So you like jazz? Then you have Black people to thank. From swing to nu-jazz, jazz is one of the genres that's most heavily influenced by the Black community. 

 

Before there was jazz, there was blues. And before that, there was slavery. Through the importation of slaves from West Africa, many musical styles foreign to the Western World were absorbed. First characterized by “bent” or “blue” notes as well as the figurative emotional blues the genres the genre is inspired by. Slaves sang about resilience, hope, and deliverance from all the trials they lived through. Music helped grow and strengthen that community then and it continues to do so today. For the first time, there was a genre of music that recognized and acknowledged the pain and adversity African American slaves faced, but also gave it a new life and joy that comes with outlasting injustices and heartache. Evolved from African American hymns, spirituals, folk, and work songs, blues transformed into the jazz we know today in the vibrant city of New Orleans, Louisiana.

 

New Orleans has been commonly described as a musical melting pot. From its classical orchestral halls, to the kitschy buskers on its cobblestone streets, The Big Easy was where blues got its transformation. Jazz has been from the beginning a constantly changing and evolving genre of music. The genre is recognizable by its syncopated rhythms, improvisation, and intentional pitch deviation. All of which essentially means breaking every rule established in western and American music. Playing the wrong notes off beat had never been heard of until jazz. To be a jazz musician was a form of rebellion in and of itself. Improvisation was the beginning of black people finding freedom through musical expression, and by intentionally going against the white-established status quo, Black people were able to create a genre of music that accurately represented their experiences. But even though the genre was built by Black people, they were hardly recognized in the beginning.

 

‘The Livery Stable Blues’ was released on February 26, 1917 to rave reviews. This crazy new type of music was incredible. But what's considered to be the first jazz recording wasn’t what it seemed to be. Through this release, a white band was claiming to invent the genre that black musicians taught to them. A classic case of copycat white musicians appropriating and rebranding work that is not their own. Livery Stable Blues was in fact taken to court over ownership rights, where the lawsuit ruled to keep the sheet music in public domain. The Black musicians were robbed of their credit for its composition, but so were the white ones. This was a small almost-victory in a world where white producers only recorded white musicians, for fear of ‘alienating their audience’. They feared that Black people would only listen to Black people and white people listen to white people.

 

Unfortunately, this segregation gave Black jazz musicians only two choices. Either you could waste your talents, forced to perpetuate harmful stereotypes of your culture at minstrel shows, or since you couldn’t get your own music produced on your own, turn your composition over to a white musician and pray they’d be willing to record it with you. Although segregation laws already made it difficult enough for Black and white musicians to record together. A few classically trained musicians found that they could play jazz and its sub genres at lesser venues and for little money, but this is believed to be part of the reason jazz spread so quickly. The rich bought records, the middle class heard it in their bars, and even the poor were trying to learn it. Which may be part of the reason it grew to have such a disjointed nature.

 

Then came household names like Louis Armstrong, who popularized scatting, which is using the voice to imitate an instrument. Or Ella Fitzgerald, the jazz singer who went on to become the first African American woman to win a Grammy Award. Legendary composer Duke Ellington, or the inventors of be-bop, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. All of whom began to bridge the gap between racist producers and their white audiences. Through their expression, those Black musicians and others paved the way for Black voices and perspectives to be broadcast and listened to. They all had undeniable talent and refused to be ignored. The truth is that Black jazz is authentic jazz, and that is what audiences of every race want to hear. 

 

The fight for accurate representation in not just the world of jazz, but the music industry as a whole, is far from over. You can fight the good fight by not just streaming, but paying for the music of Black musicians. A sizable portion of money spent on ads by streaming services goes right back into the service and not to the artists and musicians. Go see concerts that feature Black musicians and review and share Black artists that inspire you. Take the time to learn where your music comes from, so you can consume it more inclusively and more ethically, and give credit where credit is due.