Nu jazz began with the use of electronic instruments in the 1970s, with contributions from artists like
Miles Davis,
Herbie Hancock, and
Ornette Coleman. Herbie Hancock's work in the early 1980s, particularly his collaboration with
Bill Laswell on the album
Future Shock, played a pivotal role in defining the genre by incorporating electro and hip-hop rhythms. By the late 1980s, many hip-hop musicians were exploring jazz-rap, including groups like
Gang Starr,
The Roots,
A Tribe Called Quest, and
Nas. Concurrently, in the 1980s, numerous house musicians drew inspiration from
jazz, especially post-bop and jazz-funk. In the mid-1990s and early 2000s,
downtempo artists such as
Jazztronik,
St Germain,
Trüby Trio,
DJ Takemura, Perry Hemus, and
Jazzanova delved deeper into jazz. During the same period, producers of intelligent dance music, including notable names like
Squarepusher and
Spring Heel Jack, and later
London Elektricity and Landslide, also showed interest in nu jazz. Techno musicians like
Carl Craig and his Innerzone Orchestra project demonstrated interest in the genre. Figures from hardcore and breakcore scenes, such as
Alec Empire,
Nic Endo, and
Venetian Snares, experimented with a harsher and more noisy variant of nu jazz. A decade later, some dubstep producers, like
Boxcutter, also explored electronic jazz. While maintaining traditional jazz forms, pianist
Bugge Wesseltoft and trumpeter
Nils Petter Molvær are known for their improvisations in the nu jazz style.
The Cinematic Orchestra is recognized for incorporating traditional jazz elements into their musical productions alongside electronic elements. St Germain, a prominent figure in nu jazz, even sold 1.5 million copies of his album "Tourist." == See also ==