MAKE UP 2

Let’s talk about Jazz and its impact on the black community because, hey, what did the invisible man do to be so black and blue? Have a deep seated history in jazz music! Jazz music was created by the impact of slave and their folklore. Basically, the musical traditions from west Africa brought together a strong tribal music coupled with American music found in the south. Lavish festivals in which slaves were able to participate occurred in places like New Orleans and Texas, where slavery existed but wasn’t the keystone of the economy. It functioned as music for work, ritual, relax, and expression and included work songs for field work and music when relaxing in cabins. The African tradition used many single line melodies and what is called “call response patterns”, but lacking strong music theory and stringent musical harmony. The rhythm was actually composed by the individual and their outward expression, and was easily controlled and swayed by the tempo of the person tapping their foot. What was strongly different about Jazz than other forms of music was that it was the everyday man’s music, and was relaxing and not heavily regulated by men in whigs and coats. In the early 19th century an increasing number of black musicians learned to play European instruments, particularly the violin, which they used to parody European dance music in their own cakewalk dances. In turn, European-American minstrel show performers in blackface popularized such music internationally, combining syncopation with European harmonic accompaniment. Louis Moreau Gottschalk adapted African-American cakewalk music, South American, Caribbean and other slave melodies as piano salon music. Another influence came from black slaves who had learned the harmonic style of hymns and incorporated it into their own music as spirituals. Following the civil war, blacks had new opportunities in careers never open to them before. Although Jim Crow Laws strictly regulated much of their work, many were still able to function in entertainment and music. Jazz really started its grass roots in local bars and saloons, allowing for a party like atmosphere for the everyday man, not just those of the upper class. Jazz was soon to be associated with negativity because of its placement in these types of saloons. In fact, vaudeville also stemmed from the jazz movement and was able to come to terms with the onslaught of the jazz movement. By the 20th century jazz had become a legitimate type of music, becoming popular around the country – especially in three specific cities. Louisiana was the world capital of jazz, where the movement originated. Other significant jazz cities included Memphis, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina. Still today, Louisiana is still widely known for its jazz heritage and its Creole culture. Many famous players in the early jazz movement include Ernest Hogan, who appeared first before the 20th century, Vess Ossman, who popularized the banjo within the movement, Tom Turpin, who brought jazz to Harlem, and Scott Joplin who brought into play “ragtime”.