The Song Planner

Soul-Jazz

tagStarted c. 1958Peak 1960s; revived through neo-soulLast big hit still active in live-band soul scenes

Located in 3 routes

R&B / Soul → Instrumental & Cinematic SoulR&B / Soul → Neo-SoulJazz → Soul Jazz / Jazz-Funk / Groove Jazz

Soul-Jazz sits where jazz harmony, blues feeling, gospel phrasing and R&B groove meet: Hammond organ, walking or pocket bass, bluesy horn lines, relaxed swing, call-and-response vocals or instrumental riffs and a mood that is both sophisticated and earthy. In an R&B context, it points to singers and bands who use jazz color without leaving the song behind. The groove remains social even when the chords get rich.

History

Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Lou Donaldson and Ramsey Lewis helped establish soul-jazz as a jazz style in the 1960s, while singers such as Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, Marlena Shaw and later Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Robert Glasper and Gregory Porter connected it to soul and R&B audiences. Neo-soul revived the language by treating Rhodes harmony, jazz rhythm and gospel vocals as a modern R&B toolkit.

Defining artists

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Essential listening

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← Explore R&B / Soul

Sources

  • Soul-jazz histories
  • AllMusic soul-jazz and neo-soul overviews
  • Blue Note and jazz-soul discographies
  • artist biographies