Jazz became extremely popular in the early 1900's. Previously, music similar to jazz, e.g. blues and ragtime, had been played and listened to primarily by African American's.
Jazz however, was listened to by everyone. It could be soothing or exciting and the complexity of the pieces, though coming off sounding simple and natural, was something very new. Jazz was mainly improvisational, meaning that a lot of the solos and even parts of pieces were made up on the spot. Therefore, the variations on one piece could be endless. Jazz was played not only in speakeasies and red light districts, but for more sophisticated audiences as well. |
King Oliver and his Dixie Syncopaters - West End Blues (1928)
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Jelly Toll Morton - Jelly Roll Blues (1915)
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Jazz was particularly popular during the twenties when fashion and society were changing drastically. The changing country was ready for a new kind of music, and Jazz was the perfect fit.
It is a mix of both European and African styles, with heavy influences from blues. It was a mix of many familiar elements performed in a completely different and revolutionary way. Vocalists and singers were a huge part of Jazz and the voices of Jazz were much different from what other artists were doing. There were less restrictions and more emotion. People were using there voices in a way that had never been done before and much of that style is still very much alive in artists today. |