New Orleans: The Birthplace of Jazz

Jazz is the first original musical genre developed on American soil. New Orleans had much to contribute to the emergence of jazz at the beginning of the 20^th century, and has helped influence and shape future musical forms all around the United States. Congo Square and in particular its unheard of cultural tolerance put New Orleans on the map as the birthplace and contributor and producer of jazz music.

Situated in the deep South, New Orleans was comprised of mostly slaves brought in from West Africa and the Caribbean. These slaves brought with them a rich history and culture, including their musical and artistic traditions and styles. Gioia refers to the fusion of African culture into “American” culture as syncretism- African culture influenced and shaped American culture. Gioia also refers to New Orleans as a melting pot, or “cultural gumbo” due to its French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences.

For the most part, slave owners disallowed slaves from singing and expressing their arts while laboring in fear of slaves conspiring a rebellion. However, the New Orleans City Council approved a physical location in town, called Congo Square, in which slaves could congregate under the supervision of whites and perform and sing and dance freely. This was the first glimpse of the fusion of arts, since whites would get curious about the African arts and were impressed at what they saw.

New Orleans was the only city in which jazz could have emerged as opposed to other major American cities at its time. The cosmopolitan, port city nature of New Orleans, the Catholic Latin slave code, and the double consciousness for Blacks and Creoles all attributed to the uniqueness of New Orleans as the birthplace of jazz.

New Orleans’s geographical positioning warranted its cosmopolitan nature as a port city- it is situated in between the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. Thus, the slave trade and trade of other goods was rich and plentiful in New Orleans. This consistent exchange of goods led to the exchange of ideas and culture in such a way that could only have been done in New Orleans and in no other city in the United States.

The slave culture was crucial to the city’s function and cultural and musical output. Two different “slave codes” or theories existed, the Latin and the English philosophies. New Orleans had a predominantly French Catholic population, thus the Latin slave code was favored and widespread. Unlike the English slave philosophy, the Latin version allowed slaves rights such as: owning property, purchasing themselves to freedom, and marriage rights. Slave owners were allowed to free their slaves, slaves were seen to have a soul and being, there was a less dehumanizing attitude towards slaves, and perhaps most important to cultural fusion: slaves were allowed to intermarry with whites. This led to the emerging Creole population of New Orleans.

            Creoles are the offspring of interracial marriages. Although New Orleans was seen as more liberal in terms of its conduct of slaves, these lighter skinned Creoles of color disassociated themselves from their African roots because Africans were still seen as second class citizens. Thus, Creoles practiced Eurocentric forms of music, focusing on rigid structure and composition. When strict segregation was ordered after the Supreme Court ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson, Creoles were forced into Negro neighborhoods due to the discourse of whiteness by law. Creoles were no longer allowed to perform for whites, and had to realign themselves with their full-Negro counterparts. Creoles faced a double consciousness struggle- or an identity struggle between their European and their African roots. Despite this, integration continued in a time of segregation in the Negro community. Blues feelings reappeared, coupled with ragtime rhythms and Creole European musical fine form transcended the dead end of sadness during these times. All of these interactions between Creoles and Africans ultimately resulted in the emergence of jazz in New Orleans.

A few keystone musicians and particular places in New Orleans helped pave the way for the emergence of jazz and are claimed to be the founding sources of New Orleans jazz. The traditional African principles as outlined by Robert F. Thompson in his writing “African Art in Motion,” are present in all of these sources of the beginning stages of jazz.

Storyville was a part of New Orleans similar to the Red Light District of Amsterdam. The area was comprised of brothels, brass bands, and “sexy” music on nearly every corner. Sex appeal is a vital element of jazz, similar to rock and roll, and this principle was founded in Storyville. Storyville mainly displays the elements of song and dance and call and response in its culture- a sort of vital aliveness that shook New Orleans into the direction of jazz.

Buddy Bolden is referred to as the “elusive father of jazz” by many. He debatably was one of the first musicians to experiment with syncopations of ragtime and the blues. He was a part of a string band, was outspoken, and sang racially and politically based lyrics, so much so that those singing his songs were arrested. (Gioia, 36). His presence and skills were so sought after and created a buzz, as Thompson would call it, created a vital aliveness and brought a new level of power and intensity to the musical jazz scene. His musical genius furthermore highlighted the African value and principle of fine form.

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB), originating in New Orleans, also brought attention to the jazz scene. This band was the first musical entity to ever commercially produce a jazz record. Their first record came out in 1917, creating a roar in the jazz business. In addition, this band was an all-white band, furthermore proving the fusion and participation of the entire New Orleans population, transcending all races and skin tones, in its role of being the “original creators” of jazz music.

Jelly Roll Morton was perhaps the most iconic father of jazz in New Orleans. Self-proclaimed “Inventor of Jazz”, Jelly Roll Morton was a prolific composer of music. He was seen as one of the very first musicians that utilized certain elements in his music that are prevalent in jazz music. He was a creole of color, and mixed his European musical style training with American ragtime and blues musical styles. He introduced spontaneity in jazz- incorporating different musical instruments unexpectedly into compositions and encouraging improvisation as a masterful art form. In modern jazz the audience expects the best, most talented musicians to be able to improvise with their instruments with different compositions, which provides that swing element into jazz music.

            The cultivation of jazz in New Orleans had many various reasons for its upbringing. Although each factor had a role in forming jazz, jazz could not have emerged without the most important factor- integration. The beauty of jazz is its culmination and mixture of different instruments, styles, and feelings- all made possible through the integration of the rich, vibrant cultures of New Orleans. New Orleans historically was swapped back and forth between the French, the Spanish, and the Americans. It was a slave trade hot spot where millions of slaves were sent from the West African coast as well as the Caribbean Islands. Without all of these cultures present and intermixing, jazz would never have emerged in New Orleans. The call and response feature of traditional African arts is emphasized in jazz, proving not only African roots in American jazz, but also the vital element of integration. According to Gioia, “the call-and-response format is as much a matter of social integration as an issue of musical structure” (9). Ultimately, the fusion of African and various European musical and artistic elements is the main factor for the birth of jazz in New Orleans.