History of Jazz
Jazz roots come from early traditional West African music, which heavily emphasised rhythm rather than melody or harmony.
In polyrhythms, many of these rhythms would be layered on top of each other. These songs would also use the call-and-response technique, where a group of musicians would play a phrase (Call), and another group would play something similar back (Response). Jumping forward to the Atlantic slave trade, many of the descendants who were taken from West Africa developed their own musical traditions, which included songs, dances, and stories.
After the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, many free musicians developed a new style of music called Blues.
Blues music was often simple and focused on emotion, and it always had a story with meaning. Blues artists would often include heavy themes in their songs like the harsh nature of racism and inequality in America.
Moving on to the early 1890s where Ragtime became very popular and would take over all the dance halls in the states. This style of music was the complete opposite of Blues, Ragtime was loud and colourful and was mostly played on piano with vibrant harmonies and syncopated rhythms.
Ragtime would provide a structural framework for early Jazz compositions.
New Orleans
New Orleans, a melting pot of culture and musical traditions, provided the perfect environment for the birth of Jazz.
The city’s vibrant nightlife, with its dance halls and social clubs, created a demand for live music during the prohibition, fostering experimentation and innovation among musicians.
Unlike Ragtime where the main instrument is restricted to a piano, Jazz musicians included more instruments forming big bands up to the size of a small orchestra.
The evergrowing popularity of Jazz gave musicians the stretch into more genres as the USA was coming into total cultural dominance in the West.
Genres such as Rock and Pop would emerge and would continue to grow, giving rise to countless subgenres and styles.
Jazz Today
Jazz continues to evolve and diversify, with contemporary artists pushing the boundaries of the genre and incorporating new influences.
From traditional acoustic jazz to experimental electronic fusions, the spirit of innovation and improvisation remains at the heart of this vibrant musical tradition.
Many Artists like Miles Davis and Herby Hancock added their own distinctive sounds and never-before-seen musical structures and techniques in Jazz that are used all across music today.