The History of Jazz

... The History of Jazz T he early roots of jazz are deeply embedded in African culture and traditions; however, jazz is a uniquely American style. It has been said that jazz rhythm came from African musical traditions, while jazz harmony came from the European musical tradition. However, the musical elements of jazz are actually not so evenly divisible between the two continent's musical traditions. A more accurate picture would be that African slaves used European rhythmic and harmonic forms to express their own musical traditions. The slaves retained many of their traditional, formal sonic and expressive elements. In particular, these seven elements led to the development of the blues, an early cousin and forerunner to jazz: * Call and Response (a leader sings a phrase and it is echoed by the rest of the group.) * Repeated Refrain (similar to the refrain or chorus in a traditional church hymn.) * Chorus Format

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