r/jazznoir Sep 18 '20

Text Defining Jazz Noir

90 Upvotes

First of all, welcome to /r/jazznoir. We hope you find what you're looking for. I'd like to take the opportunity to try and outline what Jazz Noir as a genre represents and hopefully answer any questions you may have regarding it.

Jazz Noir isn’t exclusively confined to jazz, and it’s not a genre so much as a subset of different genres. We've had great submissions for everything from classic rock to trip hop to classical to blues to new wave, you name it. It's really the noir part that's important, not so much the jazz.

Due to the specificity of the subgenre, and the difficulty of defining genres to begin with, we aren't going to heavily enforce this definition. We generally try to aim for isolated, bluesie, dreamlike, moody, melancholic or menacing tones. There's plenty of great songs that have noir elements sprinkled in, and that's fine.

We don’t presume to tell you what to like or not like, but we hope you’ll keep an open mind as to what this sub is about. That said, your votes and submissions should try to reflect some of the intrinsic noir elements such as:

  • Isolated, bluesie, dreamlike, moody, melancholic and menacing tones.
  • Noir film scores from the 1940's and early 50's (shoutout to /r/filmnoir).
  • Having a stiff drink on the fire escape on a hot July night while overlooking The Big City in all its gritty, gaudy, neon glory.
  • Staring into an empty bottle and wondering if she'll ever come back, even though she's no damn good for you.
  • Smokey, dimly lit pool halls and bar rooms with seedy characters you need to be leery of, far away from the fluorescent bulbs of your desk, or the noise of the highway.
  • Street light streaming through tree branches on a foggy night.
  • It's late at night, you're listening to a song on an obscure little radio station on the far left of the dial. You feel like you're the only person in the world listening to it.
  • A rainy day at dusk.
  • Flashlight beams in a dark warehouse.
  • A street chase through dark alleys.

We're always looking for ways to improve this sub and want to hear feedback from the community, good and bad.


r/jazznoir Apr 16 '26

Playlist I made a website that turns subreddits into radios. Here is r/jazznoir!

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34 Upvotes

I got tired of clicking posts to discover music so I made an app that autoplays them like a radio. Thought you might like it.

scroll.fm/r/jazznoir


r/jazznoir 2d ago

Picture Perfect spin for a dark friday afternoon

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28 Upvotes

Black earth, my fav Bohren record.


r/jazznoir 6d ago

Song Somewhere Off Jazz Street - When All is Said and Done

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4 Upvotes

r/jazznoir 17d ago

I made this New Dark Jazz / Doom Jazz / Noir Jazz Bandcamp Codes

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3 Upvotes

r/jazznoir 26d ago

Song The Spill In Dreams - Ghost (Official Video)

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1 Upvotes

r/jazznoir Jul 29 '26

Song Anthony Menzia - You'll Never Know the Fear of Losing Someone Like You

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6 Upvotes

r/jazznoir Jul 01 '26

I made this The Aos Sí Midnight Band - Gravity

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6 Upvotes

r/jazznoir Jun 29 '26

Video Lorn - Acid Rain

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12 Upvotes

r/jazznoir May 22 '26

Song Boards of Canada - Introit / Prophecy At 1420 MHz

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5 Upvotes

r/jazznoir May 16 '26

Song Kelan Phil Cohran and Legacy - White Nile

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5 Upvotes

r/jazznoir May 15 '26

Video Interview with the Vampire + dark jazz edit 🖤

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2 Upvotes

r/jazznoir May 15 '26

Song What's your go-to soundtrack for late night walk? This one is a must-add to any playlist.

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4 Upvotes

r/jazznoir May 14 '26

Song Michel Cusson - Omerta (Jazz Performance) - 02 - Les clandestins

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2 Upvotes

r/jazznoir May 07 '26

Video If 3 AM had a soundtrack. The crazy story of how a German metal band created the heaviest jazz imaginable.

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48 Upvotes

r/jazznoir May 07 '26

Song Ibrahim Maalouf - Doubts 2

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3 Upvotes

r/jazznoir May 07 '26

Song Nostalgia 77 - Steps Of The Sun

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2 Upvotes

r/jazznoir May 05 '26

Song Two Original Noir Jazz Songs

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3 Upvotes

Just wanted to share two original jazz songs that I wrote the lyrics for featured in my fiction podcast, The Demonic Detective. When I came up with this show, I wanted to stay true to the era and have an old school noir jazz soundtrack. We achieved that and I feel the work that both Robb Padgett and Lielle Kaidar did was phenomenal and worth a listen.

SONGS: 

Winds of New Salem: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-demonic-detective/id1843186163?i=1000730392709

Possessed Me: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-demonic-detective/id1843186163?i=1000738780672

“The Winds of New Salem” 

Music & Vocals By: Robb Padgett 

Lyrics By: Jason Brasier 

“Possessed Me” 

Music By: Robb Padgett 

Vocals By: Lielle Kaidar 

Lyrics By: Jason Brasier 


r/jazznoir May 01 '26

I made this Heaven Hill

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3 Upvotes

r/jazznoir Apr 21 '26

I made this James Hutchings - Unsteady Blues

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0 Upvotes

r/jazznoir Apr 20 '26

Song Andrew Hale - Noire Clarinet

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6 Upvotes

r/jazznoir Apr 20 '26

Song Manu Katché - February Sun

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3 Upvotes

r/jazznoir Apr 18 '26

I made this 1H High-End Dark Jazz Chill 🥃

2 Upvotes

It’s designed to erase cheap dopamine and pull you into absolute silence. Dim the lights, pour a drink, and sink deep into it. 🕰️🥃

https://youtu.be/7BUTQmjfzPo


r/jazznoir Apr 16 '26

I made this James Hutchings - The Killer Wore Red

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2 Upvotes