Straight-ahead jazz is a term used to refer to a widely accepted style of jazz music playing that can be thought of as roughly encompassing the period between bebop and the 1960s styles of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. This style of jazz is considered the lingua franca of jam sessions, and can usually be contrasted with smooth jazz.
As imprecise as the term is as used by jazz musicians, it can be loosely characterized by the following:
- A walking bass
- A swing 4/4 time signature in the drums
- In the piano, syncopated chords in the left hand, and melodic, mostly single-note soloing in the right hand
- A head followed by a solo by each melody instrument, and sometimes drums and bass, followed by a reprise of the head
However, many Latin rhythms are also sufficiently well-established to be considered straight-ahead. See also jazz waltz.
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