Blog #1 New Orleans: the perfect combination

Jazz was born in New Orleans because of the combination of class tensions and oppression, cultural diversity, and a growing cosmopolitan scene leading to increased economic opportunities for musicians.  After the Civil War and the freeing of African American men and women, many of the formerly enslaved flocked to New Orleans, one of the larger and more tolerant cities in the South.  Along with this migration of people from rural areas to the city came a migration of rural tradition, including work songs, a precursor jazz, from rural areas to the city.  Particularly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, New Orleans became a major commerce center, as it is the southernmost tip of the newly acquired land (Gioia, 27), which led to a massive migration to New Orleans of people from all over the country, from all walks of life. Additionally, there was a remaining French population living New Orleans, adding to the cultural diversity of the city.  Within this diversity, formerly enslaved African American men and women were at the bottom of the social ladder, even lower than the black French people or the Creole population (Gioia, 32). 

There was a lot of social tension, particularly between these Creole and the African Americans: the Creole felt a general feeling of superiority over the African Americans.  Many African Americans used music, especially the blues, to express their feelings about the oppression that they were experiencing.   The blues, another important precursor to jazz, acted as an epistemology about the disparity between what one was told and what he or she actually experienced.  Several blues divas, for example Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, were crucial in popularizing classical blues (Gioia, 16-17).  In a more general scope, this meant popularization crossed a racial boundary, allowing white audiences to enjoy black performers.  This was also an important step for black musicians because it opened up the possibility of making a significant amount of money through performing in concert halls and large venues.

However, there was another scene in New Orleans which was entirely different from these high-class concert halls, but equally, if not more influential in the creation of jazz.  This scene took place in a place known as “the district,” or Storyville.  Many black jazz musicians made their living playing music in dance halls or bordellos in this neighborhood (Gioia, 29).  This is sometimes considered the birthplace of jazz music (Gioia, 29), and was definitely a place where a blend of cultures came together.  Yet another very important influence on New Orleans jazz comes from the Baptist churches in the area.  Jazz musicians were known to attend church, not in order to learn about God, but rather to gain inspiration for their music (Gioia, 30). 

One more cultural group has a potentially under-investigated influence on jazz music.  The Eighth Mexican Regiment Band attended the Cotton Exposition in New Orleans in 1884, and many members either did not leave after the exposition or quickly returned to the United States after some time back in Mexico.  While the extent to which these Mexican musicians actually altered the path of jazz music is unclear, several aspects are: First, the Mexican people brought woodwind instruments, such as the clarinet into jazz (Johnson, 229).  Second, many Mexican musicians, while not necessarily jazz musicians, did have very strong classic technical ability, and many acted as teachers for later stars jazz stars. 

All of these factors combined make New Orleans a very conducive environment to creating new styles and experimenting with new sounds and rhythms. The oppression that African American men and women felt allowed for the creation of the blues, which, as it became more popular, morphed into jazz.  The coming together of several different cultures in a large city culminated in creative expression and exploration from the African American men and women, all within the framework of their African ancestry.

Commented on Vivek Pate