Hi everyone! I have a free choice on what I wanted to do for this post. We recently had a module on Jazz and how it came to be. I found this very useful timeline on the history of Jazz. http://www.jazzinamerica.org/jazzresources/timeline I was inspired to look more deeply into the history of Jazz due to a documentary we watched as a class for a discussion post.

To begin talking about Jazz, we first need to go to 1619 when slaves were first sold in America (The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz). This is important because Jazz was not possible until the abolition of slavery. As we move forward, we see that ragtime music was the first in the timeline of how Jazz came to be. I personally love piano rags, I think they are very fun to listen to and sound very bright. I really enjoy listening to the Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin. I have embedded the video below for your listening pleasure. I especially like this video because you can see the hands moving across the keyboard.

It isn’t until 1917 when Jazz first makes an appearance. This is when an all white group, called The Original Dixieland Jass Band, recorded the first Jazz pieces. It was also during this time when free black people began to move north. The first Jazz song recorded is called Lively Stable Blues. While listening to a documentary titled “Gumbo” regarding Jazz, it was said that you can’t have Jazz without Blues. (Ken Burns Gumbo)

I really enjoyed the Gumbo documentary because it was stressed that Jazz is an improvisational art. It is so special how one person can start on a Blue style song, and other join in to create Jazz. A group doesn’t have to have prepared songs, they can make it up on the spot. I think that is really what makes Jazz so special. It was born out of an oppressed culture as a way to express feelings and to speak a different language.

Thanks for reading everyone! I only have two more blog posts in store for you so I hope you have enjoyed reading thus far.

Bibliography

Jazz series Gumbo Ken Burns. USA/UK. 2000

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz http://www.jazzinamerica.org/JazzResources/Timeline/1940/1949 2019