Jazz, Hip-Hop, Blues

America, the big melting pot, has always beenwith it.Around the time of Napoleon, military
influencing the music of the whole world. It gavebands increased in popularity
birth to many different styles and music traditions.and were all very well received by the French.
Jazz, Hip-Hop and Blues are the three mostThis led to an
known and most popular traditions that alsoincreased importation of brass band instruments
originated in the US.One of the most famous ofto all the French
musical traditions is that of the Blues. Itsettlements, including those in New Orleans and
has also been one of the most influential, pavingother parts of
the way for manyAmerica. Creoles ("mixed breeds"- usually part
other new styles of music. Blues, a distinct styleblack, part French and
of music, began tosometimes part Indian) who were usually
emerge around the 1860's. After the civil war,well-educated freemen became
the newly freedinfatuated with these instruments and the sounds
Afro-American people were presented with athat they could make.
new difficulty. They hadThe migrating Southern Afro-Americans soon
been removed from the lives that they hadcaught on to these new
previously known and throwninstruments as they socialised with the Creoles
into a new life, a life of segregation andon their journey
contempt. The AmericanNorth. Incorporating the sounds of blues and the
culture could no longer condone the use ofsame non-western
slavery, but it was notsyncopated rhythms that had been brought from
ready to accept the new free men and womenAfrica, a new breed of
into their society either.music began to grow. It was simply a variation
Many had to travel the country in search ofof traditional marching
work. These people wereband music, but it began to change as blues
mostly men and those of whom music appealedbecame more and more
to most took upprevalent. First Ragtime, and then Jass, or
instruments such as the guitar and harmonicaJazz.From New Orleans, jazz moved up river with
because these instrumentsthe Black Americans
were cheap and easy to travel with. It was intravelling North, and in the house parties of the
this setting of a sense20's and 30's it
of deep segregation that the blues was born.Thegained momentum. Where the Blues was the
distinction that made Blues so different from"devil's music" to many of
other music was it'sthe black middle class, Jazz was acceptable.
clear roots from the work song of the olden"Black music" was
days. The early bluesextremely popular in the clubs and parties of the
artists and even the later Jazz musicians used20's. Jazz also made
their instruments asit possible for Afro-American music to be
extensions of their voice. The rhythms that theyimitated for the first time
made were in the sameby white musicians, which was a sign of things to
non-syncopated form as the work song hadcome. The broad
been and the sounds wereemotional meaning of the genre allowed such
meant to mimic the human voice. It was in thiscross-cultural
way that the bluesdevelopments without being 'watered down'. Free
became even more significant and even moreJazz and Hard Bop were
successful in their effortall examples of the experimentation the
to convey emotion.Travelling Blues shows,musicians of the time were
Minstrelsies, began to tour the country. As amaking to elevate the sound. It became more
result, Blues began to be heard everywhere, andand more popular and as
it began to influencetime went on more and more musicians began
more and more people. It was still primarily blackto try new ideas with Jazz,
music listened toincreasing its popularity along the way. Jazz is still
by black people, but that soon began topopular today,
change.The first seeds in the roots of Jazz musicand exists in many different forms and styles
were sewn in the earlye.g. Be Bop, Hard Bop,
1900's around 1914 when Afro-Americans beganFree Jazz, Modern Jazz, Avant Garde, Swing,
to migrate north. ThereFusion and Latin Jazz.The third and final American
were a number of reasons for this; many blacksmusical tradition is Hip-Hop/Rap music.
were attracted by theHip-Hop/Rap came into being around about 1978.
opportunity of good jobs and a better and freerRock n' Roll music was
life in the North;extremely popular and was very much a part of
while others simply sought to flee the poverty,American culture, but it
slavery, andhad long lost its Afro-American association and
segregation of the South. The American dreamthe Blacks were eager
was drawing thesefor another style of music to call their own.
particular Americans forth much as it did with theFunk's sound and rhythms
early pioneers ofdid not evolve into Hip Hop, but it did set the ball
the west. Up the river went the new Blues and arolling.
new kind of music went