Analysis on the effect of Cultural Emotional Expression on the State of Jazz and Pop in the Far East

Abstract

Music and the ability to express emotions are deeply connected and this connection is a universal phenomenon. The recent meteoric rise of the Asian music industry and genres such as J-pop (Japanese pop), C-pop (Cantopop), and K-pop (Korean pop) reaching international audiences suggest cultural factors play a role in its success. However, there has not been a general analysis of how these genres of music, representing different modes of emotional expression, have manifested in the current landscape of Eastern and Western cultures. Our paper posits that Eastern cultures, heavily influenced by collectivist Confucian values, may lead to limited emotional expression and less diversity of musicianship in our current era. Our paper analyzes and compares the most popular musicians and albums of three groups of the past 30 years: Eastern pop, Eastern Jazz, and Western Jazz. Our results show that Eastern Jazz had more emotional complexity and diversity compared to those of Eastern pop. Our results also show that Western Jazz had more variety in the instruments that were used and the age of the musicians. Eastern Jazz did not have many new jazz musicians, signaling the decline of jazz’s popularity. By analyzing the social and cultural effects of music composition and range within genres of music, we may get a better understanding of the nuanced differences between cultures and have better insight into what makes music from different countries so unique. Future research should focus on expanding the analysis of Eastern music to include audience perception of music genres.