Jazz Age

The Impact on Western civilization with the Jazz Age

Music has been around since the dawn of time, ever since man first inhabited this planet we have learned to communicate in ways other then conventional speaking. Different Cultures all have there own specific way of communicating. Music is very powerful and with certain rhythms and tones it can be engulfing. Jazz is music of improvisation and expression of true feelings. Its style has two very different origins: African and European. Once brought to America, jazz has been every changing reflecting what was happening in society at the time. Jazz is something that has been in America for many years and effected society in a way no other music of African and European roots ever has.

 Jazz music is a blending of both black and white tradition and heritages. New Orleans was the center of many different ethnicities, such as French, Spanish, American, and African American, which resulted in a city with a unique blend of individuals. New Orleans became a significant center of culture in the mid to late 1800s. It is believed that jazz was largely influenced from African slaves who were brought over in the 1800s, who did not have their native instruments, had to make due with what they could find in their new home of the southern United States. On arrival in America, they were exposed to western musical styles that include harmonies, tonal sounds, along with unique beats and rhythms. This resulted in a raw version of what we know as Jazz.

African music concentrated a lot on rhythm while Western European liked to hear harmonic sounds. The Europeans did not understand the inharmonious sounds and polyrhythms of African music, but jazz musicians took a great liking to it. The reason for this was because Europeans used music for listening enjoyment. In Africa, music was very functional. It was the only form of communication between tribes and a universal language of percussive instruments. The music was used to...