African American Jazz Influence

Jazz has been an influential part of American History since the twentieth century. Jazz was influence prominently by African Americans around 1917. Roger Kamien and Anita Kamien authors of the book Music Appreciation states, “Jazz can be described generally as music rooted in improvisation and characterized by syncopated rhythm, a steady beat, and distinctive tone colors and performance techniques” (Kamien) Within jazz, there are different styles which vary upon location or where they originated in. Some include, “New Orleans style (or Dixieland), swing, bebop, cool jazz, free jazz, and jazz rock” (Kamien). Without jazz, talented figures like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Louis Armstrong would not be as inspirational as they are today. “In America, blacks developed a rich body of music that became a vital source for jazz. This music included work songs, spirituals, gospel hymns, and such dances as the cakewalk. Much of this music was never written down and is now lost to us” Jazz has impacted American history in many ways

His focus was on improvisation, free-playing in a piece of music. According to Groves music, “Armstrong recorded almost 1500 tracks (excluding alternate takes) in studios or at live concerts, and at least an equal number of tracks on air checks, film soundtracks, and television performances. His earliest recordings were with King Oliver, whose 35 sides in 1923 represent the first significant body of black recorded jazz” (Groves). Armstrong’s talent extended to height that shaped jazz history into what it is today. “Not only was he the first to extend the trumpet’s high range up to f (concert e flat), but he also set the standard—for other instruments besides his own—in jazz phrasing” Edward H. Tarr states, author of Trumpet. It was Armstrong who truly expressed the emotion shift in the eras if