Jazz

[Bridge]

My only real exposure to jazz was the Hellsing anime OST, although the genre is branded as "acid jazz" (not sure if it counts). Here's some examples:










While I wouldn't consider myself properly acquainted with the culture, I do rather fancy jazz lingo. Even if none of the phrases make any literal sense, like "that cat that just swagged out of here was one cool customer, but he was up into some bad china if you know what I mean", one can still know exactly what they're on about (contextually, at least). One of the latest internet phrases "rustled my jimmies" has a jazzy ring to it, don't you think? It sounds like the sort of thing you'd hear some guy in a fedora say in some smokey basement with a pool table & a saxophone playing in the background.

Yeah, jazz lingo is awesome. Read up on Lester Young if you want to know where most of it comes from. He literally invented an entire subculture by himself and miraculously almost everybody adopted it (he's also theorized to be the one who first started using the word "cool" as "hip/fashionable"). If you actually do want to get acquainted with the culture, read Miles Davis' autobiography Miles. Apart from being one of the funniest books ever it is packed with jazz history (especially the huge drug problem [most notably heroin] which is by far the most negative thing about jazz) and general American history (from the 1940s to 1980s in New York and LA and a bunch of other places and countries). Really one of the most amazing books ever if you want something to read.

Also that Hellsing stuff is definitely not jazz but it is indeed acid jazz, which actually has very little to do with actual jazz. Acid jazz to my understanding is a general mixture of funk, soul and hip hop (the links you posted also have some pop and rock elements). Most jazz fans would argue (and I would too) that nothing can be jazz if it doesn't swing (swing is a general term describing typical jazz rhythm; if you know any music theory it basically means (usually) eighth notes with the eighth note preceding the upbeats being played very late, so it feels like a rolling or "swinging" motion).