Jazz is hard to define.

The sound incorporates piano, drums, trumpets, trombones, saxophones and clarinets to give listeners a syncopated rhythm that can either be fast and loud, or soft and relaxing.

And really, the genre of jazz can be more than just two breakout subgenres.

It has been said that jazz can't be pegged as one thing or the other because like time and people, it continually changes.

But as record labels fight to name the many forms of jazz, we, the jazz cats of the world, are stuck to wade through multiple forms

Check out our local record stores. There's contemporary jazz, mainstream jazz, smooth jazz, alternative jazz, avant garde jazz, Latin jazz, and fusion jazz, to name a few.

So, if you're new to the sound of jazz, take a deep breath and relax - it's all about what you like to listen to, and that diagram will format what type of jazz you will enjoy.

Sit down with a record store employee and they will most likely be able to sort out any confusions formed when trying to figure out what's the difference between Louis Armstrong and Etta James.

But one thing people who are new to jazz probably don't know is that a major portion of jazz is improvisational - or made up on the spot. It gives the music a magical feeling, never knowing when the next dip in the road will be or when the tempo will pick up from dead-like-slow, to kick-you-in-the-butt fast.

Once you start to notice the difference in genres in jazz, it's likely you'll begin to hear jazz in other forms of music, such as rock 'n' roll, R&B, Latin music and African music.

But, for the interested out there, here's a little list of where to start building a jazz library.

Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus and the Dave Brubeck Quartet are all jazz greats.

Known names in the old sphere of jazz include Duke Ellington, "Jelly Roll" Morton, Joe "King" Oliver, Louis Armstrong and "Fats" Waller.

But there also are many up-and-coming names in jazz who are mainstream or underground, it just takes a bit of searching to find them.

For women in jazz, Canadian jazz singer-pianist Diana Krall is making a name for herself in mainstream jazz, along with Dianne Reeves and Shirley Horn.

Whichever road chosen to walk, jazz's path is as winding and rocky as the next. It's a genre deep and worth researching, so start now, because it could take years to figure it all out.