Break
A brief interruption of the accompaniment in which a soloist plays alone.
What it means
A break is a short passage in which the accompanying group falls silent for a bar or two while a soloist, or a small group, continues alone, usually improvising. Once the accompaniment re-enters, the break fits seamlessly back into the form.
The break is a central device of early jazz, particularly New Orleans jazz, where it gave soloists such as Louis Armstrong the chance for short, striking improvised statements.
Musical use
In hip-hop, the break refers to an instrumental, often percussive section of a track that served as material for sampling and scratching and contributed to the rise of breakdancing. The break should be distinguished from a solo in the strict sense: a solo usually spans several choruses, while a break is limited to a few bars embedded within the ongoing accompaniment.