Jazz

Brief overview of what jazz is and its cultural significancE

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music.

"Where It All Began"

Jazz is often thought of as being founded on the musical traditions of West Africa (rhythm, “feel”, blues) and Europe (harmonic chords, variety of instruments). Early jazz also incorporated church hymns, slave songs, field chants, and Cuban-style rhythm.

Jazz originated in New Orleans, primarily as it served as a melting pot for the music that ultimately led to the jazz genre. One of the main reasons it formed there was Because slaves from a wide variety of nations could come together and play music, something that wasn’t always permitted in other cities or states.

African Beats in Jazz"

The jazz innovators of the time drew heavily on various African musical roots in their playing, including complex rhythms, flexibility of pitch, polyphonic melodic structures, call and response patterns, and collective improvisation.

The "father" of JAzz

When it comes to who invented jazz music, most historians consider Buddy Bolden – a cornet player –the first jazz musician. He was an African-American bandleader, and he was even once dubbed the “first man of jazz,” cementing his place in jazz history.
At a minimum, Buddy Bolden was a musician that spearheaded the genre, often playing in Storyville at night. While there aren’t any known recordings of his playing, his sound was said to feature the improvisation traditionally associated with the genre.

Other jazz musicians associated with New Orleans

Buddy Bolden wasn’t the only musician associated with the birth of jazz. Some other early jazz African-American musicians of the time included Mutt Carey, Bunk Johnson, and Joe Oliver. Creole jazz musicians like Jelly Roll Morton, Freddie Keppard, and Sidney Bechet also shaped the genre.

Ragtime and Blues

Ragtime and blues are the foundations of jazz. Both were initially very popular among African Americans as jazz came from an African background. The blues contain the musical structure of jazz with the 12 bar pattern, while ragtime supplies the unique syncopations and improvisations.

Syncopation

Jazz musicians like to emphasize the notes that they play on the “upbeats;” that is, if you're tapping your foot along with the beat of the music, jazz musicians tend to emphasize the notes that occur when your foot is in the air. The most simple definition for Syncopation is accenting on the upbeat. (accent-emphasize)

Improvisation

In music, improvisation means creating a musical composition on the spot, by yourself or while playing with others. Improvisation can be a wonderful way to showcase your knowledge and abilities on any instrument, and it's also a way to communicate your feelings, thoughts, or emotions.

The Era of Swing!

Swing music is a style of Jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early '30s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off beat or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement. The danceable swing style of big bands and bandleaders such as Benny Goodman was the dominant form of American popular music from 1935 to 1946

Jazz and its significant role in the civil right era(1954-1968)

Jazz music took a decidedly more political tone, and the players took on active roles in the struggle for civil rights. Jazz music provided a soundtrack for liberation and key players(musicians) to the fight for liberty, some in ways they'd never plan.

Jazz and its significant role in the civil right era

In April 1956, Nat “King” Cole took the stage in Birmingham, Alabama. After scoring a number of hits with his jazz trio, Cole had transitioned to his more pop-oriented solo work, which cemented him firmly as a crossover artist—a crooner with mass appeal. These were songs that would go on to become Christmas and wedding staples. They were romantic, upbeat, and emotional. What they certainly weren’t was controversial. But in the segregated South, Cole’s visibility and appeal made him a target for racists. They saw in his act, in his integrated band, and in his popularity "an even more insidious threat than strutting rhythm and blues singers,” as the music scholar Mark Burford explained. About three songs into his performance, Cole was attacked on stage.