said it before, I love the trumpet. This is Wynton Marsalis playing “O Christmas Tree.” It’s a lot of fun, right? Side note: don’t you just love how different these first two songs are, but they are still jazz?

And it wouldn’t be a jazzy little Christmas without the saxophone…Here’s Will Donato with “The Christmas Song.”

And now, you get to see it for yourself.  You will be very glad you listened to this quintessentially jazzed up version of a heavy metal classic.  You’ll want to record this and save it on all your favorite sleepy-time playlists.  My dog Mr. Boxie really enjoyed it too.  The regular version of the song sort of scares him, I think.  Not this one.  Even James Hetfield’s voice was as smooth as a flat bottle of Pepsi.  Amazing.  Check it out:

In this case it’s just a matter of comparing the various elements of WordPress with the top jazz performers of all time on planet Earth to show how amazing it is.  What says amazing like a comparison with a jazz legend?  Nothing that we can think of.  Check out this cool graphic and find out what makes WordPress so great:

One of my favorite reality singing shows on television is NBC’s The Sing-Off.  Unlike other singing competition shows out there, The Sing-Off features groups that are all vocal.  There are no instruments and no synthesizers, the only sounds you will hear are the voices of amazingly talented singers that sound amazing.

Another reason why The Sing-Off takes the cake when it comes to singing contests is the fact you do not have to sit through weeks of shows watching bad and sub-par singers audition.  The premier of the show starts with talent, and the results happen that night right after the groups compete.

The judges are also impressive:  the musically gifted Ben Folds, former a cappella group member Sara Bareilles, and Boyz II Men singer Shawn Stockman.

I love all of the groups on the show this season, but the group Afro Blue from Howard University in Washington D.C.  They have a jazzy feel that I just cannot get enough of.  A couple of shows ago the jazzy a cappella ensemble performed the song “American Boy” by Estelle, and they did more than perform.  The performance was totally their own, and the jazzy feel and scat in the beginning is to die for.  Have a listen.  If you want to watch the show too, check it out on NBC on Monday nights.

As far as instrumentalists are concerned women had a difficult time entering into the professional jazz scene.  Often times these women would have to form all-female bands to get a chance to play.

Dolly Jones was a trumpeter who happened to be one of the first women to actually record.  And the “Queen of the Trumpet,” Vilaida Snow’s trumpet playing was even compared to that of Louis Armstrong.

Mary Lou Williams was an amazing talent on the piano.  While Williams was readily accepted in the jazz world due to her incredible abilities, this was actually an exception and other women had more difficulties.

Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald are two of the more popular women jazz singers.

In fact Ella Fitzgerald is also known as “The First Lady of Song.”  During her life she had won 13 Grammy awards.  It was in 1934 that Ella had entered her name into a drawing to perform at Amateur Night at the Apollo.  A large contributor to Ella’s fame and success was her ability to scat and improvise during songs, and she was even supported by Marilyn Monroe.

Billie Holiday stated out a little different than Ella Fitzgerald did.  At a young age she actually started singing along with those like Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith at late night clubs.  Unfortunately Holiday had quite the untimely death at the age of 44.

Without these influential women in jazz’s history, the genre surely would not be were it is today.  It definitely

One of my favorite Jazz festivals in the United States is JazzFest in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  It is one of the largest free jazz festivals in the country and each year it seems to get better and better.  Of course, this years has already past, but I loved it.  The Sewer Rats were phenomenal,  and the Funky Meters may have been my very favorite act of the whole three day jazz and blues event.  But it is possible that I could change my mind in a few minutes about that.  I have been attending the JazzFest in Sioux Falls for the past seven years, and the one a couple of weeks ago was the largest I had ever actually seen the crowd.  I mean it was incredibly impressive, and exciting to see so many people embracing the style of music that I lvoe so very much.

I was looking up some information for the Savannah Jazz Festival that’s approaching.  (The dates for it are September 18 through the 25th) While researching that I came across an infographic about the Sioux Falls JazzFest that is really cool.  It even shows how many hours of music were played.  How cool is that?  So, let’s celebrate JazzFest even if it’s over!

The term “jazz” alone is incredibly difficult to define.  One of the primary elements of jazz though is the ability to improvise.  Swinging and even interacting as a group are other elements that you will most likely find in jazz music.  I have gathered some of my favorite jazz songs so you can have a listen for yourself.  Each video is from a different band or artist, and you can definitely see the jazz similarities while also noting the different take on the genre as a whole.

Scott Joplin the “King of Ragtime” was born around the year 1867, and he was a composer and pianist.  His song “Maple Leaf Rag” is widely recognized as the epitome of ragtime.

The song “Sing, Sing, Sing” was written by Louis Prima during the big band era of jazz in the 1930s.  This video shows the song performed by The Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1954.

Louis Armstrong was an influential jazz trumpet and cornet player.  He was also recognized for his singing with his deep easily recognizable voice.  In this video you will see him and the band perfroming jazz classics “Up a Lazy River,” “Tiger Rag,” “Rocking Chair,” and “When The Saints Go Marchin’ In.”

Nina Simone, whose real name is Eunice Kathleen Waymon was associated primarily with jazz music though you can clearly hear that she was influenced by many different genres.  Classical piano is one of the more easily recognized genres.