Free Essay Sample - The New Orleans-Chicago Jazz Connection

According to Schuller & Morrison (200), no one indeed has a clear history of jazz music's origin but the jazz musicians themselves. Having been rolled down through oral history, jazz's background has many missing links that various musicians, historians, and commentators have tried to fill. Going through several books and write-ups already published about the origin of jazz music, one notices that the jazz writers are filled with decorated diversity in seeking a wider range of the subject and coming to the defense of their zeal for the genre. This research paper brings to view the New Orleans-Chicago Jazz Connection and its relationship to human social identity.

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According to the story of the original Dixieland jazz band by H.O. Brunn (Hersch 100), the Dixieland group is considered the first group ever to have a phonograph record of a jazz band in musical world history. However, his discussion on the Original Dixieland jazz band's role in the origin and developmental history of jazz music is very limited. Other historians address jazz music as if it had existed from time immemorial and has only undergone a transformation over the centuries. Mr. Brunn also seems to be among these historians with an indefinite time of origin of jazz music.

In Robert George Reisner's jazz, titans generate long lists and bibliographies about jazz songs, compositions, and singers both of the old and the recent past. The historical review contributes dismally to the understanding of jazz, jazz singers, and jazz's origin. The work joins the long list of other works with numerous missing links about jazz music's historical origin. On the other hand, Dennis Stock, in his book Jazz Street makes a compilation of photographs belonging to jazz legends that have existed in the past. Even this voluminous compilation does not satisfactorily explain the origin, progress, and modifications of Jazz music over time. Therefore, the best we can talk about is the present components of jazz music connected with the societal norms that can be helpful in connection with history (Stokes 215).

When giving a singled-out look at the New Orleans-Chicago Jazz Connection, two legendary history narratives try to explain the origin. The first narrative says that when the navy closed the fable Storyville on November 12th, 1917, many musicians left the city. The second narrative alludes that the musicians sailed along the Mississippi River heading to Chicago. History justifies that Orlando musicians began to migrate from Storyville by 1902 and continued with this trend even after Storyville was closed down. Inaccuracy, the New Orleans-Chicago migration happened on August 9th, 1922. This is the precise date Louis Armstrong made an entry into Chicago and joined the King Oliver band, as noted in Armstrong's autobiography (Schuller & Morrison 87).

Based on the elusive economic, educational, and social opportunities in Northan Chicago, the Southern blacks had a mass exodus from 1916 to 1920, forming the South-Side Black Belt of the Chicago Black culture. Joining up together in Chicago both from Orlando and the Southern part, a black culture formation also contributed to the furtherance of jazz connections. The blacks found good relations with each other from Chicago to Orlando and other parts of America by sharing news updates on entertainment and business advancements. Historically, many early jazz musicians resided in hotels and rooming houses during and after these mass exodus. Chicago had developed a great entertainment area around the South Side by 1910 (Hersch 112). Black and white actors, musicians, entertainers, and business people lived and worked around this place. It was home to black musician newcomers. Prostitution in this area was confined within its walls even though it wasn't legalized.

Before 1920, no jazz band had been heard in Chicago, yet jazz was already very popular in Orlando. Therefore, the first link to New Orleans traditions became very key to visualizing the development of jazz, particularly in Chicago, and its spread around the entire world through recording and production industries situated in Chicago. This means that jazz music only connected both Orlando and Chicago after the purported mass immigration took place. The development of jazz conjointly brought together both the black and white races in the world of entertainment without any racial prejudice (Wang 112).

The Defender magazine played the most significant role in the sensitization and promotion of jazz entertainment music concerts in its columns from 1915. It became a more vital link between the blacks of the north and south Chicago and the Orlando and Chicago states. Chicago has prominently been known as the home of jazz. According to Dupont Show of the Week, "Chicago and All that Jazz" hosted by Garry in 1961, Chicago and Orlando are depicted as a brooding ground for jazz music (Stokes 200). The decades-old documentary features credentials for jazz stars from both New Orleans and Chicago. The legend of jazz-like Hilton was raised in Chicago, while Armstrong migrated to live there, and Bailey was a student in Chicago. These three always had historical relationships of recording, and production, and worked together in the jazz music industry.

It should be fascinating enough to review videotape resources, television programs, and historical footage to gain an in-depth understanding of the historical progress of the New Orleans-Chicago Jazz Connection. Jazz in the Movies, a 1981 book by David Meeker, is one of the greatest available guidebooks for understanding jazz history through the film media. The exact impact of New Orleans Jazz artists and music in Chicago and on Chicago immigrants' lives is not yet apparent (Wang 101).

History harmonizes with the agreement that jazz faced transformation in the third decade of this century. The texture changed from ensemble to solo due to the influence brought about by the artistic works of Armstrong and Sydney Bechet. The jazz players could eventually play the entire song but, at some point, allow for solo accompaniments. This was a sign of improved skills and performance experienced in the early 1920s. The jazz transformation process remains a partially answered question to understand the New Orleans-Chicago Jazz Connection. The slow drag tempo's systemic scaling down, which used to be the New Orleans traditional style, is also unfathomable (Hersch 120).

Conclusion

In summary, the struggle to understand early jazz is a historical illustration of how jazz music was nurtured in New Orleans, transmitted through human migrations to Chicago, where it underwent permanent transformation before it spread to the entire world through studio recordings and productions, and publications. Its transformation process has permanently impacted people's views on sexuality, race, gender, and social life identities.

Works Cited

Hersch, Charles B. Subversive sounds Race and the birth of jazz in New Orleans. University of Chicago Press, 2008.

Schuller, Gunther, and George Morrison. Early jazz: Its roots and musical development. Vol. 1. History of Jazz, 1986.

Stokes, W. Royal. The Jazz Scene. Oxford University Press, 1993.

Wang, Richard. "Researching the New Orleans-Chicago jazz connection: Tools and methods." Black Music Research Journal (1988): 101-112.