Jazz 1988 Eau de Toilette

Version from 1988
Jazz (1988) (Eau de Toilette) by Yves Saint Laurent
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8.0 / 10 190 Ratings
Jazz (1988) (Eau de Toilette) is a popular perfume by Yves Saint Laurent for men and was released in 1988. The scent is spicy-woody. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Spicy
Woody
Fresh
Fougère
Floral

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
NutmegNutmeg AniseedAniseed CardamomCardamom CorianderCoriander BasilBasil LavenderLavender TarragonTarragon BergamotBergamot CinnamonCinnamon
Heart Notes Heart Notes
JasmineJasmine GeraniumGeranium IrisIris CarnationCarnation
Base Notes Base Notes
OakmossOakmoss SandalwoodSandalwood LeatherLeather TobaccoTobacco CedarCedar MuskMusk Tonka beanTonka bean AmberAmber

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
8.0190 Ratings
Longevity
7.7135 Ratings
Sillage
7.3130 Ratings
Bottle
7.2131 Ratings
Value for money
7.432 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 15.04.2024.

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions
10
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Can777

121 Reviews
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Can777
Can777
Top Review 35  
The Chauffeur
She was sitting in the hotel room waiting for it to finally be ten o'clock. The company had ordered her a chauffeur for the week to take her to the congress and pick her up. The place where the congress should take place the week was a few kilometres outside the city. The driving time was one and a half hours per route. It was just before ten. She went to the elevator to get to the lobby and from there to the parking lot. There was a black limousine and the chauffeur. He was tall and handsome. He wore a black elegant suit and a shiny white shirt with a black tie. His black shoes shone just as brightly as the peak of his chauffeur's cap in the sun. He greeted her with a charming half laugh and a friendly nod. All he said was, "My name is Yves... Madame!.. and opened the back door of the limousine. She got in, but something displeased her. But what???

They've been driving for a while now when she wanted to know how much longer they'd take. She knocked against the black cut-off wheel. She was slowing down. And then she realized what had bothered her at first. It was his eau de toilette or his aftershave! It was very present and strong and appeared very pungent and very spicy. Almost herbaceous and a little too bitter-youthful. It was coriander, tarragon and various Mediterranean herbs with a very present geranium note. Everything seemed very manly and fresh green. It didn't really fit together somehow, it seemed. But it kind of harmonized. It harmonized above all things about him. He was the guy who could wear something like that. Very neat, clean, youthful and somehow freshly shaved. A man...through and through!

The first session at the Congress lasted a beaten eight hours. She was exhausted and just wanted to go to the hotel and take a bath and relax. Yves stood by the car and waited for her. He opened the car door and she boarded. The car radio played jazz music. But not the fast and nervous variant. No, it was that soft, warm, very soulful jazz. He started the limousine and asked: Should I turn off the music or raise the cutting disc,...Madame? She just answers, "No, no... leave everything as it is! But everything was not as it is! Yves smelled different somehow. Although still somehow herby-fresh and it was still his eau de toilette, but it had become much, much deeper and warmer around him. It seemed as if he had aged by several years in the past time. But in a positive sense. A smoky-herb mineral oak moss filled the car and a delicate tobacco scent lay in the air and mixed with the smell of the leather. Or was it in his perfume, too? A spicy-warm and very masculine aura now emanated from him. At that moment she felt incredibly well taken care of in the car and in his presence. The casualness and sovereignty that Yves radiated from this moment was very impressive and protective. She had been very wrong about his scent!

Arriving at the hotel, he parked the limousine on the hotel parking lot and got out. He opened the back door of the car and helped her out of the car with the words: Tomorrow at ten o'clock? This time he smiled at her as he spoke to her. He had a very youthful and extremely smart smile. She thought very charmingly and replied, "Ten o'clock, Yves Thank you very much She once again absorbed his scent unnoticed and walked towards the hotel entrance. After twenty meters she turned around again to him and the car.

