Blues, Jazz, Rock and Theodor Adorno

Abstract

The article discusses Adorno’s treatment of jazz and popular music, based on the distinction between “serious music” from “light music” (or consumable music), with repercussions on the very structure of works and songs. This study also implies a critical appreciation of what the German philosopher and sociologist called “regression of hearing” in popular music. It extends the discussion of such attribution to blues, jazz and rock in an approach that values musical genres as relevant and significant in the contemporary artistic experience.