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Current Public Issue: Importance of Jazz in the Society

Introduction 

The contemporary world is full of issues that affect the regular operation and wellbeing of human beings. New problems keep emerging now and then which have a unique impact on society. At this point, a critical analysis will be conducted on a factor that once influenced the overall being of human beings, but it is slowly fading away. Jazz music is the public aspect that will be analyzed accordingly. Jazz music is African-American originality which had a wide range of impacts on an individual and in the society at large. However, as times change, there is a turnaround of events where Jazz culture is slowly fading away as it is no longer taken as seriously as it used to be. With a constant change of events in the art industry, Jazz music and culture is slowly dying off; however, its role and impacts on the society will at all the time remain to be significant compared to any other form of art in the American society.

Background of Jazz

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-Americans in the United States of America. According to research conducted by Ferris Jean (1993), Jazz is considered Americas Classical Music (Ferris, p. 222). During the 19th and 20th century, Jazz music had spread and was among the best genres of songs that most Americans were listening. Jazz had a significant impact on the society which to a point was able to facilitate various activities and actions to take place. Although at this time most Jazz players were Africans, the genre slowly started being accepted by whites who also found Jazz as interesting and influential as their African-American counterparts (Gerard, p. 11).

Since Jazz music was African-American art, they used Jazz in communicating and presenting their grievances. It was one peaceful way that African-Americans could communicate without being accused of doing an unlawful act that was not approved by the white man. All this was achieved as a result of different and unique styles of Jazz (Gridley, p. 11). The styles were complex as they incorporated various songwriting styles. The styles were incorporated in a manner that they were able to come up with a single style that was used in communication. The single form was later named Jazz (Greenwood, Peter, and Editor, p. 22). In so doing, there was no point where the African-Americans would have violated any law. All this was seen and regarded as a form of art. It is since then that Jazz has been in use and will forever remain to be a significant genre that will make at no point fade away.

However, as time moves by, Jazz is slowly fading away as new music genres are taking over which tend to be accepted by a majority in the contemporary world. At this point, Jazz is gradually being swallowed to form other musical genres that are believed to be hybrid (Kalouti, p. 1). Despite the role played by Jazz in the society, the majority of the society prefer other genres of songs over Jazz. It is for this reason that the genre is slowly fading away without noticing. The few individuals who still hold on to Jazz know and understand the importance of Jazz as it has for a long time been in action and has had positive impacts on society. Critically analyzing the trend at which the music industry is slowly being eroded with new and undefined music genres, it is clear that the future of Jazz is in a way threatened (Nicholson, p. 17). However, if a proper stand and strategy are employed, there is a bright future for the continuity and wellbeing of Jazz music.

Due to the current integration and merging of Jazz with other music genres, the impact Jazz had on the society is slowly fading away. The larger population that Jazz used to influence into doing or acting accordingly is gradually moving away from Jazz (West, p. 1). It is at this point that society no longer sees or feels the impact of Jazz in society anymore. Jazz used to be a source of income to most of the players and writers who are at this point have lost hope as many people are no longer interested in Jazz. Moreover, Jazz used to be a genre that educated and gave proper options to people, at this point, people are making decisions without being careful thus ending up making poor decisions that affect their life (Crouch, p. 33). It is for this reason that the public in America is wondering what to do so that to curb some emerging activities that could be prevented.

Importance of Jazz in the Society 

Jazz is a musical genre that has for a long time had influences on how the society operates. The impacts at this point are all positive, and that is why there is a move that is aimed at reviving the genre. For instance, Jazz has had an impact on American culture in various ways. According to Birdland Jazz Club (2018), Jazz has had an impact on the culture of the Americans where it has changed the way people live and interact amongst themselves. Birdland Jazz Club further argue that Jazz influenced fashion so that to make it easy for people to dance to Jazz music (Birdland Jazz Club, p. 1). Jazz has also influenced the way poetry is being done where it ensures that ethical considerations are keenly observed. The norms influence all this and being of Jazz. Moreover, the way social movements are being conducted is controlled by the Jazz culture (Levine, p. 3). Since Jazz is played slowly and carefully, the same culture is passed on to the people in the society; thus when it comes to movements, it is done in a more organized and peaceful manner.

Jazz as an Education tool in the Society 

Ruth Mark Katz (2018) argues that Jazz is essential in society as it is used as an education tool. Jazz has for a long time been used as an education tool to train, enlighten and equip people with knowledge from various aspects that take place in the society. For instance, people use Jazz to warn society on an impending danger (Katz, p. 2). It is also used to teach the young generation on patience and perseverance in life. All this is to help them understand the world and how it operates. Furthermore, Jazz can be used to express one’s deep feelings in a particular aspect. It is in such a manner that an individual can talk of what they are feeling and in so doing they can be helped accordingly.

Social Importance of Jazz in the Society 

Socially, Jazz has played a significant role in supporting peace and coexistence in American society. Just like any other social activity, Jazz brought people together where they enjoyed the music and got to know each other. It is at this point where conflicting individuals get to talk and settle their differences peacefully. Jazz is an art where an individual sits down to write songs which are later sold to earn a living (Philipp, p. 1). In such a manner, Jazz plays a significant impact on creating job opportunities for people in society.

Stakeholder Perspective 

Jazz is a musical genre that has comprehensive support which is based on its techniques. However, there has been a drop in support of Jazz due to the new music genres that are taking over the industry to the point that is in a way rendering Jazz a dying genre. Despite Jazz losing fans, some stakeholders are affected by the situation. For instance, Jazz artist, Jazz music store owners, the Government, Jazz music fans, and Jazz music producers, to name a few are among the significant stakeholders of Jazz. At this point, a critical analysis will be conducted on each of the stakeholders to find out their thought on the current situation with Jazz.

