How Did New Orleans Influence Jazz?

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Since the birth of Jazz in the 1800’s, New Orleans has been a foundation of growth for Jazz to flourish throughout the years. This revolutionary genre of music has its roots planted in the city of New Orleans. The lively aura and diverse amount of people and cultures, helped to unite and bring forth Jazz into a music genre that helped create many musical geniuses. New Orleans was a place for all cultures to come together and express themselves through Jazz. It became something that was a way of life and a necessity for the people of New Orleans. Because of this, New Orleans had a huge influence on Jazz through its musical venues, musical influences, and its rich history. Coming over from Europe, the French created New Orleans in 1718 and brought a select amount of salves over with them. The Spanish eventually took over New Orleans and freed a vast amount of slaves who married into different ethnic groups (Gridley 20). These people were called creoles of color and made the city more liberal compared to other United States cities. They were very educated and played in the best orchestras around the city (Stewart). Different ethnic groups mixed much more freely in New Orleans then other …show more content…

The origins of Jazz came from an ethnically diverse and intensely musical city that had a strong rich history. A variety of cultures came together to create music that helped entertain them and create “The Birthplace of Jazz.” Jazz gave the people a reason to feel alive, dance, and feel free. Music was not just a luxury for the people of New Orleans, but rather a necessity that made them who they were. This became an identity and New Orleans has the perfect blend of a diverse culture that helped them become the birthplace of jazz. The blend of different cultures together came to inspire and create different forms of jazz that started right on the grounds of

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