modern jazz

American  

noun

1. any of various styles of jazz that have evolved since the early 1940s and are marked generally by harmonic and rhythmic complexity, emphasis on chord progressions rather than melody, a tendency to draw on classical forms and styles, and eclectic, allusive melodic tags in improvisation.

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modern jazz British  

noun

1. any of the styles of jazz that evolved between the early 1940s and the later emergence of avant-garde jazz, characterized by a greater harmonic and rhythmic complexity than hitherto

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Etymology

Origin of modern jazz

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

modern jazz

In 2024, he released a documentary film, “Resilience,” focused on the impact of free music education programs in Los Angeles and how they helped build the city’s modern jazz scene.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Through a career spanning more than 60 years, Mr. Lloyd has created as buoyant and searching a body of music as modern jazz knows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2025

US jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette, a major figure in modern jazz who collaborated with Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett, has died at 83, his management said on Monday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2025

Wayne Shorter, the enigmatic, intrepid saxophonist who shaped the color and contour of modern jazz as one of its most intensely admired composers, died on Thursday in Los Angeles.

From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023

Whether the music is classical, modern, jazz, or pop, listen for repeated sections of music.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones