Soon jazz culture began to develop rapidly in the United States. It came there with the slaves from Africa, who in a foreign country were trying to somehow diversify their working life. They settled in certain urban areas called “ghettos,” which is where jazz music later came from.

It was in the United States that jazz found its modern form of sound. It intertwined a variety of cultural traditions of many peoples, including “white” music and even prison songs. Along with the development of jazz, the need for “black performers” also increased. It even provided a kind of impetus to equalize the different races in the United States. Soon special recording studios began to be organized where mostly those who are now called African-Americans worked.

In its development, jazz music went through several stages: birth, swing, and modern jazz.

Until the beginning of the 20th century jazz was folk music, and it only gained popularity after World War II. In the 1960s of the 20th century, jazz was recognized as a separate artistic movement.

The most striking examples of modern jazz are the works of some musicians based on classical works. For example, compositions by Stan Kenton’s Big Band based on the music of Richard Wagner in jazz arrangements, or the song “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev arranged by Oliver Nelson. Nevertheless, these works were created in accordance with all the canons of classical jazz works: the laws of form, the laws of polyphony, and other features were observed.

Jazz today cannot be called a popular music in its entirety, as it is mainly enjoyed by its true connoisseurs. The great Louis Armstrong, when asked “What is jazz?” replied, “If you’re asking such things, you just don’t understand it.”

At the moment there are about 30 different styles of jazz music. By the way, many styles of contemporary music include some jazz motifs. Some music schools today offer jazz lessons for those who love such music with all their soul. However, one cannot fully reproduce a jazz composition with the skills to play a single instrument. Therefore, the best solution for true jazz lovers who want to improvise or simply perform the works of famous jazz musicians is to play in a band.

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And it all started when an unknown guy from Jamaica named Kool Herc moved to the Bronx. He brought with him the tradition of Kingston street dancing. He’d put on reggae minuses, and the guys would make up recitatives as they went along.

The youth quickly loved this musical direction. It wasn’t just its novelty, but also the sense of independence and boundless freedom that this music provided.

Soon the era of cheap underground parties began in the New York ghettos. African and Puerto Rican teenagers crowded into abandoned houses and basements where such parties were held. By the way, it was Kool Herc who first started using turntables. Young people elevated him to the rank of a celestial and began to call him MC (“master of ceremonies”).

Inextricably linked to the history of hip-hop and its own special dance – break dance. This acrobatic body-movement style is of Latin American origin. Another integral part of hip-hop culture is graffiti. It all started in the 70’s of last century, when a sixteen-year-old Negro boy Demetrives began to paint the walls in New York City’s Downtown and put on the drawings of his tag “Taki 183”. Soon, other young people got the same idea. Initially markers were used for drawing on walls, then spray-paint cans were used. The use of brushes was strictly forbidden.

Then hip-hop culture developed rapidly and restless youth became a real problem for the law-enforcement agencies. They threw parties in different places, sprayed graffiti on train carriages and acted provocatively. All this happened against a background of growing discord between the western and eastern parts of the city, whose representatives staged bloody showdowns. In one of such skirmishes, the youth idol, rapper and movie actor Tupac Shakur, was killed. At present, it’s too early to talk about a reconciliation between the warring parties, but the situation has more or less normalized.

If you like modern music and would like to not just listen to it, but also learn how to perform – come to the music school Jam’s cool. The school specializes in non-academic styles of music, such as jazz, funk, rock, soul and others. Here you can learn to play different instruments, develop your sense of rhythm and hearing, acquire vocal skills and the ability to perform in musical groups.

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The term “blues” appeared in 1895. It comes from the English word “blues,” a short form of the expression “blue devils,” and translates as “depression,” “longing,” “despondency.

The blues simultaneously weaves together several genres that are particularly popular with the Cotton Belt African Americans of the Mississippi River Delta. This music accompanied them as they worked on the plantations. It included: typical ritual songs of certain religious cults that came with them from Africa, ballads, chants, and so on. All this formed the basis of the blues. It would later be considered one of the most important assets of African-American culture of the 20th century, greatly influencing world music.

The origins of the blues can be traced back to the period of the slave system. In those years, the labor force from Africa began to be imported to the new continent discovered by Christopher Columbus. Negroes, the ancestors of today’s African Americans, worked primarily in agriculture or as servants in the homes of wealthy white Americans. They were often harassed and humiliated. All this continued until the abolition of slavery in 1863.

The harsh conditions of African Americans were reflected in their songs. They were primarily characterized by bright sounding percussion and vocals with religious and vocal overtones.

The first semi-professional blues singers were drifters who wandered the country to earn their bread by taking low-skilled, poorly paid jobs. They seldom made money from their gigs, but rather from friendly parties where they were rewarded with booze and food.

The first recognized bluesman was named William Handy. He is the author of “The Memphis Blues. Thanks to him, the blues began to be distinguished as a separate musical genre.

However, the classic blues in the familiar to all formed only in the 20s of last century. That’s when this music came out of the African-American backyards on the big stage. Its brightest representatives are Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey and Bassey Smith.

If you want to dedicate your life to music, come to Jam’s cool music school. It will be a great start for your music career, and the first results won’t be long in coming.

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