Rapp on Jazz: Jazz's legacy in rock

Published November 25, 2025 at 6:33 AM EST

Terry Kath, left, co-lead singer of the American band Chicago, is pictured during performance in Verona, Italy, Sept. 1, 1977. Drummer is Danny Seraphine and on the congas is Laudir Soares de Oliveira. Others are unidentified. (AP Photo/Raoul Fornezza)

TRANSCRIPT:

I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.

The band Chicago combined rock energy with jazz sophistication right from the start.. Songs like "25 or 6 to 4" feature complex brass lines, syncopation, and intricate harmonies that could easily belong in a jazz ensemble.

Blood, Sweat & Tears helped create the jazz-rock fusion genre in the late 1960s. Their arrangements mixed rock’s drive with jazz harmonies, brass, and improvisation in tracks like "Spinning Wheel" and "And When I Die."

Tower of Power brought jazz and funk into rock with their distinctive horn-driven sound. Their tight, syncopated brass arrangements, especially in songs like "What Is Hip?" demonstrate a mastery of jazz techniques within a rock-funk setting.

Blending these styles showed that rock could be smart and sophisticated while remaining fun, energetic, and popular.

This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.