Jazz, a 20th century art form, is as American as apple pie. Like rock, it started here, developed here and then spread around the world. It has evolved into a multi-cultural and multi-dimensional form of music that includes a myriad of styles and sub-genres.

It has been a great sadness to me to watch the popularity of this great tradition wane from the 50s until now. The 30s and 40s were the hey days of this music, and its rhythms, melodies and great musicians swept up the world’s imagination and became the essence of popular music in the Big Band era.

But then a funny thing happened. The jazz musicians shot themselves in the foot. Songs with melodies that the masses could follow became songs where the melody was played once and then the musicians took off and ‘out’ in their improvisations.

Then the melodies were dropped altogether and though the chord changes of the song were played, what was played on top of that was unrecognizable – again, to the masses. Then even the chord changes were changed until the mass audience was left behind. A.K.A. Progressive Jazz.

Great musicians played great music for musicians. Only they forgot to include their audience.

The music became more and more complex and sophisticated and the great musicians of the day, musicians like Thelonious Monk, Stan Kenton, McCoy Tyner, John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman took Jazz into the upper stratospheres of musical thought. Trouble is, many of us just didn’t think like that, couldn’t follow, lost interest and moved on to something simpler.

Rock was born.

With Rock came an infinitely simpler kind of music. For instance, for a decade, in the 50s, all the popular songs of the day were written on a chord progression of just three chords. It wasn’t until the Beatles came along that the music evolved to four and then, of course, more as rock developed its own sophistication.

Jazz did not die totally; it just lost its mass audience and began to evolve into an infinite variety of fusions based upon the musician’s love to improvise.

Some of them today are: Acid jazz • Afrobeat Jazz • Bluegrass Jazz • Bossa nova • Calypso jazz • Crossover jazz • Dansband • Deep house • Free funk • Funk • Graf Jazz • Hard bop • Humppa • Jam band • Jazz blues • Jazz funk • Jazz fusion • Jazz rap • Jump blues • Kwela • Livetronica • Mambo • Math rock • Mod revival • Modern Creative • No Wave • Novelty piano • Nu jazz • Nu soul • Post-metal • Progressive rock • Punk jazz • Reggae • Rhythm and blues • Shibuya-kei • Ska • Ska jazz • Smooth jazz • Soul jazz • Spank jazz • Swing revival • World fusion • Yé-yé.

It’s fun just to read the list and witness the imagination of the names, much less the music.

Here at Watchfire Music we have a growing list of international inspirational Jazz artists playing a variety of Jazz styles.

New Watchfire Music artist Ya Tafari, a Bahamian Jazz artist, is a throwback, a throwback to the more tuneful days of jazz at its best (that is, for the masses). I’m not here to say what is the best of Jazz or the best of music. We all like what we like and certainly Jazz has evolved into a great sea of forms and expressions.

Ya Tafari’s two new CDs reflect that evolution. It’s smooth, it’s rhythmic, it’s tuneful and it’s the expression of a man deep into his culture. It reflects both his roots living here in the Detroit area of Michigan and splitting his time in the Caribbean.

Suzanna Sifter, on the other hand, is currently a professor in the piano department of Berklee School of Music in Boston. Naturally, she is an amazing player – teacher of the best this country has to offer. She is a graduate from Berklee with a masters degree from New England Conservatory of Music. As is all the staff at Berklee, (Bobby Stanton, WFM artist included) she is a consummate performer.

She has recently joined the Artist roster here at WFM with her new Jazz CD, The Illumination. This is one of those CDs that I just put on and play over and over again while I’m at my desk. Ya’ gotta check this out.

David Gonzalez is an original. David started his music career as a bass player in Mexico City, Mexico at the age of 16. With influences from Bossa Nova and Samba, his wonderful music has been inspired by some of the best Brazilian style musicians, among others, the incredible Antonio Carlos Jobim.

So lie back, close your eyes and put on a little Brazilian Breeze. If you like, you can spend a warm, balmy night in Rio with David and friends. He’ll take you to Rio and southern places beyond. He knows intrinsically the grooves, inner rhythms and rich harmonies of this magic land.

Lastly, but certainly not leastly, Watchfire Music artist Chieli Minucci represents the sublime fusion between Jazz and Rock. Chieli is a contemporary jazz guitarist, composer, music producer, and arranger.

His father, Ulpio Minucci (concert pianist/composer) wrote the music to the 1955 hit song “Domani,” as well as “A Thousand Thoughts of You,” and “Felicia” (both sung by Nat King Cole).

With his former partner George Jinda, Chieli created the Grammy-nominated contemporary Jazz/Fusion group Special EFX. Today, Chieli is primarily known as its leader.

Minucci & Special EFX have recorded 25 CDs, 8 of those being solo releases. Minucci has also recorded and performed with top pop artists such as Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Lopez, Jewel, Mark Anthony, Jessica Simpson, Anastacia and others, as well as jazz artists Marion Meadows, Jay Beckenstein, Gerald Veasley, Lao Tizer, Nestor Torez, Bob Baldwin, and many others…