The onset of jazz music was a luxurious and monumental thing for New Orleanians. Though music was essential to life in New Orleans throughout the nineteenth century, no sound that welcomed everybody. New Orleans was a diverse place where Creole, French, Spanish, and African cultures, among others, all lived elbow to elbow, with seemingly nothing in common other than a love for music. During the 1870’s could be heard everywhere. New Orleans was filled with the folky sounds inspired by European immigrants, and the distinct beats of African and Caribbean inspired musicians. As the turn of the century approached, these two worlds began to merge, and a musical revolution took place. While jazz is seen as a distinctly American music, many forget its roots lie deep with European and African influences, having been so powerful it affected every ethnic group living in the city during the time.
Community life in New Orleans can be attributed to jazz’s early conception. Despite the many different ethnicities and cultures, Creole, African, European, and so forth, there was always a sense of community, and there was always music. Music was playing at picnics and local sporting events and camping trips, brass bands played during funerals, and the music from nightly dances could always be heard. Even before jazz, many of the sounds in New Orleans were sometimes raucous and wild, demanding attention and giving the listener a lot of emotion. This overflow of emotion may be because New Orleans was one of the only places in America, during jazz’s early conception, where the nation was not listening to military trumpets. During slavery, New Orleans was supposedly the only settlement where slaves could own instruments, namely drums, according to Andrew Sanchirico. In addition to drums, many voodoo rituals from Africa were also allowed. Blacks, whites, and every ethnicity in between attended the rituals, whether to see a show or because they believed. It may not have seemed like a big deal at the time, allotting Africans drum sets, as well as the rights to native voodoo rituals allowed for the merger of African drums and European music influences such as horns and strings
According to “The History of Jazz,” the music’s early development is normally associated with Charles Bolden, also known as “Buddy.” He was a bandleader and a cornetist who quickly became a legend throughout the jazz circuit, bringing individuals of all kinds together with his charisma. He played shortly for Charley Galloway in 1894, but left soon after to form his own band the following year. Bolden spent the next ten years performing throughout the city, building a loyal fan base. He particularly enjoyed performing at what was known as the Funky Butt Hall, which was also a church, which allowed him to influence several different cultures at one time. Bolden was one of the signature players in jazz’s history, playing until he collapsed in 1906 during a performance in a street parade. He lived the rest of his days in a state sanitarium.
While figures like Bolden were essential to jazz’s conception, the audience was also instrumental. Activities like dancing were popular in New Orleans because, despite the many cultural and musical differences in the area, the nightlife was always buzzing. Bolden, and others like him, saw the audience’s willingness to have a good time and, able to look beyond colors and ethnicities, gave them what they wanted. Whether African, Creole, French, or any other ethnicity, people wanted to have a good time. Throughout the nineteenth century, violinists who offered dancers waltzes and polkas led most of these dances. The public was tired of civility such as this and welcomed the brazen, unconcerned frivolity Bolden and others like him began to offer with jazz.
It is assumed by Hilary Baker that perhaps people took so quickly to jazz because there was something in it for everybody, as jazz borrowed from many different musical sources and ethnic backgrounds. The soft European strings of the French were being combined with the hard brass and rhythmic horns of the African community. Strings were predominant at first, giving the music a ragtime effect. The eventually led to blues. However, the public clamored for something more exciting, eventually leading to jazz. As jazz began fully taking shape, many musicians began to quit writing music, only playing by ear, as stated in “New Orleans Style”. The excitement was almost too much for the public to handle. Jazz began to contradict high society even more with this effort to “play with the heart and soul.” Though many members of the Creole community embraced jazz, some still found it abrasive and even lewd. John Robichaux represented the classier, more organized music of New Orleans during the turn of the century. The French who enjoyed his music did not understand jazz’s lack of uniformity, nor did they want to. Meanwhile, artists like Bolden, or bands such as the Golden Rule, simply worked on pieces of music until they were memorized, often breaking away for solos whenever they felt the urge, or when the moment felt right. The merger of European and African influence to create jazz was bringing people together, however its artistic nature was also pushing some cultures further apart. Rather than drawing stark contrast between ethnicities, for a time it appeared jazz drew a line between fun and uniformity, poor and rich, high society and low-class. These self-proclaimed fun, poor, lower-class individuals were in no rush to give up the spontaneity and freedom jazz offered, regardless of how it looked from the outside.
After Bolden’s collapse and subsequent exit from the jazz scene, the audience was on the hunt for a new musical legend. Frankie Dusen, a trombonist, became the leader of Bolden’s group. He renamed it the Eagle Band . Other dance bands competing for the spotlight were Manuel Perez’s Imperial Orchestra, Superior, and Onward Brass Band. Onward Brass Band was a more progressive jazz ensemble, led by Louis Nelson Delisle; he was famous for pushing the band toward complete improvisation, which the audiences relished. While jazz borrowed some of its sound from European roots, initially there were not many white players. However, Laine’s Reliance band began attracting white musicians who had loved the music and wanted to play. Finally, in 1920, Kid Ory’s Creole band emerged and it appeared, taking the shape of the typical jazz bands most are familiar with today.
Kid Ory, or Edward, was the son of a Creole woman who was Afro-Spanish and Native American. Ory’s father was French. He was a relatively good combination of the ethnic blends in New Orleans for his time, though he was classified as Creole because of his color . It did not take Ory long to start his love affair with jazz; he began his own band at the age of 15 in La Place, Louisiana. In 1907, one year of Borden’s collapse, he traveled to New Orleans in an attempt to make his music heard. While there, he began working with such future stars as Louis Armstrong and Jimmie Noone, whom he included in his band. Ory had traveled a long way from his humble roots, throwing dances for his neighbors. He continued his success with his band for several years at Pete Lala’s saloon, securing his place in history, as well as jazz’s. Jazz’s foothold in the rest of the country was loose for several years. As bands began traveling to larger cities outside New Orleans, such as Boston and Chicago, in order to spread the sound, they were met with resistance until the recording boom of the 1920’s, when the rest of the country finally took notice of jazz’s integral and unique sound. Barriers broke down all over the country.
In sum, the technical history of jazz may have begun with Bolden, but it actually started long before he was ever born. Jazz began during a dark period in American history, when whites sought supremacy, forcing others into slavery. Though it is small consolation, Africans were still allowed their native rituals in one small part of the country. This small area gave them a voice so loud the music took hold of an entire city, and eventually an entire country. The deep, beating drums of Africa blended with the brass of Europe and as New Orleans grew and cultures became more diverse, the city exploded with music. The music was so expressive and emotive audiences had no choice but to deny their differences and have fun. At first lines were drawn between color, but jazz was able to erase those, eventually pulling in people of all different backgrounds and cultures. Even Creoles eventually had to succumb to the intoxicating power of jazz. Though it took some convincing, the rest of the country soon followed the sounds of Bolden, Ory, and many like them, realizing music saw past color and culture.
Bibliography
Baker, Hilary. "Eurojazzland: Jazz and European Sources, Dynamics, and Contexts." Notes, 2014: 679-682.
Eaton, Andi. New Orleans Style. Chicago: The History Press, 2014.
Gioia, Ted. The Hitory of Jazz. London: Oxford University Press, 2011.
Sanchirico, Andrew. "Is Conventional Jazz History Distorted by Myths?" Journal of Jazz Studies, 2012: 42-56.
