The Origins of Jazz
Jazz is a result of many cultures that have crossed and influenced each other. Jazz was believed to have begun in the city of New Orleans. In the 1800s and early 1900s, New Orleans was a unique place in the United States. Creoles (people who were mixed with African and European descent) could live freely. They were often educated in Europe, and even allowed to own businesses. This was due to the Louisiana Purchase Treaty of April 30, 1803. Also, West African slaves were allowed to practice the music and dance of their culture in New Orleans in a place known as Congo Square. They performed lavish funeral rituals with music as they marched down the streets to the cemetery. They were also allowed to put on festivals with music and dance to mark certain occasions. When the Jim Crow laws came and a 1896 Supreme court case Plessy v. Ferguson ruled in favor of separate but equal, segregation began to erode the once liberated system. Musically speaking, this meant that what Creoles had learned about classical music would now merge with Caribbean and African folk music. Blues also played a role in influencing the birth of jazz. The first distinctive form of Jazz was Dixieland jazz. This resembled the sound of marching bands and had a specific style of improvisation which was taught by rote. If a young musician wanted to learn, they might help carry an instrument case around so they could be taught.
Jazz eventually moved up to the city of Chicago. The Original Dixieland Jass Band was a group of white performers that recorded the first jazz record in 1917. By 1923, the Creole Jazz Band led by King Oliver recorded another record. The musicians were King Oliver on cornet, Baby Dodds on drums, Honore Dutrey on trombone, Bill Johnson on bass, Louis Armstrong on second cornet, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, and Lil Hardin-Armstrong on piano. These records shot jazz into the mainstream.
Jazz eventually moved up to the city of Chicago. The Original Dixieland Jass Band was a group of white performers that recorded the first jazz record in 1917. By 1923, the Creole Jazz Band led by King Oliver recorded another record. The musicians were King Oliver on cornet, Baby Dodds on drums, Honore Dutrey on trombone, Bill Johnson on bass, Louis Armstrong on second cornet, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, and Lil Hardin-Armstrong on piano. These records shot jazz into the mainstream.
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Jazz Music in the 1930s: Swing and Big Bands (1930-1945)
Jazz as Art Music
The complexity of harmonies and melodic lines in bebop would soon delegate jazz to background music. With the rise of bebop, the style was no longer danceable or easy to sing. Some other sub-genres include smooth jazz, fusion, Latin-jazz, cool jazz, bossa nova, and free jazz. Jazz became a respected music that is now taught at the university level. Artists such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are now lauded for their talents.
The popular style of music became rock-and-roll. But if you listen to some early elements in rock music, you can still hear the influence of jazz. You can hear the same backbeat as was found in swing and the sharp solo guitars that referenced the saxophone solos of the past. Jazz will always be an important influence on American music.
The popular style of music became rock-and-roll. But if you listen to some early elements in rock music, you can still hear the influence of jazz. You can hear the same backbeat as was found in swing and the sharp solo guitars that referenced the saxophone solos of the past. Jazz will always be an important influence on American music.
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jazz_crossword_answers.pdf | |
File Size: | 103 kb |
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jazz_crossword.pdf | |
File Size: | 101 kb |
File Type: |