New Orleans is often considered the birthplace of jazz, and rightfully so, since it is the first city to fully recognize and embrace its unique sound. However when you look back further the reason why jazz was able to reach New Orleans was because of European colonization and slavery in West Africa, where africans were captured and shipped to America in order to work their plantation systems.
One of the biggest cities that welcomed these slaves was in fact New Orleans during the nineteenth-century. Slaves usually were allowed to perform slave dances every Sunday in the open area of Congo-Square in order to keep in touch with their culture from back home. This exposure caused by Congo-Square is the beginning of the mixture between African and European culture which is essentially how jazz music was formed. But it was not only European culture that was affecting the creation of Jazz but the fact that New Orleans was also the home of Spanish and French influences as well. Spanish culture in particular had a huge effect influencing many local instrumentalist and providing one more link to the complex relationship of Latin and African-American style.
The musicological impact demonstrated by the Latin-Catholic culture influenced nineteenth century New Orleans, and helped bring about the development of jazz music. As Jelly Roll Morton, one of the pioneers for New Orleans jazz musicians, describes the relationship between spanish culture and jazz, “if you can’t manage to put tingles of Spanish in your tunes, you will never be able to get the right seasoning, I call it, for jazz.” However this culture was also going through it’s share of discrimination, but was more more tolerant in accepting unorthodox social hybrids than the English-Protestant ethos that prevailed everywhere else in the New World. Put simply, the music and dance of Congo Square, as well as the blend of multiple cultures in one city would not have happened in the more Anglicized colonies of the Americas, which is why Jazz could not be founded by anywhere else besides New Orleans
The musicological impact demonstrated by the Latin-Catholic culture influenced nineteenth century New Orleans, and helped bring about the development of jazz music. As Jelly Roll Morton, one of the pioneers for New Orleans jazz musicians, describes the relationship between spanish culture and jazz, “if you can’t manage to put tingles of Spanish in your tunes, you will never be able to get the right seasoning, I call it, for jazz.” However this culture was also going through it’s share of discrimination, but was more more tolerant in accepting unorthodox social hybrids than the English-Protestant ethos that prevailed everywhere else in the New World. Put simply, the music and dance of Congo Square, as well as the blend of multiple cultures in one city would not have happened in the more Anglicized colonies of the Americas, which is why Jazz could not be founded by anywhere else besides New Orleans
As I already discussed earlier the sources of jazz came primarily from the Congo-Square which was the first exposure given to the New World about African culture and led to the eventual blend with European culture. Later on New Orleans which was constantly switching possession from France to Spain, was passed on the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. It is because of this event as well as the addition of settlers from Germany, Italy, England, Ireland, and Scotland that was able to play a decisive role in shaping what made New Orleans what it was in the nineteenth century.
To me the most important factor that led to jazz in New Orleans was the one of a kind cultural gumbo, that led to the creation of jazz. New Orleans was the only city where African and European culture, as well as all the other cultures that were residing in the city at the time could merge together to form jazz. This laissez-faire environment led the way to not only jazz but influenced other types of music that soon followed after such as the blues and ragtime. Its because of this accepting and mixed culture that is why i feel like why it is the single most important factor for why jazz formed in New Orleans.
To me the most important factor that led to jazz in New Orleans was the one of a kind cultural gumbo, that led to the creation of jazz. New Orleans was the only city where African and European culture, as well as all the other cultures that were residing in the city at the time could merge together to form jazz. This laissez-faire environment led the way to not only jazz but influenced other types of music that soon followed after such as the blues and ragtime. Its because of this accepting and mixed culture that is why i feel like why it is the single most important factor for why jazz formed in New Orleans.
You bring up some interesting points here. I definitely agree that both the slave trade in general and Congo Square were crucial in the evolution of jazz. In my post, I also ended up focusing on the diversity of New Orleans that is in some ways connected to Congo Square. It seems like that aspect of New Orleans is vitally important no matter what your perspective is.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it wasn't the most important factor in your opinion, I agree with your emphasis on the occurrences at Congo Square. I think that these tolerated dances and music had a large impact on the emergence of jazz in New Orleans. New Orleans stands out as a unique city in a myriad of ways, many of which you mentioned. Do you think that jazz would have emerged somewhere else in America, and had an even greater influence, if other cities had given African Americans the same liberties as New Orleans?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your main point that cultural blend was the main factor for why Jazz was born from the city of New Orleans. The reasoning for Jazz not forming in Northern cities was very well described, and I thought your use of religious factors and traditions were important. Also I like the way you describe the environment of New Orleans as "Laissez- Faire", because it is true that the more relaxed social setting allowed for evolution in entertainment.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we differ in what we think is the main reason why jazz emerged in New Orleans, I can see why you say that the culture gumbo would be the main reason. It is very true that the mixture of culture was what led to the birth of the music in the first place. The mixture of the European culture and the African culture are what led to ragtime and eventually the blues. But don't you think that the "Laissez- Faire" environment came more from the Latin ideology of slavery? Although it can strand from European culture, I feel like that aspect comes directly from slavery, which is what I believed made jazz possible in New Orleans.
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