RP316 The City of Music

 RP316 The City of Music

From the performers on every street corner to the loud and lively funeral processions, it's easy to see that New Orleans has a long and important musical heritage. Of all of New Orleans's achievements, none are more important than the birth of jazz music.
The Big Easy had already established a name for itself well before jazz was invented. All the way back in 1835, African slaves were known to gather in Congo Square to dance and play music every Sunday. Their style of music slowly began to blend in with the local white musicians who were being influenced by European trends. This early mix of influences made it possible for the innovation that followed.
After the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, New Orleans was flooded with musical instruments as military bands broke up and went home. Lots of these instruments ended up in the hands of the city's poorer black citizens. As they learned to play, they would let their passion guide them and not rely on written music. This was called improvisation. Eventually, they started to blend their own improvisation techniques with two of New Orleans's other musical traditions— ragtime and blues. The end result was the birth of jazz music, one of America's most beloved cultural achievements.
Jazz music was born in poor, working-class communities. Consequently, some of New Orleans's greatest jazz musicians, like Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton, had very difficult upbringings. As a young man, Louis Armstrong sold food he found on the street to restaurants to help support his mother. Jelly Roll Morton was thrown out of his grandmother's house after she discovered he worked as a piano player in a shady bar in New Orleans. Of course, the two of them went on to become legends.
Jazz music can also claim to have influenced several other styles that subsequently emerged from New Orleans. Fats Domino and Dr . John drew from jazz influences when they invented the rhythm-and-blues style after World War II.
What's more, both jazz and rhythm-and-blues would eventually influence the birth of rock and roll, a cultural phenomenon that is still sweeping the planet. That's a lot of heritage for just one city!