Who Invented Jazz Music?

Although there is no individual musician who can be directly linked to having created jazz music, a number of performers throughout the 1800s and early 1900s contributed to its ultimate creation. The majority of the influence for jazz came from the African-American culture in the United States during slavery and after Reconstruction.

Origins

African slaves in the United States adapted a number of European instruments, most notably the violin, to more traditional African music. European-Americans in turn popularized the music in minstrel shows.

Adaptations

One of the first major figures in the musical form was Louis Moreau Gottschalk. He adapted the African-American minstrel music into piano renditions. This became popular prior to the Civil War.

Ragtime

The rise of ragtime music popularized some of the African-American jazz performers themselves. In 1895, Ernest Hogan gained a major hit with "All Coons Look Alike To Me." Scott Joplin joined him in 1899 with his international hit "Maple Leaf Rag."

New Orleans

What ultimately became known as early jazz was developed in New Orleans. A number of African-American artists performed in brothels and bars using marching band instruments. They merged ragtime with funeral-procession music to create a new style.

Name

The origin of the word "jazz" is unknown. According to the American Dialect Society, it appears to have been used as slang during the early part of the 1900s. It first appeared in print in the "San Francisco Bulletin" on March 3, 1913.

References

• Origins of the Word Jazz
• Jazz Timeline
• Origins of Jazz

Resources

• Origins of Jazz