noun / verb
jazz
JAZ/dʒæz/
Rhythmically lively music built around improvisation and syncopation.
The saxophonist and bassist play jazz together, responding closely to each other.
Etymology
Jazz first appears in baseball slang before naming a musical style. It may ultimately come from jasm, meaning “energy, vitality, spirit,” but that connection is uncertain.
In context
the similarity between jazz style and Baroque music. Why is that the case? Well, Baroque music has a lot of driving rhythm in it, kind of regular rhythm in it, and jazz has a kind of regular, pulsating rhythm
More examples
- She loves jazz for its unexpected rhythms and inventive solos.
- We listen to jazz on the drive home.
- Bright pillows jazz up the plain gray couch.
Forms
jazz · jazzes · jazzed · jazzing
jazzy adjective — Having the lively musical qualities of jazz.