Jazz+History

__**Jazz History **__ Jazz represents a merging and melding of different people and heritages. The earliest form of jazz began in the 1800s in southern American states. For African slaves working on the plantations, music was one of the few escapes from the drudgery of the lifestyle. This is where Ragtime began, and how European-American musical traditions where merged and evolved into what is now the more modern types of jazz. In the 20th century, jazz was such a unique and artistic type of music that it spread rapidly from the south to cities such as Chigago and Kansas City. It was a way of expressing yourself and inspiring passion. To many people it meant freedom and creativity. In this era, Dixieland jazz, bebop, hard bop were all some of the popular types from which great musicians like Louis Armstrong and Art Blakey emerged. Jazz has come a long way from ragtime music to some of the current forms of Jazz such as contemporary jazz, jazz rock, and smooth jazz that are still popular today.

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