Nu Jazz Music Guide: 4 Characteristics of Nu Jazz Music

Nu jazz music is a style of electronica that showcases improvisation and harmonic concepts typically found in jazz. It is also known by the names electro-jazz, e-jazz, electronic lounge, future jazz, jazztronica, and jazz house.

Like its close cousin acid jazz, nu jazz emerged from the electronic music scene of the 1980s and 1990s. Many of its early purveyors were versed in drum machines and samplers. Some came from the jazz-funk scene pioneered in New York by artists like Miles Davis. Others were schooled in hip-hop turntablism.

Nu jazz artists emerged around the globe in the 1990s and into the twenty-first century, but to this day, the movement remains most popular in the nightclubs of Europe. Groups like Germany's Jazzanova, England's Quantic and the Cinematic Orchestra, and Norway's Xploding Plastix and Jaga Jazzist remain popular with devoted fan bases.

Nu jazz music stands out in the world of both jazz and electronica thanks to several key characteristics.

1. 1. Emphasis on groove: While acid jazz features a substantive degree of improvisation, nu jazz focuses more on steady grooves played beneath jazz harmonies. In this way, it is more removed from the big band, bebop, and post-bop traditions of classic jazz.
2. 2. Overlap with other genres: Nu jazz artists often dabble in other genres. In some cases, these are jazz styles like bebop and cool jazz. More often, these adjacent genres come from the club music scene, including broken beat, downtempo, and trip-hop.
3. 3. Sophisticated harmonies: Nu jazz—along with acid jazz—stands out for the sophistication of its harmonies. Club music playlists may intersperse nu jazz tracks among tracks from the Chicago house, Detroit techno, and drum-and-bass scenes. Compared to these other dance genres, nu jazz offers more challenging harmonic concepts and more space for instrumental improvisation.
4. 4. Rock-style compositions: While some nu jazz groups embrace the harmonies of big band and bebop music, others hew more closely to rock music or the indie post-rock scene.

While nu jazz rarely cracks popular music charts, the scene manages to support many artists.

1. 1. Jaga Jazzist: This Norwegian nu jazz collective merges electronic soundscapes with acoustic instruments like guitar, bass, vibraphone, and various members of the brass and woodwind families.
2. 2. Jazzanova: This German DJ collective bounces between nu jazz and related electronic music subgenres like chillout, broken beat, and acid jazz.
3. 3. St. Germain: French multi-instrumentalist and producer Ludovic Navarre records under the name St. Germain. His music combines funky, hypnotic grooves with instrumental licks from traditional jazz and blues.
4. 4. The Cinematic Orchestra: The brainchild of UK multi-instrumentalist Jason Swinscoe, The Cinematic Orchestra focuses on mood-based dramatic music with occasional jazz flourishes.
5. 5. Nils Petter Molvær: Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær comes to nu jazz from a more traditional jazz background. His pieces combine moody tapestries with funky grooves and occasionally edgy jazz harmonies.

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