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Post by JamesP on Mar 26, 2017 15:32:32 GMT -5
In your opinion, is Jazz a child of Blues or a sibling?
Jazz was in my musical vernacular after being introduced to Scott Joplin My next step was hearing a recording of Jelly Roll Morton followed by Bessie Smith.
So I have always held Blues and Jazz as parallel genre.
How about you Jazz experts
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Post by Billy Batts on Apr 6, 2017 19:41:48 GMT -5
Aloha!
I've been a Jazz fan since I was a senior in High School. I didin't get into Blues until about 15 years ago. After decades of listening to Jazz and 15 years of Blues, combined with extensive reading of the two genres (I have a fairly decent Jazz/Blues book library as well as a music library), I have come to some conclusions on this issue. And I have actually consdered your question before - many times before.
If you ask most people on the street that have a little bit of knowledge in this arena, most will say, "Jazz is the child of Blues", and in a way, they would be correct. It's certainly the standard answer more often than not. Yet, ideally, that is not really the answer - or at least the FULL answer - in my opinion. I see these two genres as "SIBLINGS" more than I see them as "PARENT-CHILD". Jazz and Blues have a common base, both coming from African-American culture, but they grew up TOGETHER and SEPARATELY at the same time. Blues came out of the African-American South, while Jazz also had influences from Europen music apart from the African-American culture. Some would argue that Blues is now a sub-genre of Jazz, since Jazz is so encompassing.
Blues, to many, is defined as a music "Genre", while Jazz is more of a musical "Art Form" because it is so broad in scope and range. Blues has a fairly strict chord progression that is recognizable across most of the range of Blues. Jazz is far more free-form and can be anything from Fusion to Be-Bop to Hard-Bop to Swing to Standards.... and the list goes on. It's hard to pin down Jazz into a specific "class" of music and say, "THIS HAS TO BE JAZZ", while you have a much easier time doing that with Blues.
I could go on here for another 10 paragraphs, but that's my general thinking. I could not let this thread go without responding. I hope others join in. There is no 100 percent correct answer here, as these two wonderful genres are so intertwined. I'd love to see comments from many more members. I hope they join in.
-Billy
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Post by jmuscara on Apr 7, 2017 7:42:29 GMT -5
I've been visiting New Orleans a lot lately. I have learned about voodoo culture and the dancing and rhythm associated with that, as well as what developed at Congo Square. Where I see jazz developing in New Orleans, I see what happened with blues as a separate thing, mostly further up the Mississippi. That's not to say they didn't have some of the same influences nor that they didn't influence each other's formation. That's possible. They definitely influenced each other's development later. But when talking about the birth of each style, I'm currently seeing them as fairly parallel and separate.
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Post by Billy Batts on Apr 7, 2017 13:47:29 GMT -5
I've been visiting New Orleans a lot lately. I have learned about voodoo culture and the dancing and rhythm associated with that, as well as what developed at Congo Square. Where I see jazz developing in New Orleans, I see what happened with blues as a separate thing, mostly further up the Mississippi. That's not to say they didn't have some of the same influences nor that they didn't influence each other's formation. That's possible. They definitely influenced each other's development later. But when talking about the birth of each style, I'm currently seeing them as fairly parallel and separate. Spot on. Basically my view as well, but you said it more "concise". I was longer winded. I love N'Orleans and have been saying for years I need a trip to the Big Easy big time. Brennan's for Breakfast with Bananas Foster and some Mimosa. Then Cafe' Du Monde for Beignets and Coffee later. In between? Dixieland and Jazz galore with some Cajun thrown in for good measure. I have to requestion some plane tickets to The Big Easy soon. I really need my N'Orleans Fix.
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Post by JamesP on Apr 7, 2017 16:33:32 GMT -5
Joe, (and Billy)...Don't overlook the influence of the Riverboat and the growth of Riverboat Jazz during the early part of the 20th century. Louis Armstrong is a great example of the transporting of Jazz all along the River from New Orleans to St. Louis. www.wwnorton.com/college/music/jazz/ch/06/outline.aspxAnd, While many may consider W. C. Handy as a "founder of the blues", his music IMHO was pure Jazz. Just sayin...
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Post by whitefang on Apr 11, 2017 5:57:49 GMT -5
We each get our introductions and influences from many fronts. My earliest "jazz" familiarity came from my Mom's old "big band" 78s(Woody Herman in particular, since she was a BIG fan). Blues from listening to my brother's crystal radio late at night. (a long story JamesP has read somewhere before) and more contemporary jazz from a guitarist friend who was getting into it around the late '60's. I sometimes hear elements of both IN both, so it's a hard one to nail down. Another way to look at it: MY ethnic "heritage" is a mix of Polish and French( Mom's side) and Polish and Russian(Dad's). And some might say the "double shot" of Polish makes me MORE Polish than the others. But, DOES it? Really? And since I was born, raised, educated and made my livelihood in America make me more of an AMERICAN? Maybe jazz is a COUSIN of blues. Whitefang
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Post by JamesP on Apr 11, 2017 10:32:14 GMT -5
Louis Jordan is a study into himself. King of the Jukebox, Jordan seems to melt Jazz and Blues into a great amalgam that epitomizes both.
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Post by whitefang on Apr 12, 2017 9:27:46 GMT -5
Yeah. Love Louis. And since CHUCK BERRY often mentioned Jordan as an influence, it looks like the "family tree" has a LOT of branches. Whitefang
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