The Origin Of Jazz Music: The Origins Of Jazz Music

This essay, as the title suggests, will be about the origins of jazz music. Starting from the roots when African slaves arrived in North America, they helped the development and the emergence of early jazz a great deal. It is also important to not forget the significance of the Congo Square which kept the music alive in New Orleans, never letting it die out. Then, continuing on with the slavery theme, the essay will talk about why and how jazz music appeared in its widely considered birth place, New Orleans. Also, as early jazz developed into different styles, the text will mainly be focusing on its two most prominent ancestors: ragtime and blues. Additionally, jazz would not exist as it is known today without the assistance of some of the

Every Sunday afternoon, they would bring drums alongside other musical instruments, go to the gathering point to entertain themselves, make music and dance. Congo Square was a place where slaves got to be Africans again. These afternoon gatherings continued on until the 1880s. To this day, Congo Square not only holds a very special importance to African-Americans, but also played an important role in New Orleans’ jazz heritage.

Why New Orleans? In the twentieth century, the omnipresence of music in New Orleans is undeniable. This place is widely recognized as the birthplace of Jazz music. There are a few existing theories explaining jazz music originating in New Orleans. One of them is known as the “uptown/downtown” theory. It incorporates the blending of uptown residing black musicians with downtown residing Creole of Color, as they were referred to. Creoles of Color were educated people of mixed black and white ancestry who were more privileged than the black people. They mostly lived in downtown New Orleans otherwise known as the French Quarter. In contrary, the black people lived uptown and were predominantly unskilled workers. However, throughout the 1880s, white people gradually increased the restrictions against the Creoles of Color and reduced their social status. Thus, by 1894, segregation removed the distinction between the Creoles of Color and blacks. This theory suggests that jazz music emerged through the chemistry among both groups of