Jazz originated in New Orleans in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It encompasses many styles including Dixieland, swing, bebop, cool jazz, and fusion. Key components of early jazz include improvisation, syncopated rhythms, and the collective improvisation of New Orleans-style Dixieland bands. Pioneering jazz artists like Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton emerged from New Orleans and helped establish jazz as a major new American musical genre in the 1920s.

1. Jazz
Definition Difficult:
Encompasses Many Styles: Dixieland, Swing,
Bop, Hard Bop, Cool, Third Stream, Avant-Garde,
Fusion
Major Component: Improvisation (spontaneous
composition)

2. Jazz
Other Components: Swing Feeling,
Abundance of Syncopated Rhythms
Some Jazz has Very Little Improvisation

3. Traditional Jazz
Known as: Dixieland, Trad Jazz, New
Orleans Jazz
The First Jazz Artists came from New
Orleans, although African-Americans in
many cities were playing in a Syncopated
Style Using Improvisation.

4. New Orleans
Multi-National City (French, Spanish, US)
• French began building 1718; by 1719 147
slaves; by 1722 many Freemen of Color
• Given to Spanish 1763; Returned to French
1801
• By 1810 5,000 Freemen of Color

5. Creoles
“Original Settlers of New Orleans”
Creoles of Color a mixture of African-
French (Quadroons, Octoroons)
Distinct Social Class
“Black Codes” laws with gradually eroded
the Creole Class

6. Storyville 1897-1917
Five Sq. Mile Red-Light District
“Sportin’ Houses” often had music
Closed by Navy during WWI

7. Storyville

8. Parades & Brass Bands
Outdoor Music, Parks, Pavillions
Fraternal Organizations had Bands
• Onward Club, Tuxedo Club
Funeral Parades
Dances (Quadrilles, Waltzes, Ragtime)
Dirtier Dances, the Slow Drag

9. Buddy Bolden
“Legendary” First Jazz Band
First Band to Combine Blues & Ragtime
1895
No recordings exist
1907 committed to Mental Institution

10. Buddy Bolden

11. Jazz Emerges From Band Music
Instrumentation: Trumpet, Clarinet,
Trombone, plus Rhythm Section
Rhythm Section: Drums, Bass Instrument
(String Bass, Tuba), Chordal Instrument
(Piano, Guitar, Banjo)

12. Trumpet/Cornet
“Brass” Instrument
1st Important Solo
Instrument
Role: Melodic
“West End Blues”

13. Clarinet
“Woodwind”
Instrument
Role: Ornate
Passages Around
the Melody
“Muskrat Ramble”

14. Trombone
“Brass” Instrument
Role: Ornate Bass
Line
“Muskrat Ramble”

15. String Bass
String Instrument
Role: Bass Line

16. Or Tuba
“Brass” Instrument
Role: Bass Line
Used Outdoors
Bass Line

17. Drums
“Percussion”
Instrument
Role: Rhythm

18. Piano
Role: Supply
Harmony
(Chords)

19. Banjo/Guitar
Role: Supply Harmony (Chords)
Banjo is louder, suitable for larger bands
Guitar is softer, suitable for intimate
settings.

20. Banjo & Guitar

21. Dixieland Jazz Format
Collective Improvisation
• Trumpet played the melody
• Clarinet created ornate passages around the
trumpet
• Trombone created fancy bass line
• Rhythm Section supplies rhythm, chords,
bass line

22. Dixieland
New Orleans Style was mostly collective
improvisation
Everyone Played all the Time, except for
short breaks (two Bar)
Collective Improvisation (ODJB)
Modern Collective Improvisation

23. Original Dixieland Jass Band
(ODJB)
First Jazz Recording 1917, “Dixieland Jass
Band One-Step” & “Livery Stable Blues”
From New Orleans, Played in Chicago,
Recorded in New York
Traveled to London & Europe
Styles Changed While They Were Gone

24. ODJB
“Dixieland Jass Band One-Step”

25. ODJB

26. ODJB

27. New Orleans Musicians
Joe “King” Oliver, Trumpet, Band Leader
King of Trumpet in New Orleans
Moved to Chicago in 1918
Mentor to Louis Armstrong
Creole Jazz Band
Recorded in 1923

