the history of jazz essays

the history of jazz essays Hugh Arkinson May 6, 2004 From the beat of ragtime syncopation to soaring gospel choirs mixed with call-and-response vocalizations and the moody blues, jazz has become a much-loved form of music worldwide. Since it came out of the South in the late 1890s, this indigenous American creation has impacted nearly every type of music heard in the United States today. Indeed, it is as American as apple pie. A significant relationship exists between the origins of jazz and the history of African-Americans. To entertain themselves and get through the grueling days, plantation slaves would perform music that would remind them of their African homeland. Their songs, sounds and compositions would be on the wide variety of singing, rhythms and melodies that ranged throughout the continent. As Francis Bebey notes in African Music: A Peoples Art, the main characteristics of the African West Coast are the metronome sense (keeping a beat in mind), the simultaneous use of several meters and the responsorial (back and forth) form of singing with overlap between leader and chorus. The central African area is distinguished by its great variety of instruments and musical styles and polyphony (where more than one melody is played at the same time). African music is also famous for exciting rhythms. These were played on the most popular African instrument, the drum (Bebey 92). The American slaves made drums of many different shapes and sizes and played them with the palms of their hands, their fingertips or sticks. Other percussion instruments were the shakers and jingling anklets. The jangling created an off-beat rhythm. The slaves also made string instruments. The most popular was the fiddle, which was played with a curved bow. In order to make these instruments, the slaves made do with whatever they could find. Large beef bones were used like wood blocks or drumsticks. Jawbones became scrapers when the teeth were cl...