Monday, February 7, 2011

Jazz and Its Early Influences






As part of the French Louisiana colony, New Orleans was founded in 1718. After being sold to Spain in 1763 and France in 1803, New orleans was sold to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. However, although New Orleans was part of the United States, it was different from the rest of the country. Being filled with the Creole culture, they had “an appreciation of good food, wine, music, and dancing.” This Creole culture was developed by both Europeans and Africans, while Africans made up most of the population. As these people kept coming into the city, they brought “the elements of blues, spirituals, and rural dances to New Orleans’ music.” (nps.gov) Because of all the different cultures that were continuously flooding into the city, the development of jazz began.


Although many African Americans were enslaved, they still found a way to continue developing their culture which lead to the development of jazz music. By the mid-18th Century, slaves gathered at what became known as Congo Square to socialize, play music, and dance. This ended before the Civil War, but the traditions did not die. These traditions of the African Americans were honored by Mardi Gras Indians when they played music and sang similar to the previous traditions. “Several early jazz figures such as Louis Armstrong and Lee Collins described being affected by Mardi Gras Indian processions.” By the 1880’s and 1890’s, brass marching bands which later lead to ragtime pieces became popular throughout America. (nps.gov)


By the mid-1920s, jazz had become extremely popular and was being played in places like dance halls throughout the United States. “Early jazz influences found their first mainstream expression in the music used by marching bands and dance bands of the day,” which was popular concert music at that time. (1920-30.com) Jazz got its influences early on, and did not become popular right away. There were many influences that guided what jazz is today, but if it was not for the Creole culture of New Orleans, jazz would not be the same.


There are opportunities throughout the city to hear what jazz music is today. Just walking down Frenchman should you should be able to find somewhere to hear this music. Other places to learn about jazz are Preservation Hall and the Spotted Cat. One famous jazz icon is Dr. Michael White. He was born and raised in New Orleans. He plays the clarinet , and was inspired by musicians such as George Lewis for their Creole and blues music.


Dr. Michael White and his Quartet can be found in the video above.

21 comments:

  1. Although I'm not the most knowledgable Jazz listener, I thought it would be nice to shed light on the amazing Jazz that we have at our fingertips here at Loyola. A jazz group at our school, The Thelonious Jazz institute promotes jazz education programs to further strengthen Jazz culture and attract employment for musicians in the New Orleans area. Here's a video of one of their performances, take a look!
    ...The video will not embed so if you feel so inclined click on the link and still give it a look.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLUkzzENnh4

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  2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4bKqL52C_U

    After reading the post I wanted to listen so some New Orleans jazz and came across this. I really liked this because I was able to recognize where there were in the French Quarter, making me feel like I am finally part of New Orleans itself, and also because I like the piece they played. The clarinet part was especially interesting as I play it as well.

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  3. I would really recommend taking a stroll down Frenchman if anyone hasn't already, that is if you are interested in finding some great jazz/funk bands. On several occasions (most were early in the school year when I didn't really know where anything was... or about the dangers of aimlessly wondering around New Orleans) me and a few of my friends would walk around famous streets of New Orleans in search of great music. One such occasion we stumbled upon a great brass funk band partly from Loyola, Yojimbo. They are amazing and I would highly recommend seeing them to anyone, even if you are not a self-proclaimed funk fan.

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  4. Being a big Louis, Ella, Billie and Etta fan (to name a few), I have always been interested in the way jazz has developed throughout history. In fact, the music history and culture here in New Orleans played a big role in my decision to come here for school. I think the best part about New Orleans, is that you can essentially go to any corner or bar/restaurant/lounge and find someone playing anything from classic New Orleans-style jazz to any of the other classics.

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  5. I really liked this post. I have been meaning to learn more about jazz ever since I decided to go to school in New Orleans, so this was really informative. I also am glad to know where I can go and see some shows. I already knew a little bit about the origins of jazz in America, but learning about it in New Orleans is new. Every time I tell someone that I go to school here, they always ask me questions about the music, so now I will have a little bit more to tell them!

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  6. You really hit good points in your blog. I found the fact that although they were enslaved they still found a way to develop jazz music especially interesting. It has really come a long way from Congo Square. When I was younger I would always here about jazz funerals, see them in papers and see second lines going down the street. It was a tradition at my high school for the band to play and we would have a mini second line around the auditorium. My piano teacher could scat and would bring a band and perform for the school. She still performs at Jazz Fest. I also know a few people who dress up in the Indian attire for Mardi Gras and play and dance the whole parade.

