Jazz is a genre of music that was developed in the early 20th century. It is widely characterized by intense improvisation on the music with distinctive beats, performance techniques, and syncopated patterns. What makes it different from other music forms is that the musicians can play with their unique sound and style on the instruments they play or the songs the singers perform. As Smithsonian Institution puts it, "jazz makes something familiar, like a song, into something fresh."

Amazon recommends these new releases of jazz music in their store. Immerse and soothe yourself more into "America's classical music" with these five selected albums.

Half The Perfect World by Madeleine Peyroux

Half The Perfect World by Madeleine Peyroux
(Photo : Amazon.com)

The 12-track LP is the fourth studio album by jazz singer Madeleine Peyroux. Released in September 2006, it hit the Billboard 200 albums chart and landed at No. 33 at its peak. The collection, mostly written by artists of her generation, takes on a more mature approach as compared to her previous two albums. Reviewers found the album to be one of Peyroux's best with her magnificent voice, a "must-have" in one's collection. "Half The Perfect World" is available in Audio MP3, CD, vinyl record, and on Amazon Music.

Live at the Royal Albert Hall - Snarky Puppy 

Snarky Puppy - Live at the Royal Albert Hall
(Photo : Amazon.com)

Freshly released album on March 13, 2020, by Snarky Puppy, the album features 11 tracks on the playlist. The performance was recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The Brooklyn-based jazz fusion band, composed of 12 musicians, keeps on coming up with fresh, innovative takes that have significantly contributed to the growth of jazz in the last 10 years. Grab a copy of Snarky Puppy's newest project on MP3 and Audio CD and also on Amazon Music with unlimited streaming.

Manhattan Special

Manhattan Special
(Photo : Amazon.com)

Onyx Collective, a New York jazz ensemble, just freshly released "Manhattan Special" on April 24, 2020. The album, currently available through Amazon music, contains 10 of the band's innovative versions of the legendary songwriters, the duos of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Isaiah Barr, the group leader of Onyx Collective, said with the vintage Jazz Age theme, it wanted to "paint a dreamy kind of surrealist portrait of the fantastical side of Manhattan." Familiar songs such as "My Funny Valentine," "Getting To Know You," "Blue Moon," take on a varied, unique interpretation that will delight jazz lovers.

Solo Masterpieces by Pasquale Grasso 

Solo Masterpieces by Pasquale Grasso
(Photo : Amazon.com)

The 12-track LP is the latest addition to the guitar virtuoso's digital showcase series. "Solo Masterpieces" is a masterful collection of pieces from his previous works - Solo Standards, Vol. 1, Solo Ballads, Vol. 1, Solo Monk, and Solo Holiday - along with few fresh tunes. Revel in Grasso's hypnotizing string-plucking through Amazon Music, which was out on March 6, 2020.

Iron Starlet by Connie Han

Iron Starlet by Connie Han
(Photo : Amazon.com)

The 23-year old pianist and composer Connie Han teams up with several gifted musicians: drummer/producer/musical director Bill Wysaske, bassist Ivan Taylor, and saxophonist Walter Smith III and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt on some tracks - for her second album "Iron Starlet." The 10-track album is expected to be released in Amazon Music, Audio CD, and MP3 on June 12, 2020. The young Han is considered as "an armor-clad talent" with a compelling vision, is set to conquer the jazz world with her sound rooted in its rhythmic drive.

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