New Orleans is considered to be the birthplace of jazz. Though it is hard to find the origins of this musical style, it is true that the city has a lot of factors which enabled the development of jazz. First of all, its geographical position resulted in the constant mixture of different people and cultures. Nowadays, the city is a major port of the United States. It is located on the Mississippi River close to the Gulf of Mexico. This means that sailors and salesmen use this place for trade and entertainment. The location of the city attracted many creative and talented people here. The nearness to the Mexican Gulf as well as the internationalism made the culture Caribbean oriented rather than Catholic or Protestant as in other colonies. Besides, the subtropical climate of New Orleans envisages a lot of outdoor activities. The demography is another factor which resulted in the development of jazz in this area. Historically, the city belonged to the Spain during 1763-1803. This resulted in the habits of siestas and different festivities. Previously, it belonged to France. The influence of the French can be traced in Mardi Gras celebration (DeVeaux, Giddins). Another demographic peculiarity of New Orleans was the racial one. The city was tolerant to the black population. Moreover, the Creoles of Color were able to receive higher education and prestigious social position. Many of them were also talented musicians. The city faced a lot of social changes when the colony was sold to the United States in 1803 (DeVeaux, Giddins). Thousands of slaves together with their masters came to New Orleans. The Jim Crow Laws led to the mixture of Creoles who became deprived of their previous social status with other representatives of the black population ("Jim Crow Laws"). All together, these factors led to the development of a music genre which was a combination of the Voodoo, European and religious music and is nowadays called jazz.
New Orleans is still considered to be a party town because of the amount of fest taken place every year in the city. Apart from the jazz fests, a visitor can attend local music halls and other event related to the history and modernity of this area. The tradition of jazz still remains today. Every April New Orleans is full of tourists who gather to hear local and foreign musicians during the Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Works Cited
DeVeaux, Scott K, and Gary Giddins. Jazz. New York: W.W. Norton, 2009. Ebook.
United States National Park Service. "Jim Crow Laws." National Parks Service. U.S.
