Such a musical movement as jazz emerged in the 19th century, thanks to the fusion of African culture with European culture, as the founders of jazz are considered to be the African peoples. Then the combination of ragtime and blues motifs gave birth to the jazz music movement. The first compositions were absolutely improvisational. To this day, the main characteristics of jazz music are impromptu, great attention to rhythm, and quite colorful timbre and harmonic series.
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.