Yves was standing by the trunk. He just opened it. He took off his jacket and gloves and put it neatly in the trunk. Then he took off his chauffeur's cap and put it on as well. With both hands he pulled up his black wavy hair and stroked it backwards. Then he loosened the knot of his tie and let both ends of the tie dangle loosely around his neck and on his chest. He opened the top two buttons of his white shirt and rolled up his sleeves. All etiquette and uniform was gone all at once from now on. He had changed. An indescribable freedom now emanated from him. He seemed very happy, light and unconcerned. Like a very happy big boy, man???? Once again he reached into the trunk and pulled out a suitcase. It was an instrument case. By form, it's a saxophone. He took the suitcase in both arms and turned once dancing around himself before closing and locking the trunk. He ran to a small group of men who waved at him and seemed to be waiting for him. They also had all the instrument cases with them. Musician! He ran towards her laughing. He seemed so infinitely sprightly!

And she,...she was, from that moment on, too!

Jazz
To this day I know of no fragrance that has managed to combine youth and maturity as skilfully as jazz by Yves Saint Laurent. All the facets of a man in just one fragrance. Sparkling, rough, smart, uncouth and somewhat uninhibited, it gradually changes into casual elegance,
Maturity, sovereignty, male warmth and irrepressible casualness. What Yves Saint Laurent has created is a glittering prism of masculinity. Brightly cool and yet so infinitely deep-warm. A rough shell and a soft core. Not a simple perfume. Jazz is a challenge for every man. But that's the way men are. Not always easy and easy to see through. And we gladly accept challenges! Or?

Fashion fades, style is eternal!
- Yves Saint Laurent -

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MCF2nMrQde8
21 Comments
7
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
Norleans

60 Reviews
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Norleans
Norleans
Top Review 21  
Finally found...!
I can hardly put it into words what a brilliant fragrance this is. I'm trying to...

After an exchange with the extremely sympathetic perfumo profumorist, I was now the proud owner of jazz in its "original form", with a black and white plastic bottle.
(Fun Fact on the side: In my commentary on the short megamare I offered the first person who would get in touch with me to give my bottling of the abomination against postage. Profumorist was the lucky one. He meant well with me in our jazz barter and sent me some samples and bottlings. Unfortunately also again the Megamare. It was me - of course - an accident :-) )

Back to jazz. I have been looking for a classic Powerhouse fragrance for a few months now. I tried Zino, Azzaro pour Homme and Antaeus among others. The Zino was the only one in the sniffed bundle that I liked right away. Unfortunately he didn't fit in with me at all and I gave him to my father, whom he really comes across very well.
Not knowing how jazz smelled, like blind buying, I traded it. At first I was a little disappointed by the bottle, because it looks interesting, but is made of plastic. This is not the most valuable material associated with a good fragrance. But the scent! It is so soft, fresh, long-lasting, unobtrusively masculine, but still present. So really I can only smell lavender and leather out. The other components are "lost" as a total work of art. YSL Jazz has everything I want from a classic men's perfume because it is always wonderfully wearable. Thank God he lacks the excessive soap that I perceive in many creations of the 80s.

Since jazz in this version is only available at moon prices, I will guard it like the apple of my eye, but it will surely become a victim of its genius and I cannot control myself in the frequency of its use. I will get the current Jazz soon and hope that he doesn't "stink" too much against his father.

Thanks for reading
12 Comments
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
7.5
Scent
Tom27

