How to Learn the Origins of Jazz

Jazz is often cited as one of the few original American art forms. The history and origins of jazz are intertwined with the culture and history of America and, subsequently, with the rest of the world. Learning about the origins of jazz is a journey into the soul of modern culture. Follow these steps to learn about the origins of jazz music.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Learn the major players. Before you dive into a full history on the origins of jazz you should familiarize yourself with some of the major jazz musicians and their sound. Learn about Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and Scott Joplin. You should also get an idea of the social conditions of the American South at the turn of the 20th century to understand the social soil that jazz grew from.
2. Check out Ken Burns' documentary. The noted documentary filmmaker made an acclaimed documentary for PBS on the history of jazz. Watching Burns' film, entitled simply "Jazz," is an enjoyable and relatively fast way to get an understanding and background of the history and origins of the music form. You can purchase the DVD of the film or try to catch it on PBS.
3. Read one of the jazz histories. A number of excellent scholarly works on the history of jazz are available. One such musical biography, "A History of Jazz" by Piero Scaruffi, covers 100 years of jazz, from 1900 to 2000. While the book takes a little bit of dedication and time, the history it provides is detailed and well researched, giving you all you need to know about the origins of the music.
4. Take a course. Colleges, community colleges and universities around the country regularly offer courses on the history of jazz. If you're enrolled in a college or university, check next semester's course offerings to see if there's a history of jazz course. Otherwise, look at the music, culture or American studies departments of local community colleges for a good course on jazz.
5. Visit the Smithsonian. If you want a more hands-on approach to learning the origins of jazz, head to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian features one of the most comprehensive and detailed exhibits of jazz in the world. From biopics to instruments of the musicians themselves, a few hours visit to the Smithsonian gives you a wealth of information about the origins of jazz.