2. New Orleans Jazz & Dixieland (1910s-1930s)
Historical Context
New Orleans in the early 20th century was unlike anywhere else in America. As a port city with Caribbean, African American, Creole, French, Spanish, and Anglo cultures mixing, it was a musical melting pot. The city’s unique social structure—including the Creole population with classical music training—created perfect conditions for jazz to emerge.
Jazz developed in multiple contexts:
- Storyville - The legal red-light district where musicians worked in saloons and dance halls
- Brass Bands - Funeral processions and parades where collective improvisation evolved
- Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs - African American community organizations that sponsored musical events
- Riverboats - Mississippi River steamboats employed bands for entertainment
The music that emerged was initially called “jass” or simply “hot music”—the term “jazz” didn’t standardize until the music spread north. When Storyville closed in 1917, many musicians migrated to Chicago, Kansas City, and New York, spreading the New Orleans sound.
Relationship to Earlier Styles
New Orleans jazz took elements from multiple sources and transformed them:
From Ragtime:
- Syncopated rhythms and march-like structures
- But added: collective improvisation instead of composed parts
From Blues:
- Blues scales, blue notes, and emotional expression
- Call-and-response patterns
- But added: ensemble interplay and more complex harmony
From Brass Band Traditions:
- Instrumentation (trumpets, trombones, clarinets)
- Parade rhythms and marching feel
- But added: improvisation and swing feel
From European Classical:
- (Via Creole musicians) technical facility and harmonic knowledge
- Formal training on instruments
- But added: African rhythmic sensibility and improvisation
The Revolutionary Innovation: Multiple musicians improvising simultaneously while maintaining coherent collective sound. This collective improvisation was unprecedented.
Musical Characteristics
Collective Improvisation (Theory Introduction)
Unlike ragtime’s composed melodies or later jazz’s emphasis on individual soloists, New Orleans jazz featured simultaneous group improvisation. Three melodic instruments played distinct roles:
- Trumpet/Cornet: Carried the main melody or “lead”
- Clarinet: Wove intricate countermelodies around the lead, often in higher register
- Trombone: Provided bass line and harmonic foundation with sliding, vocal-like lines
All three improvised their parts simultaneously, creating dense, joyous polyphony. The magic was making it sound coherent rather than chaotic.
Rhythm Section
- Piano or Banjo: Strummed chords on all four beats or played stride patterns
- Tuba or Bass: Played on beats 1 and 3 (not yet walking bass lines)
- Drums: Kept time with march-like patterns, often emphasizing all four beats
The rhythm was energetic but more “on the beat” than later swing—a “two-beat feel” or 2/2 time.
Blues Form (Theory Introduction)
The 12-bar blues became a standard form:
- 12 measures following I-I-I-I / IV-IV-I-I / V-IV-I-I progression
- Each instrument improvises within this harmonic framework
- Structure simple enough for collective improvisation
- Blues scale and blue notes provide melodic material
Other Common Forms
- 32-bar song forms (AABA)
- 16-bar structures
- Verse-chorus formats
- Often adapted from popular songs or hymns
Harmony
- Mostly diatonic with simple I-IV-V progressions
- Some secondary dominants
- Occasional chromaticism
- Simpler than bebop, but more adventurous than ragtime
Melody & Phrasing
- Based on blues scales and major scales
- Heavy use of blue notes (♭3, ♭5, ♭7)
- Short, repeated melodic phrases (riffs)
- Call-and-response between sections
- Vocal quality—instruments “talked” and “sang”
Key Musicians
Buddy Bolden (1877-1931) - Cornet Legendary figure who never recorded. Credited with developing the hot, blues-inflected sound that defined early jazz. His powerful, emotionally direct playing influenced everyone who followed.
Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941) - Piano/Composer/Bandleader Bridged ragtime and jazz. Claimed to have “invented jazz in 1902” (an exaggeration, but he was certainly there early). Brilliant composer who carefully arranged ensemble parts while leaving room for improvisation.
King Oliver (1885-1938) - Cornet/Bandleader Leader of the Creole Jazz Band, the first great jazz ensemble to record extensively. Master of muted cornet playing and blues expression. Mentored Louis Armstrong.
Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) - Trumpet/Vocals The most important figure in jazz history. Revolutionized the music by emphasizing individual solo improvisation over collective improvisation. Extraordinary technique, rhythmic sophistication, and emotional depth. His influence extends through every era of jazz.
Sidney Bechet (1897-1959) - Soprano Saxophone/Clarinet First major saxophonist in jazz. Powerful, wide vibrato and passionate playing. Rival to Armstrong in virtuosity and influence.
Johnny Dodds (1892-1940) - Clarinet Definitive New Orleans clarinetist. Blues-drenched tone and inventive improvisation.
Kid Ory (1886-1973) - Trombone Developed the tailgate trombone style—rhythmic, sliding bass lines that propelled the ensemble.
Original Dixieland Jazz Band - Group First jazz group to make recordings (1917), though not the best or most authentic. White musicians who popularized the music commercially and gave “jazz” its name.
Vocal Traditions
Blues Singers Female blues singers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith worked alongside jazz musicians, with jazz instrumentation backing their vocals. Their phrasing, use of blue notes, and emotional directness influenced instrumental players.
Louis Armstrong’s Vocals Armstrong’s singing was as influential as his trumpet playing—natural, rhythmic, improvisational. His scat singing (vocal improvisation using nonsense syllables) became a jazz staple.
Essential Recordings
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“Dippermouth Blues” – King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (1923) – Classic collective improvisation; Oliver’s muted solo is legendary
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“West End Blues” – Louis Armstrong (1928) – Armstrong’s opening cadenza changed jazz forever; shift from collective to solo improvisation
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“Potato Head Blues” – Louis Armstrong’s Hot Seven (1927) – Stop-time breaks showcase Armstrong’s rhythmic genius
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“Black Bottom Stomp” – Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers (1926) – Perfect balance of composition and improvisation
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“Livery Stable Blues” – Original Dixieland Jazz Band (1917) – First jazz recording, historically significant despite limitations
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“Dead Man Blues” – Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers (1926) – Sophisticated arrangement demonstrating Morton’s compositional gifts
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“Muskrat Ramble” – Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five (1926) – Quintessential New Orleans jazz structure and spirit
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“St. Louis Blues” – Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong (1925) – Blues vocalist and jazz instrumentalist in perfect dialogue
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Cultural Impact
- Established improvisation as central to American music
- Created first truly American art music
- Demonstrated African American musical innovation during segregation
- Launched jazz’s spread across America and worldwide
- Created template for small group jazz (rhythm section + horns)
- Influenced dance crazes (Charleston, Black Bottom)
- Generated moral panic and controversy about “wild” music
The Transition Ahead
By the late 1920s, jazz was evolving rapidly. Louis Armstrong’s recordings with the Hot Five and Hot Seven demonstrated the power of individual solo improvisation. As jazz moved north and became more commercial, it would transform from New Orleans collective improvisation into the arranged big band swing of the 1930s. The intimate, polyphonic conversation of New Orleans jazz would give way to section-based arrangements and featured soloists, but the foundation—blues feeling, swing rhythm, and improvisational spirit—would remain.