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Reference
Jazz style reference
Swing, bebop, hard bop, cool, modal, fusion, gypsy jazz, big band and contemporary offshoots.
How to use this list
Each row pairs a style term with a cue line written in the same grammar: what the music is, what plays it, roughly how fast, and how it feels. Copy the cue, then change one thing at a time so you can tell which token moved the result.
Jazz cues should name the ensemble size and the feel — trio, quartet, big band; swung, straight-eighth, ballad — before anything else.
Combining entries
Solo instructions help: saying who takes the solo and for how long keeps the arrangement from wandering.
If a take drifts away from what you wanted, remove tokens rather than adding more. Long prompts dilute; short, specific ones steer.
| Bebop | bebop, fast walking upright bass, brushed-to-stick ride cymbal, trading alto sax and trumpet lines, comping piano, 240 BPM, restless and virtuosic |
| Hard bop | hard bop, gritty tenor sax lead, blues-inflected piano comping, upright bass, crisp ride pattern, 180 BPM, smoky club warmth |
| Cool jazz | cool jazz, muted trumpet, soft-toned baritone sax, light brushes, relaxed walking bass, 110 BPM, understated and airy |
| Modal jazz | modal jazz, sustained dorian vamp, sparse piano voicings, breathy tenor sax, loose ride cymbal, 92 BPM, meditative and open |
| Swing / big band | big band swing, full brass section stabs, saxophone soli, snare shuffle, slap upright bass, 168 BPM, bright ballroom energy |
| Dixieland | dixieland jazz, collective clarinet trumpet trombone improvisation, banjo strum, tuba bass, marching snare, 200 BPM, joyful parade feel |
| Gypsy jazz | gypsy jazz, la pompe acoustic rhythm guitar, virtuoso lead guitar runs, violin countermelody, upright bass, 200 BPM, hot club swing |
| Jazz ballad | jazz ballad, rubato piano intro, warm tenor sax melody, bowed upright bass, brushed snare, 62 BPM, tender late-night mood |
| Vocal jazz standard | vocal jazz standard, smoky female vocal, piano trio backing, brushed drums, subtle string pad, 96 BPM, intimate supper-club warmth |
| Jazz fusion | jazz fusion, electric Rhodes, fretless bass solos, odd-meter drum grooves, overdriven guitar lead, 132 BPM, energetic and technical |
| Jazz funk | jazz funk, syncopated clavinet, punchy horn stabs, slap bass, tight drum break, wah guitar, 106 BPM, groove-forward and sweaty |
| Acid jazz | acid jazz, looped breakbeat, Hammond organ riffs, muted trumpet, dub-wise bassline, 104 BPM, club-ready retro cool |
| Smooth jazz | smooth jazz, soprano sax lead, glossy electric piano, fretless bass, soft programmed drums, 92 BPM, polished and mellow |
| Latin jazz | latin jazz, montuno piano, congas and timbales, flute and trumpet lines, tumbao bass, 190 BPM, hot and percussive |
| Bossa jazz | bossa jazz, nylon-string guitar comping, soft rim-click drums, breathy vocal, vibraphone accents, 128 BPM, sunlit and relaxed |
| Free jazz | free jazz, atonal saxophone shrieks, arco bass scrapes, rolling free-time drums, prepared piano clusters, no fixed tempo, chaotic and raw |
| Spiritual jazz | spiritual jazz, modal harp arpeggios, soaring tenor sax, tribal tom patterns, chanted group vocals, 88 BPM, transcendent and searching |
| Soul jazz | soul jazz, Hammond B3 organ with Leslie swirl, hollow-body guitar, greasy backbeat, tenor sax, 98 BPM, churchy and laid back |
| Jazz manouche waltz | jazz waltz, 3/4 swing ride cymbal, lyrical piano trio, arco bass accents, 150 BPM, elegant and lilting |
| Nu jazz | nu jazz, programmed broken beat, upright bass samples, dusty Rhodes chords, muted trumpet, 118 BPM, contemporary and hybrid |
| Jazz rap instrumental | jazz rap instrumental, chopped upright bass loop, boom bap drums, sampled horn stab, vinyl crackle, 90 BPM, heady and head-nodding |
| Ragtime | ragtime piano, syncopated right-hand melody, striding left hand, no drums, honky-tonk upright piano, 100 BPM, cheerful and antique |
| Big band shuffle blues | big band blues shuffle, shouting brass riffs, honking tenor solo, boogie piano, 126 BPM, raucous and swinging |
| Chamber jazz | chamber jazz, clarinet and cello interplay, sparse piano, brushed cymbals, chamber string textures, 84 BPM, refined and introspective |
| Organ trio | jazz organ trio, Hammond bass pedals, clean jazz guitar lead, shuffling drums, 116 BPM, warm and conversational |
| Jazz noir | noir jazz, muted trumpet over minor vamp, slow brushed drums, upright bass, distant string pad, 70 BPM, shadowy and cinematic |
Raw data: /guide/reference/lists/jazz-list.json · 26 entries
FAQ
Will I get real improvisation?
You will get something that imitates improvisation convincingly. Ask for a solo section explicitly if you want an extended instrumental passage.
Do I have to use the whole jazz cue line?
No. The lines are built from independent tokens, so you can keep the two or three that matter and drop the rest without breaking the grammar.
Can I mix this list with another one?
Yes — keep one rhythm description, one lead instrument, one production word and a single tempo. Competing rhythm descriptions are the usual cause of muddled results.