History of Jazz

The history of jazz is a long and varied journey from the 19 th Century till the present day. The history of jazz began in 1808 when the Atlantic slave trade brought around half a million people from Africa to the United States of American. The majority of the slaves came from West Africa and held their cultural traditions and tribal music traditions closely to them, introducing them to America and beginning the history of jazz music.

The history of jazz included a number of lavish festivals that would feature African dances to drums and would be held in Congo Square , New Orleans until 1843. The history of jazz and its roots continued in the early 19 th Century, with a large percentage of black musicians beginning to play European instruments in an effort to parody European dance music.

As slavery was abolished the history of jazz took a new turn, with African-Americans gaining new educational opportunities. African-Americans were now able to work, however segregation led to limited employment opportunities and a number of these people found work in the entertainment industry, as they provided as low-class form of entertainment in dances, minstrel shows and vaudeville.

One of the most popular times in the history of jazz was the origins of Ragtime music, which is claimed to have begun with this move into the entertainment industry by African-Americans as well as the increasing number of black pianists playing in bars, clubs and brothels.

Ragtime originated in the history of jazz as sheet music, popularised by African-American musicians such as Ernest Hodan. 1897 saw the white composer William H. Krell publish “Mississippi Rag”, which was the first written piano ragtime piece. The history of jazz is considered to have originated in New Orleans and the music of this area has a huge effect on the creation of jazz.

A number of the first jazz musicians were found performing in brothels and bars in the red-light district and marching bands were found playing at funereal. The instruments used in marching bands became the staple instruments in the history of jazz, including brass and reeds.

The history of jazz continued into the 1920s, when prohibition and banning the sale of alcoholic drinks resulted in illicit speakeasies becoming some of the most important lively venues of the jazz age and play a prominent part in the history of jazz.

It was at this point in the history of jazz that the genre developed a reputation as something threatening and immoral throughout the older generations in the United States . The media began to insult jazz music, with many upstanding publications taking a biased view towards degrading jazz.

The history of jazz continued to adapt and grow throughout the 20 th century and creating new genres in its wake. It is believed that without jazz and the breakthrough jazz brought to the music scene, there would not be any new types of music, however the popularity of pop music and rock'n'roll led to jazz decreasing in popularity.

Jazz continued to grow and adapt, with a number of sub-genres emerging throughout the centuries and currently, although not a mainstream taste, jazz still has a large and loyal following.