New Orleans: A Cultural and Musical Catalyst
The cosmopolitan hub, the bustling culture, and the contagious commotion of changing times and new world perspectives embodied by New Orleans in the early 20th century shaped the ideal location for the formation of Jazz. Following the Louisiana purchase and the lifting of trade restrictions, New Orleans began to grow into the vivacious cultural epicenter that allowed this new musical genre to emerge. As a city with active commerce and an intriguing promise of wealth, New Orleans attracted people from a variety of backgrounds and locations, a dynamic that allowed for the production of a new culture entirely. New Orleans jazz became a distinctive genre that embodied an urban lifestyle and city culture, reconciling the differences of its founders to create a new form of music. The combination of European musical tradition through Creole culture, African polyrhythms, classical training from Mexico, and a general climate ripened by musical history and change created a melting pot of talent and perspective that ultimately created jazz.
As the economic strength of the city began to decline, New Orleans saw a corresponding rise in the business of sin.This economy of licentiousness is best embodied by Storyville, one of the acclaimed sources of jazz, where piano music and prostitution paired in a devilishly prolific combination (Gioia, 29). The impish institutions provided a catalyst for the furtherance of boisterous music, where many musicians were able to try their hand at performance and experimentation.
Another factor in the creation of jazz was the dynamic of local brass bands, formed by groups of passionate musicians that played at “almost every type of social event” (Gioia, 31). These bands would play a gamut of genres, including the increasingly popular genre that was ragtime. A source and predecessor of jazz, ragtime was a combination of European marches, waltzes, and dances, and the distinctive polyrhythms of Africa. The style originated in St. Louis and New Orleans, and is indicative of the formational processes of jazz because it is the product of a combination of backgrounds merging into one adapted musical genre.
A third source of New Orleans jazz was the contribution of Mexican immigrants and the Mexican National Band. These musicians first arrived for a Cotton Exposition in New Orleans, and then remained in the dynamic city where they were able to contribute to musical development. Their influence lay in the introduction of classical training to previously untrained and uneducated musicians in the city. The Mexican influence brought a new degree of culture to the already diverse atmosphere that was New Orleans, as well as introduced a variety of previously unfamiliar instruments and music. Though often unrecognized, the classical training provided by these musicians was an essential part of the formation of jazz within New Orleans. Though the Mexican influence is just one of a series of factors leading to the formation of jazz, it introduced a degree of sophistication essential to the concert music that jazz would become.
Of the many sources of New Orleans jazz, I believe the most influential and distinctive formational factor was the rhythmic influence from African music and dance. From the dances in Congo Square in the 1800s to the piano rhythms in ragtime, African drumming and music has been a fundamental part of the development of jazz in New Orleans. The combination of European genres with the African polyrhythms, plurality, and dance made for a unique new form of music that offered a distinct departure from previous musical forms.commented on Sven Walderich's post
