Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat, electrified sounds,[1] and analog synthesizers.

Examples of early jazz funk albums include Miles Davis' On the Corner (1972)[6] and Jimmy Smith's Root Down (1972).

Larry and Fonce Mizell[17] produced jazz-funk artists such as Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Gary Bartz, Roger Glenn, the Blackbyrds, and Donald Byrd.

[18] In the UK's nightclubs of the mid-late 1970s, DJs including Colin Curtis in Manchester, Birmingham's Graham Warr and Shaun Williams, and Leeds-based Ian Dewhirst and Paul Schofield championed the genre, along with Chris Hill and Bob Jones in the South.

In the late 1980s, rare groove crate diggers–DJs in England who were interested in looking back into the past and re-discovering old tunes–Norman Jay and Gilles Peterson achieved prominence.

[25] Incognito, The Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, and the James Taylor Quartet helped the acid jazz movement surge in popularity.