History of Jazz

The roots of jazz are found in the era of the slave trade. As the people of Africa became doomed for a life of slavery and misery, music became an outlet. Songs were sung in the form of "call and response", a style which is found in jazz today; one instrument will play a certain sound and another one will respond in a slightly altered echo.

Around the 1800's white and black minstrel shows gained their popularity, and with them so did black musical traditions such as the use of the fiddle, banjo and tambourine. Many jazz performers, such as Bessie Smith found their path to popularity in minstrel shows. New Orleans was a central area for slave trading, but also a cultural hub for African Americans to exchange musical methods and dances similar to those in jazz. Rag time was born with Scott Joplin in 1868, blues and marching band music was soon to follow. Jelly Roll Morton was known for making the sound of the harmonica a staple in jazz.

Dr. Jazz by Jelly Roll Morton



By the 1920's African Americans were moving towards Chicago or New York, bringing blues and jazz with them. The concept of "blue notes" were introduced, meaning that some musical notes would be played on a pitch lower than the major scale. Improvisation of melody is another staple of jazz music, a freedom not known in most previous musical genres. The new generations of America accepted and ultimately loved these musical genres. Women known as flappers became a cultural staple of the era; they were cutting their hair, wearing shorter dresses, smoking cigarettes as well as dancing to jazz music. Radios and record players were also essential to the growing popularity of jazz music.

1930's brought big band & swing music, a new style of jazz which entailed flowing rhythms played by a large band. Crowds were drawn and before the stock market crash, night life was increasingly energetic. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were big names during this time. The youth became a subculture, almost in likeness to the 1960's. They pushed the catch phrase "Express your true feelings!"

In the 1940's jazz music was lacking due to the draft for World War II, many musicians were serving the U.S instead of playing in bands and music halls. With the 1950's came Elvis and the beginning of rock and roll, so jazz laid low until the 60's.

In compliance with the civil rights movement, African American jazz musicians finally broke free from record companies with white owners. They began to control their own music and establishments. From the 1970's into the rest of the 20th century, jazz was constantly growing into new subgenres, such as: fusion jazz of the 70's, acid jazz of the 80's and smooth jazz and retro swing of the 90's.