These two short essays from eminent researchers and writers, Francesco Martinelli and Marcus O’Dair, were commissioned by the Europe Jazz Network under the framework of the activity ‘Raising the profile of jazz and creative music within the music sector’.
The objective of the commissions was to research and illustrate the, often underrated, influence that jazz and creative music have on other forms of contemporary popular music such as rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic music. The jazz community is constantly producing new ideas, projects and artists, with much of the experimentation within the genre nourishing, not only other genres, but feeding the music industry as a whole. Many jazz artists regularly collaborate with pop singers and rock bands, rap MCs and electronic producers. They also write music for film and television and for the classical concert platform. Jazz musicians influence the development of many different musical genres with their skills and creativity, with key innovations in playing styles and the creative use of the recording studio emanating from the jazz community.
We hope that these articles contribute to a better understanding of how the music ecosystem, and all its creativity, cannot be easily divided into genres. And to illustrate how the rich experimentation that takes place within our musical community influences and enriches the whole music spectrum, including more commercial music. It is therefore important to continue to cultivate and support all areas of the musical ecosystem, whether fringe or mainstream, and to recognise all the complex ramifications of these practices. Most of all we hope that you will enjoy reading these articles and listening to the playlists that come with them, and appreciate the immediate feeling of the beauty of these creative connections.
DOWNLOAD HERE the full pubblication (pdf format, 1,8MB), or check it out on Issuu: https://issuu.com/europejazznetwork/docs/creative_connections_ejn_2021
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST with the selections by Francesco Martinelli: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6GHfLVtdfLGKZ3lFQGqHNQ?si=72527466c005405e
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST with the selections by Marcud O'Dair: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75T86R7p2mJxEGOBixz2rE?si=d0fe427f238b41a5
