Madison+-+Early+Jazz+and+Blues

=Early Jazz and Blues = 
 * BLUES **

 The Blues trace back hundreds of years to Africa and Europe but took root in the South of the United States. The origin of blues came from the blending and mixing of African and European music and then adding in the feeling of the hot American South.

Blues as we know it today did not take shape until the early 1900's and is most influenced by African-American culture. It was first heard when slaves sang songs and they did so to express their extreme suffering. Blues is a form of folk music but the lyrics these slaves used were to express their feelings, such as the suffering as previously stated, rather than ballads. The 'call and response' lyrics in blues music came from these slaves and sharecroppers calling in the fields.

The personified lyrics would be in the format of: a) the first line (the call) sung over the Tonic (I) chord b) the first line repeated over the Sub-dominant (IV) chord c) the second line (response) sung over the Dominant (v) chord

Blues music is generally a masculine tradition with mostly men playing and singing until the 1920's when Mamie Smith recorded the first vocal blues song, "Crazy Blues". media type="youtube" key="qaz4Ziw_CfQ" height="241" width="306" align="center"

 The use of flatted notes is prominent in blues music, specifically the 3rd, 5th, and especially the 7th notes. These can be tied to indigenous music of West Africa but can also be found in English and Irish folk music.

In the beginning, the major instrument was the banjo and it wasn't until the turn of the century that the guitar was used. Also, other outstanding instruments are the harmonica and the piano.




 * EARLY JAZZ **

The origin of jazz music started at the beginning of the 20th century in African-American communities in the Southern United States as well, specifically in New Orleans where it was very popular. Similar to blues music, it was based off of African and European music traditions.

When the African slaves came over to the United states they would bring their tribal traditions. These traditions included the use of a single-line melody along with a call-and-response pattern without the inclusion of the European notion of harmony. An easy example to point out of a modern day call-and-response pattern would be The Who's "My Generation" media type="youtube" key="_e6_0jvlKik" height="229" width="288"

The rhythms used were reflective of African speech patterns and the use of pentatonic scales which became 'blues notes' in blues and jazz music.

Around 1843, there were festivals in the South, specifically in New Orleans' //Congo Square// where the Africans danced to drum beats. However, in the 1900's, jazz music was played by horn players in the red-light district of New Orleans to entertain the men that were visiting the brothels (whore houses). ** ANALYSIS ** While jazz is a genre of music, blues is both a musical form and a musical genre. Both styles of music developed out of the combination of African and European traditions in African-American slave communities in the Southern United States however jazz is more closely tied to its origins in New Orleans whereas blues was a more wide spread tradition across the south. Moreover, both styles came out of field hollers and chants.

With regards to expression, in blues, the lyrics are very prominent and reflect the challenges of being African-American in the south whereas instrumentation is more recognizable in jazz music. 