JAZZ AND THE NEW ORLEANS

https://www.nps.gov/jazz/learn/historyculture/jazz_history.htm
https://www.neworleans.com/things-to-do/music/history-and-traditions/birthpla
ce-of-jazz/
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_Nouvelle-Orl%C3%A9ans
Intro
Accroche : “If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know” Louis
Armstrong
Today, jazz is an important genre of music around the world, and people listen
to more jazz with the popularity of vinyl records. Some famous jazzmen like
George Gershwin or Duke Ellington or Charlie Parker are now in popular
culture. But where does jazz originate from ? What role did the city of New
Orleans play in the emergence of jazz ? To answer this question, we will talk
about the origins of jazz in the first part, and then in a second part we will look
at the style of New Orleans.
Post-slavery period : RECONSTRUCTION, after the civil war (jim crow laws
and segregation)

Plan :
I.The origins of jazz
Jazz was born from a melding of many cultures and many skills. It stems from
the slaves' songs who sang while they were working in the plantation fields to
keep themselves active in the workforce. They readapted religious music and
added an african touch with call and response, counterbeat,... to create “negro
spirituals”. The only way they could express themselves was to sing.
(Gospels)

In the 1870-90s, the European classical legacy and the influence of European
folk and African/Caribbean elements were merged with a popular American
mainstream, which combined and adapted Old World practices into new forms
deriving from a distinctive regional environment. Just after the beginning of the
new century, jazz began to emerge as part of a broad musical revolution
encompassing ragtime, blues, spirituals and marches. It also reflected the
profound contributions of people of African heritage to this new and distinctly
American music.
At the same time, ragtime began to develop from Scott Joplin’s music, a mix
between African syncope and classical European music. Scott Joplin is an
African-American composer known for his song “The Entertainer”(1902) and
« Maple Leaf Rag » (1899) which marked music history.

But jazz also finds its origins in blues music, which was popular in the early
20th century in the Mississippi Delta. Indeed, blues was born at the same
moment with work songs of African-Americans slaves and was played by
guitarists, pianists and harmonica players. It was considered for some by a
satanist music led by blue devils like Robert Johnson, a guitarist who passed
a pact with the devil to play as a virtuoso.( Sweet Home Chigago,Cross Road
Blues)

- Influenced from blues : Robert Johnson

- Ragtime: Scott Joplin (the entertainer & maple leaf rag)

II. The style New Orleans

We use to say that jazz developed in New Orleans in the early 20th, in the
district of Storyville, with “brass bands”, orchestral formations composed of
brass instruments. These orchestras paraded through the town during
sporting or political events, carnivals and even after the funeral of the
deceased. They played military marches that they had readapted, and that
gave birth to many current jazz standards. Moreover, the first jazz recordings
were made in New Orleans in the 1910s and 1920s, and jazz soon spread throughout
the country, gaining popularity in cities like Chicago, New York, and Kansas City.
New Orleans continued to play an important role in the development of jazz
throughout the 20th century. The city remained a hub for jazz musicians and was
home to many famous jazz clubs such as Preservation Hall, where traditional jazz
was performed.
Examples of musicians who were famous during the emergence of jazz in New
Orleans and contributed to the birth of jazz music :
● the bandleader Charles “Buddy” Bolden an "uptown" cornetist whose charisma
and musical power became legendary. Dancing had long been a mainstay of
New Orleans nightlife, and Bolden’s popularity was based on his ability to give
dancers what they wanted.
● Kid Ory, Sidney Bechet and Louis Armstrong were the main soloists in the
New Orleans’ brass bands (trombone, clarinet, trumpet), based on an already
composed theme and on improvisation.

started in the late 1910/early twenties.

First official Jazz genre. Label jazz coined in 1917.
ex :Charleston

Conclusion : The advent of Blues and Jazz changed music history by

mixing different influences (ragtime, reggae, gospel, later bossa nova
and samba) but it also had a profound impact on American Culture and
society. It redefined 20th century America and was exported to Europe
and the rest of the world, modernizing their societies. Jazz is also a
means of political expression to support causes, such as the Civil
Rights movement (Benny Goodman 1st black musicians in his
orchestra) or the Western Block vs. The USSR communist block had the
It would later inspire Rock and Roll and jazz rock music (fusion).