    Here is a link about my piano teacher, Germaine Bazzle!


    http://topics.nola.com/tag/germaine%20bazzle/index.html

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  7. Among everything you covered in your post, the influence that the Creole culture had on New Orleans stood out the most to me. The people of New Orleans during that time had “an appreciation of good food, wine, music, and dancing,” and they still do today. It is evident that Creole culture in New Orleans is still alive and well. The rituals once practiced in Congo Square are still practiced, just modernized. Socializing, playing music (specifically jazz), dancing, and celebrating Mardi Gras are all traditions that have managed to keep their position in New Orleans culture. It is refreshing to know that the original spirit of New Orleans is still very much in existence, and can be experienced first-hand various ways throughout the city. Your post captured the spirit of Jazz in New Orleans, and the video was a great touch.

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  8. I really enjoyed reading your post, I knew little about the origins of Jazz until I read it. I would've like to see another video of less contemporary Jazz. But after watching the video you posted I looked up more on Michael White and am considering catching one of his shows when there is one in New Orleans. I definitely think we should take a trip to see some Jazz downtown, that would be a very interesting experience.

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  9. I think jazz was a great topic to pick. Throughout the ages, it has always seemed to reflect the spirit of New Orleans. No matter what's going on, New Orleanians feel the need to party, and jazz was another way to have some fun. I was never certain about the origin of jazz, so your post was very informative. I cannot wait to listen to more from Dr. Michael White, and others like him.

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  10. It is so wonderful living in New Orleans because the jazz here truly does have more soul than anywhere else. Having grown up here, I can say that one does not need to even pay to see a show. In most neighborhoods, you can hear a student practicing their trumpet in the streets. Jazzfest is now $60 at the door but there are secondline bands playing right outside of the gates for everyone else to hear. I've caught a band playing on the bayou before with a friend. Walking down Frenchman Street itself is just as musically enriching as going inside of any of the clubs. You can usually catch a band on the corner. There is jazz when your not looking for it here. Another thing to keep in mind is that the radio station WWOZ plays local music- mostly jazz. They always announce who is playing where for the week.

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  11. Sorry, this is Blair by the way. My gmail is old and I can't figure out how to put my name :)

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  12. As previously mentioned, taking a walk down Frenchman would provide many opportunities to see jazz music. One place on Frenchman is the Spotted Cat. Here is an example of something you can see there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJpgvHas0PU

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  14. Jazz began here in New Orleans, but like all forms of music it radiated out across the globe. Jazz was a worldwide contribution to music and I feel that we New Orleanians tend to forget about that, focusing in on the classic jazz style and only listening to our own (and that's a privilege we get for living where it developed). It's fun to observe how other cultures have picked up on the style enjoyed it. Have any of you heard Japanese Jazz? Here's a link:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4szF5GJP3KY

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  15. One thing that is interesting to me is how New Orleans and its jazz has stayed with its roots. New Orleans or Traditional Jazz was, like the blog said, the first form of jazz. In New Orleans though, you'll find a much higher percentage of people who still play the traditional type of jazz. In other major jazz cities like New York and Chicago, you'll have a much harder time finding the type of early jazz that you can find here.

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  16. I thought this post was really informative on how Jazz was started in New Orleans as well as how it continues to thrive. It is interesting to see how Jazz not only survived but progressed through the period of enslaved Africans, Mardi Gras indians and especially how prominent it is in New Orleans today. I think it is impossible to live in or even visit New Orleans without running into a jazz group on a street corner or performing in a local restaurant.

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  17. I know a little about jazz but this has turn my whole perspective about jazz around. I really would like to study more about jazz and see people actually playing jazz live.

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  18. I personally enjoy learning about the origins of different musical styles, so this was what interested me the most in your article. I had heard of the Blues having originated from what slaves would sing, but I didn't know Jazz came from that as well. Jazz also seems to be one of the more broad genres of music. There are many different types, different styles, etc. So it's interesting to see the different influences, from old spirituals to the Mardi Gras Indians.

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  19. I like how soulful jazz music is, and our discussion in class along with this post made it clear why, since it came out of very trying times such as the time of slavery. This post also pointed out to me that jazz is better listened to in person rather than on something like youtube, so maybe allison should have got us all tickets for a jazz show but i guess its alright that she didn't.

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  20. The post was great, I did not know that much about jazz and I was really interested in learning about the origins of it all. Jazz has been an influence on so much music around the world, it's pretty interesting that it all began here in New Orleans. Jazz is such an important factor in the culture of the city, I am glad we have the chance to take a look at it.

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  21. This is a solid post. I noticed that you put Louis Armstrong around trying to tie together brass bands. That's a good idea but it felt like you put Louis Armstrong in being popular during the late 1800s, when in fact Louis Armstrong was born in 1901. In addition, I thought you could put him in the 1920's when he was getting gigs. I also liked how you tied the Mardi Gras Indians influencing many jazz artist like Louis Armstrong. It was very fun to read.

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