Chapter 6: The Birth of Jazz
New Orleans jazz, the earliest form of jazz, emerged from a unique convergence of musical traditions, cultural exchange, geography, and race in the city of New Orleans. Drawing on influences such as ragtime, the blues, marching band music, and Creole classical training, the genre was shaped in a diverse and vibrant urban setting where African American, Caribbean, and European musical practices blended freely. Musicians like Buddy Bolden and Kid Ory were among the first to define the sound of early jazz, characterized by collective improvisation, syncopation, and expressive tone color.
As Storyville closed and economic pressures mounted in the South, jazz musicians migrated northward during the Great Migration, carrying the music to new cities and audiences. Chicago became the next major center of jazz, and it was there that artists such as Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and Louis Armstrong rose to prominence. These musicians expanded the style through arranged compositions, extended solos, and new instrumentation, laying the groundwork for modern jazz.
Although jazz was born out of African American communities, it was white musicians such as the Original Dixieland Jazz Band who made the first commercially successful recordings of the genre. Racial biases in the recording industry delayed widespread documentation of Black artists’ contributions until the 1920s. When record companies finally began recording African American musicians more regularly, their work was often relegated to separate “race record” catalogs, limiting their commercial reach despite their widespread popularity. The story of early jazz is one of innovation, migration, and resilience. It is also a story of how African American cultural creativity shaped American music often without receiving the recognition or support it deserved. Yet the spirit of New Orleans jazz continues to resonate in jazz traditions around the world.