What are the key Jazz movements?

The main periods in Jazz music history include traditional jazz, which encompasses ragtime, New Orleans jazz, and early jazz bands, and the swing period with its huge bands and vocalists. The 1940s brought bebop, characterized by quick tempos and convoluted improvisation, and cool jazz, which added fresh textures and forms. The 1950s saw the emergence of hard bop, which infused funk and blues with bebop, as well as modal jazz and free jazz, which pushed beyond conventional chord changes. Latin jazz, which fuses jazz harmony and rhythms with Latin American music, and fusion, which combines jazz elements with rock and R&B, both came to prominence in the 1960s. Contemporary jazz incorporates influences from a wide range of musical styles and is characterized by a variety of sounds and methods.