JAZZ is always moving forward: it's music of the past, music of today and music of the future. Based on the black church: call/response - it's a conversation. One of the hallmarks is conversation - what comes out of it is what inside of you.

JAZZ expresses core American values: freedom, risk taking, cultural diversity, innovation, creative collaboration and democracy: everybody gets a vote. In every good jazz band everybody gets a vote. It's inclusive and we have all the opportunity to have a voice.

JAZZ created R&B and rock'n'roll and those songs you can listen to in your car today. It's influenced language, fashion, social interaction: "you can't tell a story of America without jazz".

JAZZ music is a live thing, it has a spirit and energy. You can't enjoy the music if you are just looking at the sheets - you need to experince it. Long art of influence - has embraced all along the World. It's (the Americans) history, but it is also still happening. Such a vital part of America’s cultural heritage. Impor-tant that the public appreciate and value it: JAZZ IS AMERICA AND AMERICA IS JAZZ.

 

Korform: Kortformen er en form for jazz, hvor man har et tema. Temaets grundlag består af en bestemt form og akkorder, hvilket kaldes kor. Dette kor danner grundlag for solisterne til at improvisere over. Temaet vil blive spillet i starten, derefter kommer der et solostykke og til sidst et tema igen.

Koret må gerne variere lidt fra temaet, for at understøtte de melodier der spilles af solisterne - dette holder samtaleelementet i gang.

Standard: Med en standard menes en sang, som er del af en form for jazzkanon - altså internationalt kendte og hyldte sange, som de fleste jazzmusikere vil kunne, og derfor nemt vil kunne tilføje til deres repertoirer, hvis man vil stille et band på benene hurtigt.

En jazzstandard bruges derudover også ofte til at improvisere over eller som basis for jazzarrangementer. 

Tin Pan Alley hittet: Tin Pan Alley er et øgenavn til en gade i New York, hvor mange standards blev skrevet, da musikforlagene holdte til her. Et Tin Pan Alley hit har typisk en AABA form.