The Origins of Jazz

What we know as jazz music is a collaboration of styles that evolved over the years, taking pieces of sounds and melding them together into a rhythm unlike any other. A little bit of blues, some bluegrass, and a smattering of spiritual thrown together during the last part of the 19th century, using instruments more suited to marching bands or the funeral processions of the South. People of color in New Orleans took the music of their African heritage and added to it the southern influences to develop what became first known as Dixieland.

Dixieland is theorized to have been born when segregation laws forced the French Creole people to move to the poorer sections of New Orleans, to live among the poorer black American population. The Creoles made music that had French and Spanish influences, and tended toward orchestra-type pieces. The African-American residents had music that was spiritual and bluesy. The two different styles of music were brought together to create “Jass”, now what we call Jazz.

One of the very first jazz bands was Buddy Bolden’s band, which started playing around 1895, mostly in parades and at dances. Charles “Buddy” Bolden was the first man to be called “King of the Cornet” in New Orleans and he is credited as one of the creators of the sound. Unfortunately, Buddy Bolden never recorded any of his music, but was himself immortalized in the song, “Buddy Bolden’s Blues.”

Over the years, jazz evolved into many different styles. In the later part of the 1800’s, Ragtime was popular form. Ragtime is defined as a syncopated melody, or “ragged time,” and is heavy with sounds from the piano. Scott Joplin is the eminent Ragtime composer, and his work is highlighted in the movie The Sting, where his song “The Entertainer” became a top 40 hit in 1974.

Chicago Jazz or “Hot Jazz” began to be more popular in the early part of the 1900’s. This is the music that came out of the clubs and juke joints that were selling illegal alcoholic beverages during the time of Prohibition. Hot Jazz was touted as being immoral by both the media and the elder population of people. And so, once again jazz music had to evolve into something more acceptable to the listeners. Swing and the Big Band sound were the answer.

That next generation, swing was also known as “boogie blues” or “boogie woogie.” Added into the mix were more pianos, and influences of country western music with some guitar. By this time, everyone was enjoying the sounds of jazz and listening to such bands and their leaders as Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller, and dancing the jitterbug and the Lindy Hop.

In the 40's and 50's, the boogie was drifting toward more of a country music genre, and the Dixieland style of jazz was being revived. Louis Armstrong and his band, Allstars, were among the most popular of the time. During this time, the dance numbers decreased and jazz musicians focused more on the music rather than the popularity of the style. Transitional styles such as Bebop, Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, and Modal jazz evolved over the years, with such performers as Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Miles Davis, and George Russell. These themes inspired such later artists as John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock in their genres of jazz.

The 1960’s brought about Free Jazz, and artists blended in sounds from all over the world, such as India or the Middle East. The musicians of the time threw out all of the old school rules of jazz and brought together all different harmonies to make their music. The music of Charles Mingus is an example of the free jazz technique.

Since those early days, other influences have been brought in, such as Latin rhythms, soul, rock, and even reggae music. Artists continue to experiment with different types of jazz, melding current genres in with the older tempos. But overall, it can best be described as a unique form of American music. A bill passed in 1987, by both the House of Representatives and the Senate stated, among other things, "...that jazz is hereby designated as a rare and valuable national American treasure."