Acid jazz, also called club jazz, psychedelic jazz, or groove jazz, is a music style that mixes funk, soul, and hip hop. It started in London clubs in the 1980s with the rare groove movement and later spread to the United States, Western Europe, Latin America, and Japan. Musicians from the UK included The Brand New Heavies, Incognito, James Taylor Quartet, Us3, and Jamiroquai. In the U.S., Guru, Buckshot LeFonque, and Digable Planets were part of the genre. As electronic club music became popular in the mid to late 1990s, interest in acid jazz decreased. By the 21st century, acid jazz became harder to define as a separate genre. Many artists once considered acid jazz are now seen as part of jazz-funk or nu jazz.
Characteristics
The name "acid jazz" was likely created by Gilles Peterson. The record label with the same name was started by Chris Bangs, Eddie Piller, and Gilles Peterson. The term refers to the acid house music genre, which was popular in UK clubs during the 1980s. However, acid jazz is not an electronic music genre and is not connected to other music styles with "acid" in their names, such as acid house, acid trance, or acid techno. These genres use sounds made by the Roland TB-303 synthesizer. In a 1992 TV interview, DJs Femi Williams and Marco Nelson from Young Disciples said they created the term because their club had acid music playing downstairs and jazz music upstairs. They thought it would be fun to call the jazz area "The Acid Jazz Room." However, this claim is questionable because the interview happened five years after the Acid Jazz label was created, and Young Disciples began their work three years after the label was formed.
Acid jazz had two connected styles. The first style involved DJs and producers who added percussion and electronic dance beats to jazz songs from the 1960s and 1970s. The second style included groups influenced by these recordings, who focused on creating a strong rhythm or groove. Acid jazz borrowed elements from jazz, funk, and hip-hop. It often uses live performances and heavy percussion, which sometimes links it to jazz. However, its focus on groove connects it more closely to funk, hip-hop, and dance music. The style is known for its danceable rhythms and long, repeating musical pieces. Acid jazz bands usually include horns, a rhythm section (such as bass guitar, drums, and extra percussion), a singer who may sing or rap, and a DJ.
History
Acid jazz began in the 1950s and 1960s when musicians mixed psychedelic styles with other types of music, including jazz. In the 1980s, acid jazz became popular in London clubs when DJs linked to the rare groove movement played unusual jazz records. These DJs were interested in the edges of jazz fusion, jazz funk, and soul jazz from the 1960s. Important records came from the Blue Note catalog. One of these DJs was Gilles Peterson, who worked at London clubs in the 1980s. Peterson started at a small pirate radio station and later joined Kiss-FM. In 1988, Peterson and producer Eddie Piller created the label Acid Jazz Records. Their first release was the compilation Totally Wired, which included rare jazz funk tracks from the 1970s and new songs.
In 1990, Peterson left Acid Jazz Records to start Talkin' Loud at Phonogram. This label signed artists like Galliano, Young Disciples, and Urban Species. Another British label, Fourth and Broadway Records, began in 1990 and released a series called The Rebirth of Cool. This label worked with artists such as Pharoah Sanders, Stereo MCs, MC Solaar, and Courtney Pine.
In 1991, acid jazz became popular with the success of Brand New Heavies. After one album with Acid Jazz Records in 1990, the group signed with FFRR Records and had hit songs like "Never Stop" and "Dream Come True." Other bands included Incognito and Us3, whose song "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" (1993) was the biggest hit in the genre. Jamiroquai, an early act with Acid Jazz Records, signed with Sony and released the album Travelling Without Moving (1996), which included the hit single "Virtual Insanity." Live acts like Stereo MCs and the James Taylor Quartet also performed. As acid jazz became popular, many compilations were released, which confused people about the genre.
Acid jazz spread to the United States in the early 1990s. In 1990, British promoter Maurice Bernstein and his South African partner Jonathan Rudnick started Groove Academy as a party at the Giant Step club in New York City. Groove Academy later became a record label and media company. Acid jazz musicians in New York included Brooklyn Funk Essentials, DJ Smash, and Jerome Van Rossum. In San Francisco, acid jazz was released by Ubiquity Records. In Los Angeles, Solsonics released acid jazz, and in San Diego, The Greyboy Allstars played the style.
A Tribe Called Quest used jazz influences on their album The Low End Theory (1991). Under the name Buckshot LeFonque, Branford Marsalis and Digable Planets won a Grammy Award for the 1993 song "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)."
Groove Collective, formed in New York in 1990, released their self-titled debut in 1993. Rapper Guru created the Jazzmatazz series, which included albums recorded with jazz musicians.
From Chicago in 1993, Liquid Soul gained national attention in 1996 when their self-titled debut LP was re-released by Ark21. In 2000, their album Here's the Deal was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
Acid jazz became popular worldwide, including in Japan, Germany, Brazil, and Eastern Europe. From Japan, United Future Organization gained international fame and signed an American record deal in 1994. Other artists included Mondo Grosso and Gota Yashiki in Japan, and Skalpel in Poland.
As electronic club music grew in the mid- to late-1990s, interest in acid jazz declined. However, the genre still had a small following worldwide. In the 21st century, acid jazz blended with other styles, making it hard to define as a separate genre. Many artists once linked to acid jazz are now seen as part of jazz funk, neo soul, or jazz rap.
Q magazine said, "Acid jazz was the most significant jazz form to emerge out of the British music scene." One major legacy of the genre is its influence on the jam band movement, with acid jazz providing a good setting for long musical improvisations by groups like Medeski, Martin and Wood and The Greyboy Allstars.