The slave music in the United States fell into two distinct categories: secular music and spiritual music. Secular music had roots in the folk songs and the traditional music of Africa whereas the spiritual tradition emerged after the conversion of the African slaves to Christianity. Secular music used homemade musical instruments like the banjo, tambourine, washboards, pots and spoons. It also incorporated voice in the form of shouts or moans that recounted folk tales. Spiritual music is the most highly regarded type of music ever invented in the United States and became popular after the Civil War with the migration of former slaves to the North. Both these types of music share some common characteristics: they both use call and response, improvisation, and frequent use of cries, moans and bends, in both vocal and instrumental performances. The secular music was poly-phonic and had a separate and unique style despite the influence of white folk music. The spiritual music was mainly influenced by biblical stories and the hymnals of Protestant tradition. The spiritual tradition paved the way for highly arranged choral music written by African-American composers. In sum, in the words of Ken Burns in his documentary series “Jazz”: “jazz has been called the purest expression of American Democracy, of independence; music built on individualism and compromise, independence and cooperation.”

Jazz music in its present form first emerged in New Orleans from an amalgam of ragtime, local brass bands, and blues music. The brass bands performed at funerals as well as at Mardi Gras celebrations. This music was not influenced by white popular music and was minimally affected by religious music. It became an integral part of saloons and dancing clubs and thrived in the party atmosphere of New Orleans. But after the great migration of blacks from the “South” to the “North”, Chicago replaced New Orleans as the center of black entertainment. Around 1920 several radio stations were already broadcasting music but refused to play jazz or blues music. Eventually, the record was the catalyst that led to the popularity of jazz among white audiences. By the mid-1920s some white musicians had joined the jazz scene in Chicago and introduced more solo instrumentation to the jazz body of music.

As jazz migrated from New Orleans to Chicago and New York, piano playing underwent a significant change. In 1920, the popular ragtime and blues music of New York merged with jazz and led to a style and sound called “stride” piano. Eventually, this form of jazz moved to Harlem where many nightclubs catered to black audiences. In the 1920s, these clubs opened their doors to white audiences who enjoyed listening to this innovative form of music and piano playing.

Around the same time, musicians from New Orleans and Chicago arrived in New York and lent their jazz spirit to local syncopated orchestras. As dance jazz bands became more popular, their size started to increase. While music arrangements became more sophisticated, improvisation maintained the tradition of individuality.

In 1924, a concert by the Paul Whiteman orchestra at a classical music venue facilitated the acceptance of jazz as a legitimate and respectable type of music, making it acceptable to white audiences as well as audiences around the world. Since then, this American style of music has undergone many changes and continues to develop through many incarnations.

There are many great musicians and composers that represent different eras in the evolution of jazz music. The early jazz musicians include Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden, and Sidney Bechet. Paul Whitefield, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington represent the Swing era. Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker are known as modern innovators.