Jazz Essay

Music; something that brings people together in ways that nothing else can. A simple walk down a city street, and one is exposed to music within minutes. Whether it’s the harsh beating of drums, the smooth playing of the saxophone, or the intense words of a rapper, music is everywhere. With numerous genres, any person can enjoy music the way they choose. One genre that sticks out more than others due to its incredible sound and its deep roots is Jazz. Jazz was generated in the early twentieth century, mostly in the city of New Orleans. Starting off in small communities, it began to spread throughout the city and eventually permeated the country. There are numerous opinions on how Jazz was born, but it narrows down to the diversity of New Orleans, the intensity of segregation, and the flexibility in its musical process.
New Orleans was a port city resulting in a variety of people and backgrounds. People were constantly traveling in and out of New Orleans and there were “three basic groups of people [that] lived in the city: white citizens from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds; English-speaking, predominantly Protestant, black Americans; and a middle group of French-speaking, predominantly Catholic, Creoles” (Carney 300). Coming from different parts of the world, all three possessed different

Jazz created a new way of thinking. We will always remember the names of artists like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and many more. They left a legacy through the genre of jazz. Among many others, they changed the way people approached music and gave music a whole new characteristic. Jazz is truly an iconic genre that generates versatility and expresses numerous emotions in a numerous ways. Jazz is inspiring and passionate. Jazz is erratic and electrifying. Jazz is