A Brief Guide to Jazz History
Jazz history tells an inspiring story of a race’s quest for freedom and an unquenchable spirit and passion for music and life.
1700’s
In this century, slavery had not yet been abolished and African American slaves had little to entertain themselves with. In time, they used music not just to relieve themselves from the toils of hard labor but also as a ‘call and response’ method while at work. With this type of music, a song leader would make a call and other slaves would respond.
Besides work songs, the slaves also created their own ‘spiritual songs’. African Americans are very religious and they used songs to express their faith as well as their intentions.
1800’s
It was the century for emancipation, growth, and opportunity. As more and more European settlers migrated to the Americas for a new life, African Americans were introduced to new varieties of music such as the quadrilles of France, the waltzes of Germans, and the cheerful gigs of Irish people.
It is in this era that the famous composer, Scott Joplin, had combined these new styles and developed a completely different genre known today as ‘ragtime’, which had been greatly popular with the black community.
1900’s
New Orleans thrived with culture as African Americans mixed with more foreign nationals. In time, rag time, blues, and music of marching bands had blended into a single genre called jazz.
In the 1920’s, African Americans began moving north to industrial cities such as New York and Chicago hoping for better opportunities. They brought along their music with them and jazz soon became a hit with the American public, particularly the youth. Then, young Americans considered the enjoyment of jazz as a way of asserting their independence and modern views against the more conservative tastes of older generations. For a time, young women, which would later come to be known as ‘flappers’, would even develop a taste for wearing frilly and shorter-than-usual dresses and even shorter hair.
The invention of radios as well as record players naturally played a key role in the continued growth of jazz music from New Orleans to New York to the rest of America. Jazz music was being played in private homes and dance halls.
The end of the First World War signaled a new direction for jazz music as it developed different sub-genres. Big band jazz, for instance, was basically created for more enjoyment in dance halls. But even though jazz came to have numerous facets in its history, its core elements remained true and unchanging over time.