Is Laufey jazz?

Summary by Krater

The video analyzes Laufey's musical style, comparing her vocal phrasing, chord structures, and arrangements to classic jazz standards by artists like Chet Baker, Sara Vaughn, and Ella Fitzgerald, and explores the generational gap and cultural definitions of jazz versus mid-century pop.

From the video

Answers: Is Laufey's music actually jazz?

• Laufey's musical style and influences
• Jazz chord structures and syncopation
• Bebop vocabulary in pop music
• Mechanical voice technique
• Definition and history of jazz
• 1942-1944 recording strike
• Harlem rent parties and Emmet Cohen's Live from Emmet's Place

What it concludes

• Laufey uses jazz vocabulary and similar orchestration, harmonic palettes, and syncopation in her music.
• Laufey incorporates bebop vocabulary and scat solos reminiscent of Chet Baker.
• Laufey writes personal lyrics about experiences as a young woman in the vernacular of Gen Z.
• Laufey's music aligns technically with mid-century pop music rather than traditional jazz due to the lack of improvisation and collective decision-making.
• Jazz musicians like Wynton Marsalis and Stanley Crouch define jazz through swing, the blues, and improvisation.
• Laufey can serve as a great introduction to classic jazz recordings for Gen Z, despite not performing jazz herself.