Describe The Jazz Era

"Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life." (Art Blakey). There may not be a quote that describes the era of Jazz in a better sense. The Jazz Era was a time of innovation and change to the everyday norms of society. Jazz brought about a new form of music, and the artists allowed people to let loose and find a way to express themselves better. Of all the influential musicians in the time period, there were none better than Jelly Roll Morton, Joe King Oliver, Sidney Bichet, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. Each artist has their own story, and their own reason for the end of their career. Some lived their life out in fame and glory, while others were shown the more dramatic side of life. Their upbringing may differ, but they all had one thing in common; a lasting contribution for not only the Jazz Era, but for all other generations and genres of music to come. Jelly Roll Morton was fortunate enough to be

This man was Joe King Oliver, the famous composer. Oliver started his life out as a trombone player, which is where one can assume his interest in music came from. As he grew older, he changed from playing trombone in a band, to soon heading his own band. Here he worked on the traditional music stylings. This all changed however, when he moved to Chicago in 1921. Once Oliver moved to Chicago he started a new band with many famous players. It wasn’t until April of 1923, that he first started his recordings of his music. As he continued his life of success, not much else was heard of him as time continued. While some artists always lived in fame, Oliver retired from the life of jazz and worked as a janitor until he passed away in 1938. An ending such as this can only be due to the fact that Oliver wasn’t making and publishing music at the rate of competitors. While Joe King Oliver didn’t have the greatest life, he did have the honor of having an apprentice who later made a name for