Jazz is a musical
symbol for freedom and liberation.
It’s fusion of uniquely different cultures, styles, and musical elements
created an authentic art form that emerged out of the vital aliveness of New
Orleans.
In the 18th
and early 19th centuries, New Orleans was the cosmopolitan trading
center of the South. The constant exchanges
and trade allowed New Orleans to expand tremendously as a port city. “…the most seething ethnic melting pot
that the nineteenth century world could produce” (Gioia, 7). The city consisted
of people of all nationalities and colors, which many other cities did not
have, and was the place into which newly freed people of color from France and
the Caribbean settled down in.
Because of the
French and Spanish culture that was implanted in New Orleans in the early 18th
century, the city adopted a more liberal approach to slavery than the English
had in the past. Unlike other
places, this Latin version of slavery allowed intermarriage, and acknowledged
the rights of freedom that the slave had (The Age of the Soloist, Jan. 24). This sense of liberty allowed more
slaves to be free, and a Creole class was formed. The Creoles identified with the European traditions, looking
down on black people with an expression of superiority. This separates New Orleans from any
other city, because with an English system of slavery elsewhere, Creoles would
be considered slaves. However,
this separation and freedom came to an end with the Jim Crow Era, segregating
anyone with African descent from the white population (The Age of the Soloist,
Jan. 24). “Creoles of color were
pushed into closer and closer contact with the black underclass they had
strenuously avoided for so long” (Gioia, 34). This change forced the Creole musicians to mix and play with
black performers, emerging as jazz.
The
late 19th century fused together two types of music known as ragtime
and blues. At the turn of the century, ragtime was a fad that swept the country
and was frequently played in brass bands (Gioia 33). Brass bands were small ensembles that blended ragtime and
blues, and permeated social life. Blues
emerged from the African desire for freedom, and was about sculpting something
meaningful out of a difficult situation.
This syncretism of lively, African rooted ragtime and emotional blues
played by the black community transformed music in New Orleans.
According
to Gioia, Buddy Bolden is considered the “Elusive Father of Jazz” (34). I think he is credited with this honor
because of his innovativeness, intense energy, and outspokenness that he fused
into his songs. Bolden “can be
viewed as symbolic of the more outspoken attitudes of the younger black men of
his day” (Gioia, 36). The evidence
of his influence as a both a public voice of opinion and a musician makes me
think that Buddy Bolden was a key figure in spurring the transformation to jazz
music.
From
the liberty of the Latin slave system to the integration of a myriad of
cultures, ragtime and blues united under one musical identity known as
jazz. Although these historical
events were significant and key to the development of jazz in New Orleans, I
think that the most important factor is the tolerance of the happenings at
Congo Square. Congo Square was an
official location where slaves could dance and sing with white
supervision. The tolerance of this
event allowed slaves to continue dancing their African traditions, and the
music provided an authentic glimpse of Africa. Without these African aesthetics and traditions, jazz music
wouldn’t be what it is today.
