The benefits of jazz for our health

As well as the prominent saxophonist David Murray, many other jazz players affirm that this musical genre offers a great number of benefits to those who listen to it and perform it, since it is considered by many as another form of education, making you a better and happier person.

We know very well that music, in general, provides a series of beneficial effects for our body and mind, since, in addition to improving and maintaining our physical and mental health, it allows us to improve our interpersonal relationships and be happier. If you’re under stress at work or if life’s responsibilities are starting to pile up, you should listen to more jazz.

You should pay close attention though, as jazz contains various sub-genres or marked rhythms, ranging from nostalgic jazz to upbeat jazz. And if we think about it, what is the instrument that works as the backbone of jazz? The saxophone. Therefore, it does not sound bad to investigate a little more about this instrument and learn to play it.

Finding the best saxophone is an easy task, since the market is full of musical instruments of good, bad and average quality and price ratio to choose from. However, no task is impossible, so we want to give you a short description of the benefits you can achieve by playing this beautiful instrument, just as jazz music can help you improve your mood and become a better person..

Within the framework of the Terrassa jazz festival, the saxophonist David Murray is once again the focus of attention, by participating in the Nova Jazz Cava and demonstrating an unparalleled talent. Author of approximately 150 records and main founder of the World Saxophone Quartet, Murray was an exceptional performer who managed to be sad and melancholy at times, as well as joyous and joyful at others. Murray says that when you add some jazz tones and rhythms to any other traditional genre of music, you’re putting an interesting and intellectual spin on that song. This is assured after having carried out an in-depth study between the different rhythms of popular music along with jazz.

Let’s know the history of jazz

We all know that jazz is the great and passionate result of the mix between African, American and European music, which later expanded enormously in the American continent.

Jazz originates at the time when the slave trade was very common, which transferred slaves from the Yoruba, Senegalese, Ashanti and Dahomeyan ethnic groups – each ethnic group had its own history and musical tradition – from countries like Africa to the United States.

After slavery was abolished, the slaves who had tried to keep their culture alive managed to merge all kinds of rhythms and patron saint festivities as foreign to them as, for example, Saint Patrick’s Day. Most people who research the origins of jazz place its birth as a musical genre in New Orleans in the early 19th century and then, to the so-called golden years of jazz, the year 1920.

benefits of jazz

Thanks to a study carried out by the University of Cambridge, some traits of our personality are completely determined, in most cases, by our musical preferences. Based on these results, many researchers affirm that people who listen to jazz are happier, empathic, versatile and tolerant people, so they tend to be people with greater emotional solidity and with a more open mind for different ideas.

Listening to jazz you will achieve a state of relaxation, managing to calm down easily by focusing your attention on the music you are listening to and by letting go of those thoughts that cause you worries. Scientists have determined that listening to jazz music lowers levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol.

On the other hand, this musical genre has a benefit as a natural pain reliever, since it allows you to get rid of almost any headache without the need to consume any medication. It has been scientifically determined that your body generates some levels of dopamine when listening to jazz. This neurotransmitter moderates the intensity of pain, which is why many doctors recommend listening to a little jazz to motivate the body to release endorphins, since it works as a distractor for the mind.

In addition, it can be said that listening to jazz music encourages creativity, since its rhythm activates some areas of your brain, notably improving memory capacity, so your learning will be much better. Thanks to this, jazz is highly recommended for when you need to focus all your attention on a specific activity, such as when you are studying or doing a task.

Let us remember that the saxophone is the instrument considered to be the backbone of jazz, since it is one of the musical instruments capable of producing the vertiginous rhythms and sounds that distinguish this lively musical genre.

For many players, the sax is considered an instrument that represents an extension of the soul, since its melodies, tones and phrases seem to come from somewhere deep inside your soul, making it an instrument full of sentimentality, spirit and romanticism, and even if it is played by a beginner, the sound can cast a spell on you as soon as you hear the first notes.

Finally, it is a versatile musical instrument that occupies great importance in jazz, so it could be said that the saxophone is the instrument in charge of making the sweet sound and rhythm of this genre brighten our day. There is no musical style that resists the influence of jazz and the saxophone itself, since it has been within folk, hard rock, blues, soul, funk, punk, rap, metal and countless other genres. 

There is no instrument that is as present in music as the saxophone and it is really impossible to ignore the importance that jazz has over all the music of our time, being a musical genre that makes us a better person.