Jazz Music for Cafe: Find the right Mood for your Unique Cafe

For time immemorial, food and music have been inseparable. From Egyptian hieroglyphic depictions in Egypt to art scattered across Europe, music and food seem to be an integral combination of the human experience. The stomach and the heart seem to be linked in interesting ways, affecting personal and oftentimes geopolitical and business relationships. Thus, jazz music for café doesn’t seem like a far-fetched idea.

Over a cup of Joe, the world has made and executed plans to move mountains. Cafes, that evolved from the Turkish coffeehouses, became patrons of creative and independent thought. 

Jazz music has had a very similar journey to cafes, transcending the origin of the place, intention and even time. From being peppy dance music, jazz transformed into a safe space for musicians to explore musical revolutions, breaking rigid rules. Becoming a more sophisticated experience, jazz stands out complete with improvisations. Jazz music for a cafe is a coupling that seems almost natural. 

“All the jazz!” tactics

When one thinks of a cafe, the mental picture is of a cosy place that is neither busy nor dull. Not loud, nor extremely quiet. The vibe is more of an undercurrent than of a violent bustle, almost immaculately organized. Needless to say, that is exactly what modern cafes strive to provide, a space of absolute but structured liberty. 

Incidentally, that is how jazz arrangements are constructed. The low hum and melody of the music match that of the cafe, the buzz of the roasters, trickling of espressos endlessly into cups and indistinct chatter. The big roomy chairs and the relaxing nature of jazz as the background music for the cafe creates the perfect ambience. 

Jazz, with its deliberate intricacies, assists people in keeping their cool. Studies suggest that it even helps people to reduce the effects of stress on them. Going a step further, research shows that jazz music directly enhances how food and beverages at a cafe taste.  Moreover, jazz music for cafes acts like an equalizer between the complications of human activities and their obviously simple expressions.

Enjoying jazz music for café evenings

It is possible for people to not know much about the artists they’re hearing, but jazz has a very clear advantage in being recognized as a genre. It successfully balances the newness and familiarity, expertly putting one at ease as compared to other musical factions. In a study at the University of Cambridge, researchers found that jazz is generally perceived as friendly and helpful in maintaining emotional stability. 

In rush hours, jazz as the background music for cafes can reduce the anxiety of waiting in long queues for one’s cup of coffee. Relaxing music also helps the time fly by more effortlessly as compared to fast-paced music. Jazz music for cafes makes a good case for sweetening customers’ moods who seek a caffeinated escape, helping them loosen up as well as focus on their tasks. 

Jazz music for cafe in different moods

Even so, we have established how the background music for cafes sets the ambience, there is more to explore in the territory. Jazz music has the capacity to unite people in a comfortable manner. The great Miles Davies described jazz as just one sound after the other, but it takes many forms that accommodate many visions. 

According to the jazz music archives, there are several types of jazz, ranging from bebop to modern smooth jazz. With an instinct for experimentation, jazz musicians across the globe created sub-genres that work perfectly as soundtracks in a cosy cafe. 

Blues

Blues have had a great influence on jazz, even with a strong vocal presence. Both come from African-American roots and share the characteristic of improvisations, tonal colourization and lyricism in the music. They come together phenomenally in gospel and church music, appearing prominently as a part of the Black American experience. For a cafe aiming to create a luxurious yet relaxed ambience, blues do the trick! 

Swing

When jazz peaked in the roaring 20s, in cages and live venues, swing became the signature sound for an entire generation and ruled the popular music scene for several decades to come. It is energetic and uniquely transports one to a bygone era which was so full of life. To keep the life of the party alive in your cafe, swing in this direction!

Afro-Cuban jazz

The proponents of Afro-American jazz branched out their shared history with Latin American beats and hence, Afro-Cuban jazz was born. This fusion survives and continues to thrive in several influential ways. For a cafe rooted in culture, the Afro-Cuban beats are the way to go.

Bossa Nova/Latin Jazz

Using Latin rhythms, Bossa Nova appeared in the early 50s as a more mellow alternative to hard bop or avant-garde jazz. First conceptualized in Brazil, Cuba, Central America and Africa, Latin jazz and Bossa Nova found a space for their hypnotic accents that combine samba and jazz sensibilities beautifully. Have more ground to play musically in your cafe with this cross-disciplinary and rule-defying genre.

Cool jazz

Making jazz quieter, cool jazz quickly became popular chamber music in the 40s, giving birth to many modern interpretations of jazz. If you’re looking for calm vibes in your cafe, there’s nothing better than this!

Soul jazz

With derivatives of RnB and hard bop, soul-jazz contemporizes American classical music with funky, feet tapping solo pieces. Give your cafe as eclectic a personality as the music!

Acid jazz

Finding its footing in the United Kingdom, the genre’s creation is the brainchild of a band in the 1980s. It culminates elements of jazz fusion, funk and even hip-hop, making it a smooth groove. Prominent artists like Jamiroquai, 4Hero, Galiano, Jazzanova and Incognito popularized this genre in the 90s. Thus, this type of jazz makes the perfect choice for your young and thriving cafe!

Hip Jazz

Very close to Acid jazz, it clearly drifts toward hip-hop and the so-called Abstract Hip Hop sub-genre. The French artists Wax Tailor and DJ Cam Quartet are two of the most prominent representatives of this style of contemporary jazz. Another perfect groove for your hip café.

Nu Jazz

In the post-rock age, Nu Jazz adopts modernity one step further, combining the rich European rock culture with Latin music in a dub-reggae ambience. Let customers sit back and loosen up, finding respite in your cafe.

Chill jazz

A culmination of all jazz styles and made specifically to help listeners relax, chill jazz is a somewhat post-modern form of enjoyable jazz, at leisure and at play. One can recognise it in the clarity of notes yet lilting tune that doesn’t pull much attention towards itself, pretty much answering the question, why don’t lives have a background score of a light-hearted movie? Give your customers that chill jazz as the background music of your cafe.

Fused and yet, free

Since then, jazz has moved on from its humble beginnings, and spread across the world in the form of world fusion. Japanese jazz, Caribbean moves and other varied flavours are keeping jazz relevant and relatable to a large variety of audiences. The intermingling nature of the genre stands testament to its versatility and capacity to absorb, like a musical sponge of sorts. 

Jazz democratizes music, which is why it’s perfect as music for cafes where people from all walks of life converge with only one goal superficially, to have their fix comfortably. Studies have suggested that jazz is the perfect companion for innovation, all fields barred. It is great for both unwinding and being productive, which very few musicality can achieve. 

Interestingly, jazz also largely doesn’t include a strong vocal component, which means it has the power to wash over the listener’s senses without taking over them. Modern coffee joints are inherently designed to drive this point home, of utmost comfort, creativity and freedom with minimum intervention from the surroundings. Studies have suggested that jazz is the perfect companion for innovation, all fields of profession barred. If you’re looking for the right jazz music for your cafe to sweeten the mood for guests to your own cafe, look no further than Soundsuit to help you do just that. Interested in exploring different types of music for your cafe? You can find some tips and tricks here.

Choose Soundsuit

Soundsuit helps you plan music in advance using its smart scheduling function. You can not only play different moods and styles of jazz music at different times of the day and on different days or moments of the week, but you can also target your music to specific customer segments, e.g. “Women, from 30 to 50 years old, trendy” or “Mixed, 18 to 30 years old, trendy + alternative”. Your music playground is now infinite while very precise and predictable. You can spend your time and energy managing your business and customers while getting peace of mind that the right jazz music will play for the right patrons at the right time of the day.