Chapter 6: The Birth of Jazz
One unique factor that contributed to the rise of jazz in New Orleans was the city’s approach to vice and entertainment. At the turn of the 20th century, prostitution was legal in New Orleans because city leaders chose to regulate and contain the trade rather than ban it outright. In 1897, city alderman Sidney Story persuaded municipal officials to legalize prostitution within a designated district to confine it to a controlled area. The zone covered sixty-four square blocks, bordered on the north by Robertson Street and on the south by Basin Street. Although Story intended the district to be regulated and discreet, it quickly developed a vibrant and notorious reputation. Much to his embarrassment, the area was nicknamed Storyville and became a hub of late-night activity, including saloons, gambling halls, cabarets, and especially brothels. These establishments thrived for two decades until 1917, when the U.S. Navy banned houses of prostitution within five miles of a military base. Since New Orleans was a major naval port during World War I, this effectively shut down Storyville.
Music played a central role in Storyville’s atmosphere. Most brothels employed piano players who provided live entertainment for guests, performing a mix of ragtime, popular Tin Pan Alley songs, and the blues. In more upscale establishments, small bands of three or four musicians would accompany the entertainment, offering lively, improvisational music that blurred the lines between formal composition and spontaneous creativity. Several influential jazz musicians got their early start in Storyville. Among them were Buddy Bolden, often considered one of the first true jazz musicians, and Jelly Roll Morton, who famously claimed to have invented jazz. Morton worked as a pianist in various brothels, developing a style that combined ragtime structure with blues phrasing and a flair for improvisation. These early gigs provided valuable performance experience and allowed young musicians to experiment, collaborate, and refine what would become the defining elements of jazz. Although often remembered for its illicit reputation, Storyville played a vital role in the birth and evolution of jazz, offering one of the first commercial spaces where this new music could develop organically and reach a broad, diverse audience.