Jazz is seemingly one of the most diverse and exciting musical genres in the world of music. I make this statement confidently after learning more about the background of jazz. From sacred spiritual hymns to Louis Armstrong to the musicians of today, jazz and the blues have transcended the test of time by continuing to adapt while staying true to its foundation. In the film “Gumbo,” jazz musicians describe jazz as “a selfless collaboration” and as a way to creatively pioneer and explore music and themselves. Early jazz came almost entirely on the spot as groups of musicians would come together and really just vibe. It wasn’t until later that people realized that the music could be written down and inspire a whole world of people.
New Orleans is one of my favorite places I have ever been. You can still feel the incredible musical influences. Although “jazz was born in New Orleans,” slavery is also a large part of its past. New Orleans played a big role in the slave trade in the way that thousands of slaves were introduced to America and the new way of life there. It is said in the video that to survive, the slaves had to improvise. This improvisation coupled with their powerful hymns gave birth to the wonderful genre of jazz. Congo Square was a place where slaves were allowed to sing and dance, where they even attracted white crowds. These songs and dances were heavily influenced by the percussion and rhythmic styles of the Caribbean.
Creoles were the children of Spanish and French settlers of New Orleans and black slave women. These people usually identified with their European descent and were classically trained in music. It was them that began to play their music for a living when racial culture changed in New Orleans. Around the time of Jim Crow laws, black people used the blues as a way to work through and almost escape what they were going through. The blues were diverse in their stories. Singing the blues was a way to deal with the blues they had. It was about emotion and overcoming their experiences.
Even though the time period depicted in the film is one of our nation’s darkest and most disappointing times, the music that resulted from that time have been the foundation for a lot of the music that is made today. There is a mixture of culture in New Orleans that created the best environment for creativity and music to thrive, despite the political and racial tensions. The blues and jazz represented freedom and the early days of black power.
Source:
Gumbo: Ken Burns’ Jazz, Part 1. Directed by Ken Burns. Public Broadcasting Service, 2000.
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