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Jazz and Blues Influence

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In the early twentieth century, the emergence of two very unique genres of their time and also two of the most influential forms of music began to develop, jazz and blues. The blues were created by African-Americans in the southern region of the United States, who drew their influence from work songs, folk songs, and another popular music genre at the time called Ragtime. Blues songs gave artists a method of expressing their emotions and feelings. As one person stated, “The emotion expressed is generally one of sadness or melancholy, often due to problems in love.” The musical elements that made blues very popular also sparked the development of a very distinct and unique style of music called jazz. “Jazz was born in New Orleans through the fusion of African-American elements such as ragtime and blues with other traditional styles – spirituals, work songs, and shouts.” What made jazz music unique was that musicians often improvised the melodies on the spot which many people thought would not work, but it in fact did. The vital role jazz and blues music played, sparked the evolution of other musical styles and the acceptance of African-Americans among the white community throughout the twentieth century.
One of the earliest composers to contribute to jazz and who also considered himself “the inventor of jazz” was Jelly Roll Martin. Martin began his career playing ragtime piano in New Orleans, but as his musical style progressed, he embraced a new musical style from his blues and ragtime influence. Another important figure in the development of jazz and widely considered as one of the all-time great jazz musicians was Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. “Louis Armstrong’s originality and charisma were largely responsible for the growing popularity of jazz across color boundaries during the 1920s and 1930s” (Holmes 6). Armstrong’s musical greatness and contributions

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