New Age

• Characterization of New Age Music
• Musicians

This is a preview of the educational program A Jazz Improvisation Almanac which is under development for the Outside Shore Music Online School. Feel free to browse this preview and learn what you can from it. For a more completed product, though, check out the original freely browsable jazz textbook, A Jazz Improvisation Primer.

Characterization of New Age Music

New Age is a meditative style of music that is related to jazz. It uses some of the forms of jazz and has some of the same spirit of improvisation, but it usually employs simpler, almost minimalist, harmonies and rhythms in order not to dispel the reflective mood. This music has its roots in some of the quieter textures found in impressionistic recordings done by various artists for the ECM record label in the 1970's. Here is an example of an influential recording by Jarrett that carries the seed for New Age music while retaining a jazz sensibility:

The group Oregon, featuring guitarist Ralph Towner and woodwind multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless was one of the first ensembles to explore this style extensively, again in a context that is still recognizable as jazz:

The founding of the Windham Hill label by guitarist William Ackerman is generally considered to mark the birth of New Age music. The musicians that recorded for this label did not necessarily come from jazz backgrounds. They improvised within a more rhythmically even and flowing and less syncopated framework, and they employed simpler harmonies. The compositions were mostly original, with little use of the standard jazz repertoire. Many of these recordings found a large audience outside the world of jazz, particularly among fans of acoustic folk music. Here is an excerpt from one of Ackerman's recordings:

Perhaps the best known New Age musician is pianist George Winston:

Certain jazz musicians were quick to adopt elements of this style, often incorporating them into more of a jazz setting. The following example is by keyboardist Mark Sloniker:

Musicians

Musicians who have played in a New Age style include:

Woodwinds

• Paul Winter
• Paul McCandless

Violin

• Darol Anger

Guitar

• William Ackerman
• Ralph Towner
• Michael Hedges
• Alex DeGrassi

Piano

• George Winston
• Liz Story
• Mark Sloniker

Copyright 2000 Outside Shore Music
Authored by Marc Sabatella

New Age