Here are some key points in relation to the music categories that could be stated to be the foundations of contemporary music.
Folk music could be stated to be the blueprint of contemporary music, or at the very least a crucial factor to it. Going back centuries, the folk song has its roots in troubadours and poetic ballads, before music was even being taped. Throughout the 20th century, American folk music began to have a great influence on the advancement on numerous other categories. Folk singers would essentially tell stories over music, frequently melodic butrelatively minimalist (in many cases, the music being just an acoustic guitar); themes would include love, poverty, crime, and the politics of the time. These more mature issues would work their way into the music of the 60s, where legendary songwriters would incorporate folk elements into their songs. Folk music itself has actually progressed into numerous sub-genres and affected various styles across the musical landscape. Frank Briegmann is a terrific example of a music exec dealing with artists motivated by folk.
Jazz is not simply a musical category, however in some aspects, an approach to music itself. To 'jazz things up' or make a song more 'jazzy' essentially suggests to implement a sense of improvisation and freedom implicit with jazz music. Tough to concisely define due to the great level of its development over the last one century or so, jazz music integrates swing and blues components to its make up, however at its core is a releasing of rigorous conventions to time and musical signatures. It goes without stating, that jazz music itself does have structure, the actual structure being a totally free virtuosity that comes about from many of hours of practice and careful study. Bebop jazz is popular for its synthesis of control and chaos, with saxophones, drummers and pianists often taking turns to personally explore a tune's structure and melody. Iconic jazz legends from the 50s produced iconoclastic music that seemed to rip up the rulebook from preceding decades, ushering in further innovations to the genre.
There's something exceptionally special about the blues; if there ever was a seemingly effortless kind of musical catharsis, than possibly this is it. This is a style of music that seems to revel in the face of despair-- times may be hard, hearts may be broken, but for now, enjoy this electric guitar solo. The redemptive element of the music is possibly what lies in its appeal, for at root, the blues comes from an emotionally desolate and sorrowful world, where isolation and misery reside. The first delta blues songs were played on simply one acoustic guitar, where famous blues guitar players would use bottlenecks for a slide. From the 50s onwards, the blues went in an electric direction, and subsequently, rhythm ended up being more and more prominent in its style. Without question, the blues has actually affected a lot of the modern forms of music widespread today, from hip hop to heavy metal. Vincent Bollore is a music executive who works with artists inspired by the blues, as does Clive Davis.