Short-lived but highly influential, Cap’n Jazz helped transform genres from a deeply underground punk subgenre into a more widely accepted subset of indie rock. Cap’n Jazz’s main contribution was stylistic — they helped shift emo’s always-elusive musical focus from post-hardcore prog-punk to an arty but more accessible punk-pop. Their discography was as scant as it was rare, but that very obscurity helped build their underground legend through word of mouth, until a double-CD retrospective was finally issued several years after their breakup. By that time, most of the members had moved on to other, better-known bands, most notably Joan of Arc, American Football Owen and the Promise Ring, which helped spread Cap’n Jazz’s influence far beyond their original audience.
