TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
In the early 20th century, jazz’s syncopated rhythms and improvisational flair began weaving into classical composition. George Gershwin blurred the lines with masterpieces like Rhapsody in Blue, where bluesy harmonies and jazz rhythms dance with orchestral color. French impressionist Maurice Ravel was inspired by American jazz and incorporated its energy into his Piano Concerto in G.
Even Igor Stravinsky and Darius Milhaud found fresh rhythm and phrasing in jazz, folding its bold spirit into concert halls and opera stages. Jazz brought swing, spontaneity, and a distinctly American voice into the formal world of classical music, forever changing its tone.
This cross-pollination reminds us that music doesn’t live in silos—it grows when genres meet.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.