Swing Definition:
1. A style of jazz that was dominant in the 1930s, and performed by jazz big bands primarily for dancing audiences.

2. A rhythmic style that involves elongating the first of a pair of consecutive eighth notes, and accenting the second of the two. The rhythm is derived from subdividing a quarter note into three equal parts (a triplet) rather than into an even number of parts. Therefore, swung eighth notes are not really eighth notes, but two legs of a triplet tied together, and the third articulated.

3. An elusive quality that some jazz musicians use to describe music they like. (e.g. “that music swings!”)

Bebop Definition:
A style of music developed in the 1940s by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Instead of big bands, musicians tended to form smaller ensembles. The focus was on the soloists, who took extended solos, showcasing their virtuosity and harmonic knowledge. As jazz fell out of favor with popular audiences, Bebop pushed the music into a more intellectual vein, and perhaps marks jazz’ crossover from pop music to art music.

Hard Bop Definition:
A style developed in the 1950s by musicians such as Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, and others. Seen as an extension of bebop, hard bop infused the earlier style with elements of R&B, blues, and gospel. Hard bop was just as virtuosic as bebop, but sought to make jazz more appealing to dance audiences, the way swing had been. A reaction to “cool jazz,” which was partly influenced by European classical music, hard bop is characterized by its focus solely on African American musical styles.

Free Jazz Definition:
A style of music dating from the 1950s and 60s. The name most likely comes from an Ornette Coleman album entitled Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation, released in 1961. Free jazz usually involved the abandonment of chord changes, song structure, and in some cases, conventional tone and technique. Although it was often dismissed by listeners, it has proven to be very influential on today’s jazz.