New Orleans: Birthplace of Jazz

In 1803 America made one of its most important historical decisions by agreeing to the Louisiana Purchase. Not only did the purchase nearly triple the size of the country, but America also acquired many landmark cities that would come to define American culture over the next two hundred years. New Orleans, one of these influential cities, would eventually come to be known as the birthplace of jazz.

At the time of the purchase, New Orleans was a melting pot for many cultural roots. Spain acquired New Orleans from the French in 1764, and the city saw an influx of immigrants from Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, England, and Haitians fleeing from the Haitian revolution. Black slaves brought from Africa added to the mix by holding on to their spiritual and musical traditions that would eventually lead to the beginnings of jazz. Although some white states tried to suppress black dancing and musical gatherings, blacks felt the need to do it not only for spiritual reasons, but also therapeutic. One of the reasons New Orleans stands out over other cities in reference to the beginnings of jazz was its tolerance for such black traditions. While other cities strictly banned blacks playing music due to drums being used to signal rebellions,  New Orleans dedicated one day of the week to allow blacks to associate, dance, and play music in Congo Square (1817). Even though the city did this in order to appease the blacks, Congo Square allowed for the exposure of black music to non-black city inhabitants.

Another tradition blacks offered to the development of jazz was the work song (which would eventually develop into the blues). Forced into labor, slaves were naturally unhappy and one way to express their emotions was to sing while the work. Over time, string instruments were added to the songs and eventually developed into its own style called the blues. One particular slave referenced by Gioia, Leadbelly, became a master of the blues and largely contributed to the widespread publicity of blues.

New Orleans also presented many opportunities for listening to music. Music was largely displayed in public places such as churches, the French Quarter, opera houses, funeral processions, and bordellas. Marches consisting of cornets, trombones, tubas, clarinets, and snare drums were very popular in the French Quarter and in funeral processions and were generally celebratory in nature. This style, commonly referred to as Dixie, was a important influence to ragtime enthusiast Scott Joplin. Ragtime, largely created by Joplin, consisted of the left hand playing a march theme while the right hand would play intricate melodies that resembled improvisation, an essential part of jazz. The bordellas in Storyville, New Orleans' red-light district, offered a more "sinful" style of music. Musicians such as Jelly Roll Morton found the piano style here more alluring and led to the laid-back swing of early jazz. The difference between ragtime and Morton's style can be heard when comparing Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" to Morton's version of Joplin's rag.

While this doesn't cover nearly all the reasons New Orleans was the prominent leader in the development of jazz, I feel these are a few of the most important. New Orleans offered something other cities could not - tolerance of black music and the opportunity to listen to public entertainment nearly everywhere within the city.