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Acid jazz, originated in clubs in London during the 1980s with the rare groove movement that drew on rare albums featuring Black American soul and soul jazz from the '60s and '70s. The style combines those elements along with funk and hip hop, and came about during a time when producers and DJ’s were as important as the musicians in defining the style.
In fact, acid jazz was initially established by two live DJ’s active in the club music scene in London and also hosted radio shows. Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson played a pivotal role in promoting jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music.
Peterson began using the phrase "acid jazz" in mixing percussion and electronic dance beats to classic jazz tracks and also producing the mixes on a series of influential compilation albums on the label they launched called Acid Jazz Records in 1987.
The first compilation, "Totally Wired," contained obscure funk jazz tracks from the '70s along with new music.
By 1989, Peterson left to start his own label Talking Loud, a reference to James Brown and Bobby Byrd's album, "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing."
The other side of this movement included groups who were influenced by these recordings and who emphasized a groove. The evolution was closely aligned to artists and performers who connected to the historical and social impact of jazz, blues, R&B and soul, and who cross-fertilized it with styles ranging from ambient house, bass and drums, jazz-rap, soul jazz, and trip-hop - all mixed and matched in varying degrees.
Other record labels were taking note. By the mid '90s recordings featuring jazz organists, soul jazz guitarists, and pioneering funk drummers like Idris Muhammad and Bernard Purdie were made available again with re-releases.
Blue Note started its "Rare Groove" series of reissues. Prestige churned out the "Legends Of Acid Jazz" series. Impulse Records had their series called “Red, Hot and” that included jazz artists Ron Carter, Donald Byrd and Pharaoh Sanders. And Verve Records started their "Remixed" series.
The concept that started with Acid Jazz Records left a legacy and created a new way for audiences to discover jazz through hip hop and dance styles.
By the early ’90s, acid jazz was booming out of speakers from Sweden to Singapore. International tours followed and revived the careers of artists including Brian Auger and Gregory Isaacs.
New acts from the U.K. included the Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Us3, Jamiroquai. From the U.S. under the name Buckshot LeFonque, Branford Marsalis and Digable Planets won a Grammy Award for the 1993 single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)."
Around this time, Medeski, Martin and Wood redefined their music into a lean, funky force. The music of bands and artists from Robert Glasper to GoGo Penguin are a testament to the impact of how acid jazz has influenced the course of jazz.
American soul influenced jazz in the '60s and '70s to create soul jazz. In the '80s and 90’s it was remixed, revised, revisited and revived to inform acid jazz that is now part of the language of a new generation of artists and listeners.
KNKX Celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month
Throughout the month of April, we will be illustrating different styles of jazz through time that make up jazz history through storytelling and music. From the early 1900’s to 2022, we will journey from Dixieland to Modern Jazz styles, Big Band to Hip Hop.
Listen to installments weekdays at 9am and 7pm on 88.5 FM and KNKX.org. See all stories from the KNKX History of Jazz project.
