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Definition of Acid Jazz

Acid jazz (sometimes groove jazz) is a musical genre that combines jazz influences with elements of soul music, funk, disco and hip hop. It developed over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as taking the boundary crossing of jazz fusion onto new ground. Largely initiated in London and gaining the name from the Acid Jazz record label, pioneering groups were Jamiroquai, Incognito, Galliano, Brand New Heavies, James Taylor Quartet, Young Disciples and Corduroy.

In the United States notable acid-jazz groups are: Groove Collective and Solsonics. Other more recent artists and groups who have produced music in this genre include Mother Earth, Mr. Scruff, and Praful.

A typical acid jazz group would consist of a rhythm section built round bass guitar, electric guitar and drums, a horn section (trumpets, saxophones, trombones, etc) tied together by some kind of keyboard instrument (providing either rhythmic support or ambient sound effects) and vocals.

STILL UNCLEAR what Acid Jazz is?!

Here's another angle.  It is a funky music style which incorporates elements of jazz, 70s funk, hip-hop, soul, as well as other things. It can be all live, it can be sampled, it can be a mixture of both. Generally, the focus of Acid Jazz is the music, as opposed to the lyrics/ words (versus rap mixed with jazz samples, which focuses on the words, and maybe a little on heavy beats). It is a groovy music that sometimes wants to make you move, sometimes wants to tell you what's going down, and sometimes just sits in the background as you bob your head, not quite knowing why you are feeling so funky.

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Jamiroquai

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Incognito

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Galliano

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Brand New Heavies

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James Taylor Quartet

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Young Disciples

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Corduroy

 
Incognito "Jazzanova"

Ministry of Sound "Chillo"