Soul jazz is described as a characteristic form of music that closely resembles R&B, and gospel with its rhythms and melodies. Soul jazz is noted for its bluesy style and according to The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (2016) "implicitly dance music, even to the point of using stylized dance forms" (1). Key individuals within the soul jazz movement are Horace Silver and Ramsey Lewis. The former was a composer and an influential musician who produced soul jazz music in the 1950s and 1960s. One of this most famous pieces is "Song For My Father," which Keepnews (2014) writes emphasizing gospel roots and blues. The goal of soul jazz is to offer a variation on bebop by challenging the harmonies related to that genre of jazz (1).
The latter is often referred to as groundbreaking in his approach to soul jazz. Specifically, an electric piano player, Lewis' style is that of raising awareness to gospel and blues music, while simultaneously creating a "melodic and rhythmic ostinato" (The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz 1). For this reason, he has been frequently recognized as transforming the way the jazz genre is looked at, and how being a significant influence on other musicians in other genres such as Earth, Wind & Fire and Roy Ayers.
There are several modern day musicians that utilize the elements of soul jazz in their music. Some of these musicians have especially cited Lewis and Silver as their influences. These musicians include: Herbie Hancock, George Duke and Hugh Masakela. Each of these musicians' music offers strong repetitive harmonies, which are key characteristics of soul jazz. Since soul jazz is "closely related to [both] R&B and gospel styles" (The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz 1), these musicians' music has often been used in dance choreography thereby extending the effects that the genre has on various art forms. Of the three mentioned modern-day musicians, Both Hancock and Masakela are known for having funky rhythms similar to that of Ramsey Lewis, while Duke’s stylings are “singable melodies” (The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz 1) that are not all that different from Horace Silver.
Works Cited
Keepnews, Peter. "Horace Silver, 85, Master of Earthy Jazz, Is Dead." The New York Times. 18 June 2014. Web. 7 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/arts/music/horace-silver-85-master-of-earthy-jazz-is-dead.html?_r=0>.
"Soul Jazz." The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2016. <http://www.jazzinamerica.org/jazzresources/stylesheets/16>.