Jazz Artists

Jazz artists are the primary players who are affected by the dying nature of Jazz in society. They are the individuals who write the lyrics and at times singing. Since Jazz is slowly dying off, some Jazz artist no longer writes music and have opted for some other businesses or careers. Other artists have evolved and changed from Jazz to the current popular music genres. The action taken by the artist is always on a personal level, and most of the time it is criticized. For instance, most Jazz artists believe that at no point should a Jazz artist abandon his or her career and follow a different path. The view is always different as some argue that the view will at no point be able to take care of an individual’s bills more-so when Jazz is slowly fading off.

Jazz Music Store Owner 

Jazz music store owners play a significant role in both the artist and fans and lovers of Jazz music. The store owners are individuals who ensure that artist music reaches the people accordingly without any delay. They are the people who provide that artist can get returns from the music they make. However, due to the decreasing rate of Jazz lovers and buyers, most store owners have started diversifying their businesses into something else. The main reason as to why they are expanding is to ensure that they remain in business despite Jazz music fading away. The view of expanding their Jazz music store is shared by many as it helps in making sure that they stay in business. Moreover, the store owners argue that at no point should anyone limit their minds at one thing in life. Always being open-minded helps in making sure that an individual can remain relevant in life.

Jazz Music Fans

Jazz music fans are individuals who enjoy listening and dancing to the sweet tunes of Jazz music. A music lover will at no point stop listening and dancing to music that they love the most. At this point, a Jazz lover will at no point stop listening to new songs as long as they are released, however, if artist stops producing the songs, slowly by slowly the love of Jazz fades away. Several Jazz fans argue that they are ready and willing to buy and listen to new Jazz tracks as long as they are produced. From such a response, it is clear that the artist is the ones failing their fans. For his reason, the artist should come up with a proper strategy that will help them write and record new songs.

Jazz Music Produces

Jazz music producers are the individuals who work hand in hand with the artist to ensure that they produce a quality song that will be listened to by fans. Producers provide that the type of song recorded is of high quality that will make the fans love it. However, producers are significantly affected when Jazz songwriters and singers do not come to record songs. Such an act has made the producers to also vouch for other opportunities. All this is to ensure that they are still in business and can make money. A significant number of producers believe that moving on and exploring new opportunity is a wise move because it will save one from being jobless.

The Government

The Government is a significant stakeholder in the Jazz because of the ability and influence it has on society. Just as seen before, Jazz plays a role of educator, job creation, motivator, and mediator, and the Government is interested as it has a high interest in the influences Jazz has to the whole nation at large. Therefore, if Jazz is eradicated, the there government will have lost a great deal. It will mean that they get to design a strategy that will help cover up all the activities and actions done by Jazz. For this reason, the Government has to come up with a proper plan that will help revive Jazz in the Society.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that Jazz is an issue that has to be taken care of accordingly without any ignorance. Many activities and actions are directly linked to Jazz, which means that in case Jazz is cut off, there will be an issue in the society. Therefore proper strategies have to be put in place so that they can be able to control Jazz in the nation.

Work Cited

Club, Birdland Jazz. “Why Jazz Music is Important to American Culture.” A Medium Coorporation. Available at: https://medium.com/@birdlandjazz/why-jazz-music-is-important-to-american-culture-f17efdf4a0ae (2018).

Crouch, Stanley. ” “Opinion: The Problem With Jazz Criticism” .” Newsweek. Retrieved April 9, 2010. (June 5, 2003).

Ferris, Jean. “America’s Musical Landscape. .” Brown and Benchmark. ISBN 0-697-12516-5. pp. 228, 233 (1993).

Gerard, C. “Jazz in black and white: Race, culture, and identity in the jazz community.” Westport, CT: Praeger. (1998).

Greenwood, David Peñalosa, Peter and collaborator Editor. “The Clave Matrix: Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principles and African Origins.” Redway, CA: Bembe Books. p. 229. ISBN 978-1-886502-80-2. (2009).

Gridley, Mark C. “Jazz Styles: History and Analysis.” 7th edn. (2000: 61).

Kalouti, Noor, et al. ““6 Genre-Bending Artists Fusing Jazz with Electronic Music – Soundfly.” .” Soundfly, 11 July 2016, flypaper.soundfly.com/discovery/nu-jazz-6-artists-fuse-jazz-electronic-music/ (2016).

Katz, Ruth Mark. “The Significance of Jazz (African Rhythms) In Our Community.” The Drums of Change Drums of Spirit. Available at: http://www.drumsofchangedrumsofspirit.com/SIGNIFICANCE-AND-IMPORTANCE-OF-JAZZ-IMUSIC—IN-THE-AFRICAN-AMERICAN-COMMUNITY.html (2018).

Levine, L. W. “azz and American culture. The Journal of American Folklore.” 102(403), 6-22. Retrieved October 23, 2008, from JSTOR database. (1989).

Nicholson, Stuart. ““Jazztronica: A Brief History of the Future of Jazz.” .” JazzTimes, 3 Jan. 2003, jazztimes.com/features/jazztronica-a-brief-history-of-the-future-of-jazz/. (2003).

Philipp, Zola. “The Social Effects of Jazz.” The City University of New York. Available at: https://www.york.cuny.edu/academics/writing-program/the-york-scholar-1/volume-6.1-fall-2009/the-social-effects-of-jazz (2017).

West, Michael J. “”Jazz Articles: Steve Coleman: Vital Information”.” Jazztimes.com. Retrieved June 5, 2011. (June 2, 2010).