The Hidden Jazz & Blues Secrets Behind Your Favorite R&B Tracks
All music has secrets, but that is not mean you will never find out
Ever wonder why some R&B songs just hit differently? You know the ones—where the harmonies feel like they wrap around you, the beat lingers in your chest, and the lyrics pull emotions out of you that you didn’t even know you had?
There’s a reason for that.
R&B didn’t come out of nowhere—it’s deeply rooted in jazz and blues, two of the most powerful, emotionally raw, and musically rich genres in history. Without them, there’d be no soulful ballads, no vocal runs, no vibey chord progressions that make R&B what it is today.
But here’s the wild part—most people have no idea just how much jazz and blues have shaped R&B. So today, we’re breaking it down. Let’s talk about the hidden jazz and blues influences behind your favorite R&B tracks and how they’ve shaped the music we love today.
1. The Bluesy Roots of R&B: Emotion, Grit & Storytelling
Blues Gave R&B Its Heart
Before we even had the term “Rhythm and Blues,” we had the blues—a genre born from pain, resilience, and storytelling. The blues emerged in the late 19th century, rooted in the African American experience, particularly in the Deep South. Enslaved people used field hollers, work songs, and spirituals to express sorrow and hope—sounds that evolved into the 12-bar blues structure we recognize today.
Sound familiar? That’s because R&B carries the same emotional depth. The way singers drag out their notes, the way a song can feel like a deep conversation with your soul—that’s blues DNA all the way.
Example: Jazmine Sullivan’s "Lost One" If you’ve ever listened to Lost One, you know how hauntingly raw it is. The stripped-down guitar, the aching way Jazmine sings, the regret in her voice—it feels like it could’ve been sung in a dimly lit blues club in the ‘50s. That’s because the blues is all about making you feel.
Call & Response: How R&B Borrowed from Blues Performances
Back in the day, blues singers used call and response—where the lead singer would sing a line, and the band or audience would “answer” back. This wasn’t just a performance style; it was a conversation between the artist and the people.
R&B took that and ran with it.
Think about how R&B singers repeat certain lines for emphasis or how live performances bring the crowd in to sing along (cue Beyoncé holding the mic out at her concerts). That’s the blues in action.
Example: Beyoncé’s "Love On Top" Ever seen Beyoncé perform Love On Top live? The way she keeps taking the song higher and higher, engaging the crowd, letting the music respond to her vocals—that’s straight from the blues tradition.
2. Jazz’s Influence: The Melodies & Vibes That Make R&B So Smooth
Those Dreamy Chords? Straight From Jazz.
If blues gave R&B its soul, jazz gave it its sophistication. Jazz is known for its rich, complex chords and unexpected progressions—those little moments in a song where the music takes a turn you didn’t see coming, but it somehow just works.
R&B borrowed heavily from this, which is why the best R&B songs have a certain warmth and unpredictability to them.
Example: SZA’s "Snooze" If you break down Snooze, the soft, jazzy chords in the background are what make the song feel so smooth. It’s not just a standard four-chord pop progression—it’s layered, intricate, and warm, just like a classic jazz tune.
Scatting & Vocal Runs: How Jazz Shaped R&B Singing
R&B singers love a good vocal run—those moments where the voice moves fluidly between notes, adding emotion and depth. But guess where that started? Jazz improvisation.
Jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald would scat (sing nonsense syllables in an improvised, melodic way), and that kind of vocal freedom became the backbone of R&B singing.
Example: Brandy’s Vocal Runs vs. Ella Fitzgerald’s Scatting Listen to Brandy’s runs in I Wanna Be Down, and then listen to Ella Fitzgerald scatting in Summertime. You’ll hear the connection—the way both styles play with melodies, bending them like a musical instrument.
3. The Jazz & Blues Influence on Modern R&B Production
Live Instruments & That "Organic" Feel
Even though a lot of modern R&B is produced digitally, many artists still incorporate live instruments—just like jazz and blues always did.
H.E.R. often plays her own guitar, adding bluesy licks to her songs.
Anderson .Paak, a jazz-trained drummer, infuses every track with live percussion.
D’Angelo’s entire Voodoo album feels like a jam session in a smoky jazz club.
The Influence of Jazz Sampling in R&B
Producers love to sample old jazz and blues records to add depth and soul to their R&B beats.
Example: Erykah Badu’s "On & On" Badu’s On & On is deeply influenced by jazz, and the bassline sounds straight out of a Miles Davis session. That laid-back groove, the subtle swing—it’s all jazz, just modernized.
4. Artists Who Bridge R&B, Jazz & Blues
The OGs Who Made It Happen
Ray Charles – Merged gospel, blues, and R&B seamlessly.
Etta James – Her raspy, bluesy tone is echoed in countless R&B vocalists today.
Nina Simone – A jazz-trained pianist who infused blues and soul into her music.
The Modern Artists Keeping the Tradition Alive
Jazmine Sullivan – Blues-inspired storytelling with jazz-influenced vocal agility.
H.E.R. – Plays bluesy guitar and sings with rich, jazzy runs.
Anderson .Paak – A jazz drummer with a blues-infused R&B sound.
Conclusion: Why This Matters to You
R&B didn’t just appear—it was built on the foundations of jazz and blues, the music of our ancestors. And when you listen to R&B today, you’re not just vibing to a dope song—you’re experiencing a living, breathing history of Black music.
So next time you put on your favorite R&B track, listen deeper. Hear the blues in the raw emotion, the jazz in the harmonies and runs, and know that you’re part of something much bigger than just a playlist.
R&B is a movement, and you? You’re carrying it into the future.