Happy Hour

01: a beginner’s guide to jazz-house

“I really love jazz, but I will never be a jazz musician as much as I dream. 

But, I think that the jazz music I love is there in my music.” – Laura Mvula

The spirit of jazz has been guiding house music since its inception in 1980s Chicago, when artists like Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy first used primitive DJ mixers and other electronic instruments to create on-the-fly combinations of different musical styles. What began as their soundtrack to dance floors in clubs and warehouses – an eclectic, improvisational fusion of jazz-funk, euro-pop, rock and disco – then spread throughout the states and the rest of the world. The sound evolved, compartmentalized, and ‘house’ music became a kaleidoscopic genre unto itself. 

Some of these permutations eschew organic sounds completely, like acid house, which opts for a raw, rhythmic approach propelled by squelchy basslines from the Roland TR-303. Other styles emphasize a more soothing atmosphere, like deep house, which often includes jazz chords and soulful vocals in its propulsive mid-tempo rhythms. But jazz-house, true to its name, keeps jazz music front-and-center. Whether through samples or live organic instrumentation, jazz-house seeks to replicate the atmosphere of jazz in a house track, sometimes even creating 1:1 mixtures of electronics and jazz soloing. 

Therein lies the key to distinguishing it from even the jazziest deep house. Broadly speaking, jazz-house sounds like jazz music with house music influence, rather than the other way around. Sound intriguing?   

To get you started, I’ve compiled a list of must-hear jazz-house (check out that double hyphen!!), ranging from original maestros of the style, to newer cats carrying the torch. Honorable mentions to Jazzanova, Shazz, Kaidi Tatham, K15, David Alvarado, and so many others who have made great contributions to the jazz-house canon.

Larry Heard – Sceneries Not Songs (Chicago, 1993)

Larry Heard (aka Mr. Fingers) is frequently credited with founding the emotional, introspective house sound. His seminal album Sceneries Not Songs, Volume One was a curveball for the scene, straying from its stomping & jacking house tradition, instead opting for a tender, expressive synthesis of ambient house & jazz

Kevin Yost – One Starry Night (Pennsylvania, 1998)

Kevin Yost’s One Starry Night is widely considered to be a landmark release for jazz-house & deep house, but it sometimes flies under the radar, even with the most devoted house heads. The sounds here range from bossa nova to Afro-Latin jazz, sewn together with tight yet organic house rhythms

St. Germain – Tourist (France, 2000)

The iconic Tourist LP features St. Germain and a stellar group of session artists exploring jazz, dub, blues, and hip-hop. The track list is a music lover’s paradise and features plenty of quality jazz-house

Joe Claussell – Language (New York, 1999)

Joe Claussell released the afro-house compilation Language on legendary Ibadan Records in 1999, and to this day it remains an iconic release for the underground. Leans heavily into African and Latin styles with an array of lively, unique jazz-house fusions

Passion Dance Orchestra – Worlds (Germany, 2024)

German trio NEEDS have been pushing jazz-forward, spiritual house music since the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, and its sole remaining member, Lars Bartkuhn, has continued producing music under the NEEDS banner, with work as recent as December 2024. This digital release of “Worlds (Theme 2)” is accompanied by two additional takes, the “Laurentius Dub” and “Recovery,” creating the feel of an album experience on a three-track EP

Ron Trent – Jazz It Up (Chicago, 2008)

Ron Trent’s work frequently veers into space-y jazz territory. He was there at the beginning, and in 2008, helped remind us with Jazz It Up

Chaos In The CBD – Accidental Meetings EP (New Zealand, 2017)

Chaos in the CBD sent a shockwave through the underground with their 2016 two-tracker “Global Erosion” b/w “Background Explorer” and since then have sustained a prolific run of releases & circuit touring. In 2017, they launched “In Dust We Trust,” a record label which houses (no pun intended) many of their own releases in deep house and jazz-house. The label debut, Accidental Meetings EP, is a perfect example of well-executed, modern jazz-house

Trinidadian Deep – Drums of Passion (United Kingdom, 2011)

A terrific showing from one of Ron Trent’s disciples: Trinidadian Deep…

Drums of Passion is a 70+ minute album of deep, tribal house that often veers into jazz-house territory

Now that’s jazz! Thanks for reading! Happy listening, and happy digging

See you next time