written by RichCat06 on September 5, 2025
Here's a fun fact about me: I love jazz! It's one of my favorite genres of music. Most people think it's just this boring genre that only stuffy rich people listen to, but that's not necessarily true. There's a lot, and I mean A LOT to unpack with the genre, and it seems to be overgeneralized. When most people think of jazz, they think of guys like Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, and Charles Mingus. (It could be worse. They might think of this jackass who bastardized the entire genre. If you hate jazz because of him, I get it.) But again, jazz is much more than that. There's so much nuance to it that most people just don't understand it.
So, enough of me waxing poetic about it, and how it's underappreciated, let's list some reasons why I love jazz!
I just love how intricate the arrangements are in jazz. And you don't need to have a whole orchestra to achieve that sort of thing here. You could have just three guys playing away in their own element, but at the same time, it's a cohesive unit. One could be absolutely shredding it on an electric guitar, while one's just plucking at a double bass, and the other guy is hammering his drum set. A jazz piece is a lot like an onion in that sense. There's so much going on in just about every jazz track. It doesn't matter if it's just one guy, or a big band-type situation. (That's one of the reasons why most people just don't like it. It's too busy for them, and that's okay.)
For me, the best alternative to a counseling session is to lie in my bed, earbuds in my ears, and listen to a gentle jazz track. It helps you think about all your troubles and your mistakes, while also soothing you of any anxiety or stress you may be experiencing at that given moment. It might be able to help you if you have problems in your life. It'll put you at ease.
If you're a hip-hop or rap fan, and you appreciate the improvisational elements of those genres, take some time out of your day to listen to a jazz tune. You may not like it at first, but keep listening, and you'll probably find something to love about it. A lot of genres draw inspiration from this particular aspect of jazz (just a few examples: rock, pop, rap, hip-hop, R&B/soul, and even a little bit of country or folk.) There's even a whole subsect of jazz that's dedicated to its improvisational elements, and that's free jazz! (If you want an intro to the genre, and some recommendations on which free jazz records to listen to, this video is a pretty good resource for that.)