Ragtime And Blues : The History And Their Influence On Jazz

“For some this has been, at least partially, a nostalgic trip to the “simplistic and charm” of the past(...)ragtime’s direct melodic and harmonic message, its irresistible, foot-tapping, rhythmic impulse.” (Berlin) Ragtime was the type of music that was intended to evoke happiness and joy using instruments like piano, guitar, and drums. Through the genre of Ragtime, many popular dances of the late 1900s became prominent like the “cake walk”, “ragtime marches”, “two-steps”, and many more. (Berlin) One of the most prominent characteristics of Ragtime is the fact that it has syncopation which was fairly new at the time. Syncopation is the emphasis of notes that are played in the off beats. Irving Berlin describes the relationship between syncopation and ragtime as

The birth of jazz music is often credited to African Americans, though it didn’t take long to expanded to America's white middle class. Jazz, therefore, was characterised by a meshing of African American traditions and ideals with white middle class societies. Big cities like New York and Chicago were

The cultural cultural climate of the city certainly started the movement, but it evolved into something altogether which will see. The demographics of New Orleans was the main contributor to the creation of jazz. The socializing of Creoles, the lower-class black populations, and their dealings with white musicians from all over the country was the perfect storm for a new style of music to emerge. The blossoming jazz style of New Orleans was embodied by the cornetist Buddy Bolden, the first known musician to play jazz on a woodwind instrument. The African-Americans who were not Creole played boisterous, beat-based tunes founded on rags, folk music, and marches. New Orleans jazz now had a style all its own, with each instrument having its place and style for improvisation, especially for the woodwind

Out of the streets of New Orleans, a new form of music arose. This new type of music was not known as African or European, but simply American. It was jazz. In 1900 jazz first developed, but it wasn’t until the

Initially, the first jazz is said to have been played by funeral bands that wailed music full of soul and sadness as the followed horse drawn hearses down the streets of New Orleans. It was blues music though (Winfield 157). Many historians mark the start of the “Jazz Age” on November 12, 1917- the day the Department of the Navy closed a thirty-eight square-block neighborhood known as storyville in the city of New Orleans. Fearing the health of its sailors, the navy shut the doors of Storyville’s brothels and nightclubs, forcing

One of the most iconic happenings in this age was the creation of jazz. Jazz had always been popular in night clubs in the south but during the great migration, jazz was brought to the north. After just a few weeks, jazz was the new fad and everyone was playing it. “Jazz flouted many musical conventions with its syncopated rhythms and improvised instrumental solos…improvisation meant that no two performances would ever be the same…” (The Decade That Roared, page

The origins of Jazz are known to be in many various places like New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, and Kansas City. However, as far as history can date back to, Jazz was associated with the African slaves who were transported on slave ships. These slaves were allowed to dance in order to keep them in good physical and mental form. They danced to the beat of instruments in celebration of the cycles of life and thus originated Jazz- a novel and unique dance form. Since its inception, it has

Specifically, jazz music is the soul of New Orleans and was actually born there. Congo square was the very spot where Jazz music was born (Lee). This was the only place African slaves could play their drums in New Orleans. In fact, it was the only place in America where the slaves had that type of freedom. The slave holders would allow the African slaves to be off work every Sunday. The other states in North America would never allow this “freedom.” Music was everywhere in New Orleans: churches, funerals, celebrations, parades, the French opera. Jazz music plays a significant role in funerals because it provides comfort. Slow, traditional tunes would be played to mourn over the death of a loved one. Once some words are exchanged over the dead, the jazz becomes more up-beat and turns into a celebration. This change in beat signifies that, although the people are sad they had to let the person go, they are happy they actually got to know them (Lee). This tradition was used over the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which allowed the people to mourn. Without their jazz, New Orleans probably wouldn't have gotten through all of the deaths they had to face. Music will always speak to people, especially in New

Louisiana is the home to many different musical genres and is the birthplace of many different types of music. The different cultures in Louisiana helped create all of the music it has. Jazz, zydeco, and Cajun music are some of the genres that Louisiana is most known for. New Orleans has a major role is Louisiana’s music, one of the supposed reasons for New Orleans nickname “The Big Easy” is because of how easy it is for musicians to find work there. Before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 Louisiana was already bustling with music from operas to street corner singers. These music types all coming together is how jazz was made. The name jazz was actually coined in New York, applying to a baseball when it “wobbled.”

Jazz is a music genre that has complex characteristics and history of development and thus many musicians and scholars face troubles in defining what jazz is. In general, jazz is believed to have born in New Orleans. Jazz developed for the pleasure of the social dancers. According to the “Understanding Jazz: What Is Jazz?” of John F. Kennedy center for the Performing Arts, Jazz was created mainly by Afro-Americans, and had elements of European and Afro-American culture. Also, it emphasizes few elements of Jazz, which are swing-feel, syncopation, and improvisation. These different culture and elements of jazz may be explained by how jazz

Jazz music originated in New Orleans around the beginning of the 20th century, developing through various increasingly complex styles. These scores are generally marked by intricate, propulsive rhythms; polyphonic ensemble playing; improvisatory, virtuosic solos; melodic freedom and a harmonic idiom. These pieces range from simple diatonicism, through chromaticism, to atonality (Dictionary.com). The foundation of jazz is associated with the Black experience in the United States, but different cultures have added their own personal experiences and styles to this art form as well. As a result of jazz spreading around the world, it grew locally, regionally, and nationally in cultures. Each decade brought a new form of jazz including brass bands in the twenties, swing bands in the thirties, and smooth cool jazz in the forties.

     Jazz music is a blending of both black and white tradition and heritages. New Orleans was the center of many different ethnicities, such as French, Spanish, American, and African

    African Americans also had a crucial role in the development of popular music in the twentieth century. The rise of band music, ragtime, and blues occurred. Band music originated in New Orleans in which all the types of bands (marching bands, dance bands, concert bands, and society orchestra bands) played at many different functions or just for the

Other developments led to the ``trumpet-piano'' style of Earl Hines and Teddy Weatherford and to the swing style of Duke Ellington. Some Historians consider ragtime to be the very first jazz style. Although it cannot actually be classified as jazz, ragtime is definitely a very influential part of jazz. In Louisiana at this time there was music everywhere. Ragtime bands and marching bands were joining together. Mexican bands were also and influence especially in the way the trumpets and horns were played. All this merging of different band sounds was important in the creation of jazz. Eventually the instruments used in marching bands crossed over into jazz instruments. The drums and clarinet filled in for the marching band instruments. New Orleans was such a melting pot for music and culture but it was also a party town. This party scene was also a part of how jazz was molded. The demand for fresh new music was high, which caused musicians to alter and elongate their styles. All the new creations and variations on the music in the end fused into jazz.

Jazz was inspired by African-American folk music, Blues and Ragtime in the early 20th century and introduced in New Orleans. According to the text book “Discovering Humanities”, “Jazz was “the” American music, and was almost as popular in Paris and Berlin as it was in New York, Chicago, and New Orleans” (468). The first feature of Jazz is improvisation, when a song was played there is no specific arrangement, it is spontaneously elaborated around a specific song (Listen, 386). A second feature is that there is a rhythmic style that involves highly developed syncopation. Syncopation occurs when accents in