Everything Jazz

In jazz, the skilled performer will interpret a tune in very individual ways, never playing the same composition exactly the same way twice. Depending upon the performer’s mood and personal experience, interactions with fellow musicians, or even members of the audience, a jazz musician/performer may alter melodies, harmonies or time signature at will. European classical music has been said to be a composer’s medium. Jazz, however, is often characterized or described as the product of freethinking creativity, interaction and collaboration, placing equal value on the contributions of composer and performer, skillfully weighing the respective claims of the composer and the improviser.