28. King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band

29. New Orleans Musicians
Kid Ory, Trombone, Band Leader
1st African-American Jazz Band to Record,
1921 in Los Angeles
Joined King Oliver’s Band in Chicago

30. New Orleans Musicians
Jelly Roll Morton, Piano, Band Leader,
Composer, Arranger
His Band: The Red Hot Peppers
1st Important Jazz Composer

31. Jelly Roll Morton

32. Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong
1st Important Jazz Soloist
Broke Away From the 100% Collective
Improvisation New Orleans Format
International Reputation by the 1930s
His Band: Hot Five & Hot Seven
Developed Swinging 8th Note

33. Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five
“Muskrat Ramble”

34. Louis Armstrong
Able to construct
Solos for Trumpet
by itself
“West End Blues”

35. Louis Armstrong
1st Jazz Singer
Influenced many singers
1st Recorded “Scat Singer”

36. Louis Armstrong
Scat Singing: using
vocables, instead of
words, to improvise
with the voice
“Scat-De-Dat”

37. Louis Armstrong
Followed King Oliver as #1 New Orleans
Trumpet Player (1918-1922)
1922 Chicago as 2nd Trumpet in Oliver’s
Creole Jazz Band
1924 New York with Fletcher Henderson’s
Band

38. Louis Armstrong
1925 Returned to Chicago (Hot Five)
1930s Fronted Swing Band, Movies, Radio
Late 1940s- led Dixieland Bands, Toured
for State Department
1950-1971, Television, Movies, Pop
Records

39. Louis Armstrong

40. Louis Armstrong
By 1960 it would be
difficult to find anyone
in the world who did
not know Louis
Armstrong

41. Armstrong & Civil Rights Mvt.
Considered by some an Uncle Tom
Brown vs. Board of Education 1954
“Separate but Equal”
9-17-57 interview called President “two-faced”
and “no guts”
Eisenhower sent in paratroopers to Little
Rock, AR to integrate the school 9-24-57

42. Louis Amrstrong: Stamp

43. Chicago Style Jazz
New Orleans Musicians in Chicago
Influence Young European-American
Musicians
The Austin High Gang (Austin H.S.)
Future Stars Begin Jazz Careers
• Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy
Dorsey, Gene Krupa

44. Chicago Style Jazz
Amount of Collective Improvisation
Decreases
Importance of Improvised Solos Increases

45. Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931)
1st Important
European_American
Jazz Soloist
Trumpet/Cornet

46. Bix Beiderbecke
Davenport Iowa (River Town)
Went to Chicago
Recorded in 1924 w/Wolverine Orchestra
1927 to New York w/Paul Whiteman
Orchestra, the most important syncopated
dance band in the country

47. Bix
“Jazz Me Blues” New Orleans Lucky 7

48. Bix & Paul Whiteman
Started in California moved to East Coast
First Recording 1919
Known by Most Americans 1930-1950
Bix’s Drinking Problems Increased
“San” Paul Whiteman

49. Bix Compared to Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
• Virtuoso, Full Brassy
Hot Tone
• High range
• Exuberant
Bix
• Competent Player
• “Cool” Tone
• Normal Range
• Introspective
“Muskrat Ramble” “Jazz Me Blues”

50. Dixieland Today
Dixieland Jazz has been “Popular” Since
1940s
Still Around Today
Costumes usually include Striped Vests,
Arm Bands, Period Hats
English Trad Jazz Bands Appeared on
American Pop Charts 1962

51. Dixieland Today

52. Even High School Bands

53. Dixieland Format
• Trumpet, Clarinet, Trombone & Rhythm
Section
• Melody with Collective Improvisation
• Improvised Solos by Everyone
• Collective Improv. Chorus at the End
“Mustrat Ramble” Dukes of Dixieland

54. Dixieland: The Big Picture
• 1st Style of Jazz
• Originated in New Orleans
• 1st Jazz Stars were from New Orleans
• Dixieland bands were small combos

55. Dixieland: The Big Picture p2
• Swing Style Replaced Dixieland in the
1930s
• Dixieland Experienced Renewed Popularity
in the 1940s as an Alternative to Bop
• Dixieland Bands Still Exist
• Still Trumpet, Clarinet, Trombone &
Rhythm Section