At the end of the 1800s a musical form was created in the deep American South called the blues. The blues is the foundation of jazz, which erupted into and defined the American music scene in the early 1900s.
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The Blues
- Born from the spirituals and work songs of the African-Americans, the blues is said to have originated in the Mississippi Delta upriver from New Orleans. The style is identified by specific chord progressions, 12 bar melody and the "blue note," a note that is flattened or warped off the pitch of the major music scale. The blues signifies a melancholy or sad mood and was called the "blue devils" before the 1800s.
Jazz
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Jazz is music created from a combination of African-American and European influences, yet is entirely American in origin. The word "jazz" was a slang term first used to describe music in Chicago in 1915.
North or South?
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While the blues undeniably originated in the South, jazz actually appeared in St. Louis, Chicago and Kansas City around the same time as it did there, making it difficult to determine an exact origin.
Kansas City
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During Prohibition, Kansas City continued to have open bars. Blues and jazz artists flocked to the city and it became the birthplace of bebop, an improvisational type of jazz that took the sound away from the big band style. Jazz continued to flourish in Kansas City throughout the depression and is still a large part of its music scene.
Musical Heritage
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The musical heritage of the blues and jazz has survived two centuries, developing many variations of style throughout the years, yet continuing to flourish.
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