The Perfect Jazz and Tea Time Playlist

When you enjoy your tea, whether alone or with company, what can you usually hear in the background? Silence may be preferred at times but music can be used to enhance certain experiences, like a tea mediation. April marks Jazz Appreciation Month and it ends with International Jazz Day (April 30). My appreciation for jazz didn’t come as easily as it did for tea. However, today you will find me chatting about how the two were always made for each other. Most often all movements during my tea session (steeping leaves, pouring teapot, etc.) are done with jazz thanks to my tea time playlist.

Back when MySpace was a (cool) thing, my description in the “Favourite Music” section was “anything except for country and jazz.” I’m fairly certain I never truly listened to jazz music back then either. It was just one of those things that I heard and thought couldn’t possibly be cool. The country part still applies, but a few years ago I finally opened my ears to the art form of jazz. Unlike more popular music which can be restricted to story telling, jazz, instrumental specifically, can explore sounds and colours that are not used often enough. Gone are the days I blare Britney Spears while I serve myself a cup of sheng puerh (hehe).

My love for jazz, which would eventually lead to a greater love for tea, didn’t exactly happen over night. Dating an independent jazz musician may have helped, along with being dragged to many concerts and masterclasses that I didn’t pay much attention to at the time. However, one thing I took away from all were the various similarities I found in tea and jazz.

Like tea, jazz takes time. For tea, it is a slow growing process and patience is needed but the end results are very rewarding. For jazz, you have to be patient and be more aware to enjoy its sometimes subtle beauty. The other big similarity I noticed was that just like it can take a trained palate to enjoy the beauty and depth in tea, it takes a trained ear to enjoy the true beauty and depth in jazz music. Which could explain why it took a while to appreciate most of the live jazz performance I was subjected to in the past.

James and I have been creating a jazz and tea time playlist on Spotify that we like to have on during our tea sessions and I’m sharing it in honour of International Jazz Day. We prefer most of these songs as they often bring a positive energy into the tea experience and help keep us in the tea moment. Next time you sit down to steep yourself endless cups of tea, feel free to have this tea time playlist on in the background. I will be adding more jazz tunes as the days go by. If you have a favourite you love to listen to during your tea sessions, let me know and I just may add it. Enjoy! 🙂