New
Orleans was one of the biggest cultural crossroads in the entire
world, comparable to the great cities of Timbuktu and Constantinople
in its cultural diversity, mass of trade and ethnic commingling.
Placed in the delta of the Mississippi River, it became a haven for
traders from Spain, France and America. After the Louisiana Purchase,
slaves began to pour into the markets as well, adding more
ingredients to the great musical stew that would eventually ferment
into jazz. The Catholic Spanish and French roots of the city favored
music and dance as parts of religious expression, contributing to the
Latin swing that made jazz so distinct from contemporary American
music. These Latin cultures also gave New Orleans a different slave
code – the Latin Code – which differed greatly from the much
stricter code used by American colonies. The result was a more
free-form approach to slavery, where African slaves have the
possibility of freeing themselves, intermarrying and owning property,
giving them more ability to retain their traditional African culture
and music. The drums and dance of the Congo Square would have been
banned in any part of America besides New Orleans. Finally, as a part
of the United States, the American values of individuality and
personal expression came to the forefront as well. Jazz emerged from
all of these intermingling cultures as a mixture of Latin swing,
African syncopation and vitality and American individuality. Other
American cities lacked this great variety of cultural influences, or
the tolerance to express non-English cultures.
Different
styles of music resulted from this mixture of peoples, with jazz only
coming later in the history of New Orleans. The blues, a musical
style exemplified by artists such as Mamie Smith and the famous
Leadbelly, was a personal expression of pain and conflict that
resonated with many of the black citizens who felt alienated by the
racism and poverty that afflicted them on a daily basis. While it had
its basis in the call-and-response and beats of African music and the
individuality of American expression, the music itself was a totally
unique sound. Ragtime (short for “ragged time”) was another music
style made famous in New Orleans that was favored more by the richer
Creole population, identified by the syncopation of classic European
piano lines, giving the traditionally stiff compositions more flair
and interest. These two musical styles, colliding after segregation
was reinforced by the one-drop laws passed across the South in the
late 1800's, both contributed to the emergence of jazz. Jazz
incorporates the emotion and call-and-response of blues and the
syncopation and energy of ragtime, creating a new music defined by
intense emotional expression, musical skill and raw sex appeal.
Of
all these factors, I personally believe that the numerous cultural
influences are one of the main contributing factors to the rise of
jazz. Without the Latin-Catholic focus on music and dance, slave
dance and music would not have been permitted; without the slave
dance and music, syncopation and call-and-response styles would not
have been major influences; without syncopation, there would be no
ragtime, and without call-and-response, blues would be missing a
vital component. This same line of thought can be applied to the
American and African influences as well. At the roots of most of the
other contributing factors to jazz are the cultural influences that
defined New Orleans, creating a beautiful, raw, emotional and
altogether unique sound that has captivated audiences of all cultures
around the world.
