Jazz History

Many of the characteristics of jazz are a direct result of these early origins. The reliance on improvisation and emotional expression, for example, can be traced to the field hollers, sorrow songs and spiritual music of the early slaves. This has resulted in the colourful, spontaneous and emotive music that is a large part of the jazz appeal.

Early jazz was influenced by the ragtime music of the late 1890's, with its popular energetic and syncopated rhythms and the mournful repetitive harmonies of blues. The first examples of jazz probably sprang from New Orleans in the beginning of the 20th century.

New Orleans was a renowned centre of music and culture and plays a signifact role in jazz history. It had a more liberal policy of expression then English colonial areas, which allowed the early jazz style to develop. The "Original Dixieland Jass Band", who formed in the area, were one of the first to record jazz in 1917.

It took some time for jazz to become recognised as a legitimate entertainment. It was for a long time connected with loose morals, (jazz, or jass as it was first spelled is thought to be a derivative of the word 'jism') and the predominantly black influences meant it was not widely accepted by the white majority. It was not until Benny Goodman led racially mixed concerts at Carnegie Hall that jazz really started to make its way into the wider mainstream.

The Spread of Jazz

The 1920's saw the birth of "Chicago Style" jazz, which was pioneered by a group of students and moved the music into a more technically advanced league. These musicians included Muggsy Spanier, Bix Beiderbecke, Pee Wee Russell, Benny Goodman, Dave Tough and Eddie Condon. As the music became more widely accepted and the demand for musicians became greater with the increase of dance halls, jazz adopted the 4/4 beat of many other forms of popular dance music.

As the 1920's progressed, jazz music developed into a more complex and sophisticated art form. Jazz singers were beginning to come to the fore, with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters. The technical musicianship of instrumentalists such as Art Tatum (who is considered by some to be one of the greatest technicians in jazz history), Eddie Lang and Coleman Hawkins marked a change in the way jazz was viewed and performed, and set the scene for a host of different styles and techniques to develop.

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