Music

Ralph Ellison, author of "Invisible Man," grew up playing the trumpet and carried jazz in his bones.

“C” is for Chapman, Martha Marshall, II (b. 1949). Musician. Classified by many as a country-music artist, Martha Marshall Chapman,II, and her style nonetheless have been difficult to categorize.

“C” is for Chapman, Martha Marshall, II (b. 1949). Musician. Classified by many as a country-music artist, Martha Marshall Chapman,II, and her style nonetheless have been difficult to categorize.

Allen Ginsberg, a powerful voice of the Beat Generation, drew deep inspiration from jazz.

When you think of the Beat Generation, you think of Jack Kerouac—and behind his writing, you’ll almost always find jazz.

Langston Hughes, the celebrated poet of the Harlem Renaissance, was deeply inspired by the music of Duke Ellington.

Langston Hughes, one of the leading voices of the Harlem Renaissance, often described his poetry as “jazz written on the page.” He was deeply inspired by the rhythms, improvisation, and spirit of African American music.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby" is as much a story of jazz as it is of love and ambition.

In jazz, the bassline is the heartbeat of the music. The bassist provides the harmonic foundation, outlining the chord changes while keeping the rhythm moving.

One of the defining sounds of jazz is the blue note—a pitch slightly lowered from the standard scale. These notes give jazz its characteristic tension, color, and emotional depth.