39 Reviews
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Tom27
Tom27
Very helpful Review 13  
The birthday present
Several years ago, on my 18th birthday, I got this bottle with jazz, which seemed very futuristic at that time, as a present. Since Kouros was already in my possession at that time, I was delighted to receive another perfume of the same brand as a gift. I really liked Kouros back then and if jazz had been anywhere near as good, it would have been the perfect gift for me. I can still remember the disappointment when I first used jazz. It wasn't what I expected. A very fresh herbaceous something with an exaggerated soapy touch did not suit me at all. So the beautiful black and white bottle wandered into the furthest corner of the bathroom cupboard, where it was a shadowy existence. Many years, and a few removals later, the container finally landed in a cardboard box in the cellar. When I cleaned the basement two months ago, the EDT fell into my hands again. It had suffered. The formerly white color was yellowed and the sprayer was somehow sticky. The fragrance, however, seemed to have survived the years well and strangely enough I even liked it. A bright fresh Fougère with the typical ingredients such as bergamot and lavender, which develops with the rose geranium and the lavender a typical soapy Barbershop aroma. All of this is accompanied by a spicy, warm floral note, thanks to nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. The spices remain clearly perceptible throughout the fragrance and are only slowly pushed into the background by the sandalwood, amber and leathery oak moss.
The projection of the fragrance is good and the life span is about 6 hours on my skin.
I could imagine using jazz as a daily perfume for any occasion. However, it does particularly well due to its fresh, soapy character as a freshness booster directly after showering.
Unfortunately my bottle is empty now and there is probably no affordable replacement for this old vintage version.
In the past I didn't want to use jazz - today I can't use it anymore - Too bad actually
4 Comments
8
Pricing
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
manlyscents

75 Reviews
manlyscents
manlyscents
8  
Highly influential masculine scent
Jazz opens with a bright and fresh mix of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and lavender, then dries down to sandalwood and cedar. Projects well for a couple of hours, and lasts a good 6 hours minimum.

Due to availability in my area I got to nose Ralph Lauren Safari eons before Jazz. When I finally got to smell Jazz I was astounded by the similarities. Eventually I also tried the reformulated Pasha de Cartier EDT and that was even closer to Jazz, albeit weaker. I'm told Salvador by Salvador Dali is also in the same vein. Just goes to show how influential Jazz was in the early 90s.

When Jazz was launched, the designer perfume industry was at crossroads. Unfortunately most designer houses chose the metallic freshie path of Cool Water and Eternity over this style, and the industry never recovered. Just my humble opinion.

Masculinity Level: Di Caprio in Inception.
1 Comment
8
Pricing
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent
HugoMontez

71 Reviews
HugoMontez
HugoMontez
Helpful Review 4  
Spicy-floral Fougère!
I'm a huge fan of YSL fragrances, until the last Y line. That line is a bit disappointing to me. But fortunately, I have many other YSL fragrances to enjoy, like this gem here.

Jazz appeared in 1988, when Cool Water was launched and the world was preparing for a change. Fresh, clean and aquatic were the themes and things like animalic leathers of chypres were starting to disappear. Jazz shows a different path. Lavender, jasmine, oakmoss and nutmeg. A beautiful Fougère with Spicy-floral nuances.

Super high quality and very masculine in a classic Fougère way, but with a freshness that puts it apart from the other fougère offerings out there. I don't know why YSL decided to discontinued it but probably it didn't well in sales. In 2011 they re-lauched it in a different bottle but the formula changed and it seemed somewhat flat and watered down. I think it's now discontinued again or only available in some places.

Anyway, if you like fougère fragrances but want something slightly different and high quality, try to grab a bottle of this beauty. It's really fascinating how a fougère appears to be familiar but in the same time different and modern. One of my favourite fougères and a classic that would stood the test of time if L'Oréal didn't had decided to reformulate it.

4/5
1 Comment
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Statements

6 short views on the fragrance
Bashke81Bashke81 3 years ago
This one is very pleasant. Barbershop with s modern twist and really strong as well.
8/10
0 Comments
ChicoRoch1ChicoRoch1 11 months ago
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
7.5
Scent
This fragrance does not last very long and I have a vintage model. Maybe the bottle is too old or something
0 Comments
Nqobie0303Nqobie0303 1 year ago
10
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
9
Scent
This has evolved over time to resemble a flawless harmony complemented by lovely rhythms in a magnificent song.
0 Comments
Charilaos77Charilaos77 1 year ago
10
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Elegant fougere. The black and white bottle is maybe the most iconic in my collection.
0 Comments
JGLJGL 2 years ago
10
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Saturday night pick in the early 90's. A masterpiece, intense, high-quality long-lasting fragrance. Unfortunately, not anymore.
0 Comments
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Wow, nice find!Is it with the music from the ad from the 80s?

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