development of Jazz music in New Orleans

 development of Jazz music in New Orleans

Jazz is a genre of music that originated from the fusion of African-American communities that lived in New Orleans in the late 19th century. The traditional music of slaves in New Orleans had a significant effect on the composition of early Jazz. In New Orleans, slaves could practice elements of their African culture, such as voodoo and playing drums. Jazz also has its roots in western Africa and Black –American music traditions that include blues and ragtime. Due to its popularity in the 1920s, jazz music has been the most popular form of musical expression in the US, Europe and all parts of the world. Besides, Jazz is characterized by improvisation, blue notes, response vocals, calls, and polyrhythms. The fusion of Africans-Americans musical talents and cultures led to the development of Jazz music in New Orleans.

At around the 1920 century, most Africans from West Africa

and the Congo basin had been taken to Europe and the United States, especially in New Orleans through the Atlantic slave trade. African slaves usually gathered socially in the Congo market, which was famous for its African traditional dances. Additionally, Africans from Congo River Basin had carried musical traditions with them, for example, of a use single-line melody and call-and-response pattern and the rhythms that have reflected African speech patterns. Besides, Africans in New Orleans had talents to make a variety of instruments such as jugs, drums, washboards, and boxes bitten with sticks. Jazz music was boosted by black slaves who had learned to incorporate harmonic styles of rhyme in their churches and also used them in their music as spirituals. Moreover, before the outbreak of the American Civil war, most African slaves had a long interaction with the White Musicians. They had learned to play musical instruments such as violin, which they used to parody European dance music on their own.

The interaction of European –Americans musicians with African –Americans in different musical shows influenced the development of Jazz. For instance, Louis Moreau Gottschalk composed a piano salon music that adopted

slave rhythms and melodies from Cuba

and Caribbean islands in the mid-1800s.Moreover, Jazz gained momentum for the influence of Africa- Cuban power whereby African-Americans musicians integrated

Cuban rhythms and musicians from Havana and New Orleans would ferry twice a day between both cities to perform to in Cuba.

The abolition of the Atlantic slave trade in 1865 enabled freed Africans to

explore their talents in different fields, including music. Africans in New Orlean went to look for new employment opportunities though there was strict segregation that reduced the availability of employment opportunities in the United States. African-Americans found work in the entertainment industries where they were able to provide entertainment in dances and minstrel shows, and during this time, many marching music bands developed. Black Americans were employed to play pianos in bars, brothels, spas, and clubs sheet music, that was propagated by African-American musicians, and entertainers like Ernest Hogan developed as ragtime.

The development of ragtime (a type of music that evolved from the black American musicians living in New Orleans in the 1890s . For instance, in 1898, Scott Joplin, a classically trained pianist, produced his first song “Original Rags”.He became famous internationally in 1899 when he presented his second song, the maple leaf rag, which was a

multi-strain ragtime march that was made up of four parts and featured repeated themes and a bass line with seven copious chords. The “maple leaf rag” formed the basis of many rags, especially in the transition of the first and last strain. Ragtime is an immediate prosecutor to jazz music since it involves a single piano style and is the direct precursor to Jazz.

Jazz music development was from the

composition of blues ( a music genre that originated in African- Americans that lived

in the deep south of the United States around 19 th century and in Mississippi Delta where Jazz

music was born). Jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis have blended their songs with

blue notes and chords.

Cultural diversities played significant roles in the development of Jazz music. The genre evolved from the interaction of African-Americans, white Americans, and musicians from other parts of the world. In other words, it developed from multiple cultures such as

French, Spanish, Creole, Americans, and Africans. Jazz music evolved due to multicultural products and processes that cut across many geographical boundaries and was not formed in isolation from other musical and societal influences.

Jazz observes a fundamental principle of maintaining tradition, sharing such culture with others, and incorporating new elements into the music. The policy also involves the use of traditional melodic forms, respecting the history, and knowing how to use these traditions in music. At the same time, jazz musicians are familiar with other musical styles and cultures and, in varying ways and amounts, incorporate these into Jazz. Some jazz music primarily relies on myths and not stepping outside of customary and community boundaries. For example, Jazz musician, Anthony Braxton maintains both traditions and

in his albums “What’s New In the Tradition” and

the “Charlie Parker Project.”

The principles of interaction and improvisation make Jazz an exciting music genre, forward-looking, and dynamic enterprise. Social interaction in the form of integration of musical ideas and practices is the essence of Jazz. Artistic traditions involve listening to other musicians, being sensitive to their senses and direction, being able to respond, using one’s own musical knowledge and abilities, and working as a team to produce music of interest to musicians and audiences.

Improvisation is another feature that distinguishes it from other western music. It uses various combinations of musicians’ traditions and other traditions and forms and developing innovatively and creatively that produces new musical styles or variants on old techniques. Interaction and improvisation in Jazz rely on the principles of equality and harmony to provide unique and unusual results. Furthermore, improvisation and incorporation of ideas from other traditions and musicians have means that Jazz has never stood still, but has always been a process of developing new musical forms.

Stylistic element such as Dixieland was developed which was typically performed by a small solo and involved use of trumpet accompanied by a rhythm section of a drum set and piano. Another distinctive style that emerged during the formation of

Jazz was swing, which was performed by several ensemble clarinets, trombones, and trumpets. Three to five players were involved in playing each instrument, and the rhythm consists of the use of piano, drum set, guitar, and piano. The last but not the least stylistic development is a bop that was characterized by emotional restraint to improvise harmonic and rhythmic practices.

In conclusion, Jazz music is a uniquely American style of music

that developed in the

The 1920s and has been influenced by overtime by classical and popular. The roots of the genre include most Afro-American folk music traditions, for instance, work songs, spirituals, and blues. The genre also borrowed the traditional band music, ancient styles of playing piano, and is characterized by the practice of improvisation. Additionally, essential styles such as bop, cool Jazz, and swing developed.