YSL Jazz - first impressions

**ralmeida** · 29th January 2013, 02:51 PM

This is one of the first fragrances I've worn where I feel like I can make clear comparisons to other scents, so apologizes in advance if this is heavy on analogy.

Jazz opens with a lively but traditional sweeter lemon & light musk that reminds me of AdP Colonia. The latter, however, strikes me as both more "natural" smelling but also possessed of a note that I find really off-putting, something that I think of as "very old man", a note that suggests decay from within. Jazz's opening is refined and lacks this note.

As the top notes fade, the lavender-geranium aromatic fougere accord comes through clearly, strongly evocative of Azzaro Pour Homme, though again much more smooth and refined. Azzaro is very brash to me, while Jazz is assertive but polished. It also retains a chord of herbal lemon that balances the fougere accord nicely. Carnation and cinnamon add some sweetness and complexity, giving the mid notes some similarity to Tsar by VC&A, though Tsar is much "greener" and relies more on the floral notes..

I'm only about 2 hours into my wearing, but Jazz is definitely drying down into a pleasant aromatic woody amber.

Verdict: conservative, classic, and distinctive, 8/10. I don't reach for Azzaro too often, but when I get that urge now I could very well turn to Jazz instead.

**dougczar** · 29th January 2013, 03:09 PM

I have a sample of Jazz. I wasn't really expecting much from it (actually, I was expecting to not like it), but I was plesantly suprised - I actually found it quite nice.

Nice review!

**Oslo-Fjord** · 29th January 2013, 04:52 PM

Quite nice, but Cartier Pasha is better.

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Quite nice, but Cartier Pasha is better.

**sjg3839** · 29th January 2013, 04:54 PM

Nice review guy. Pretty much summed this one up.

**hednic** · 29th January 2013, 05:03 PM

Have the original release and love it.

**Scentologist** · 29th January 2013, 05:33 PM

I love it as well!

**Mos** · 29th January 2013, 05:56 PM

smells like old man, LIVE JAZZ on the other hand smells amazing.

**Ken_Russell** · 29th January 2013, 08:44 PM

Thanks for the impressions on this scent. YSL Jazz is one of the best readily available and quite affordable male classics still in production.

**MonkeyBars** · 30th January 2013, 02:12 AM

Yes I think the comparison to Tsar is very valid -- they smell very, very similar after an hour or two.

I much prefer Tsar though because it lacks the synthetic florals -- I get dihydromyrcenol in Jazz -- in the heart.

Live Jazz otoh is all synthetic, dhm again. Nasty and common.

I only tried Pasha a couple times but found it much more green-synthetic than Jazz or Tsar. Not wearable for me.

**gimpy** · 15th February 2013, 03:33 AM

Jazz is one of the few modern, masculine fougere's left.

**mrcologneguy** · 15th February 2013, 03:36 AM

Very glad I bought it. Quite good, complex, of reasonable quality in terms of ingredients and composition. Nice packaging. And you can find it at a good price. What's not to like?

**ashr** · 15th February 2013, 03:56 AM

I agree. I tried it once and it didn't blow me away, but I definitely like it. You can't really go wrong with it. I think it's quite cheap in most places, so it's worth picking up.

**martinijo** · 7th May 2013, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by mrcologneguy

Very glad I bought it. Quite good, complex, of reasonable quality in terms of ingredients and composition. Nice packaging. And you can find it at a good price. What's not to like?

Indeed. I've been wearing this in today's high temperatures (for the UK) and it is has been great.
Strangely somebody told me I smelled of marijuana, which I have noticed with Live Jazz but not with this.
I used to find it a touch too dry but now it feels very well balanced.

**Nosebud** · 7th May 2013, 12:45 PM

Have the vintage and current formulation.

Love the dry down. Look forward to seeing a post after 8 hours.

**Bigsly** · 7th May 2013, 12:46 PM

You won't experience the perfumer's intentions unless you try the vintage version, IMO. The new one is less dynamic and heavier. Not bad, but no reason to call it Jazz, whereas the original has a kind of liveliness to it without becoming unbalanced or irritating.

**manicboy** · 7th May 2013, 06:02 PM

Jazz is quite nice but since I've found the lovely Jazz Prestige, I don't wear it much. Prestige adds a deep rosewood note to Jazz to makes it golden.