What is Jazz?
Jazz is difficult to define, since different people have their own understandings of what jazz really is. However, every definition will revolve around one word, improvisation. According to Wiskirchen in 1975, all attempts to define jazz involve the following essential elements: an identifiable rhythmic feel achieved largely through the use of syncopation; a tonal approach that is distinguishable from the "classical" by its specialized phrasings, tone colors, and such effects as bendings; and finally and most importantly, improvisation. Every singer and performer in the band was performing variations of a melody at his or her pitch, but each of them emerged into a harmony.
