New Orleans is undoubtedly the only place in the world where jazz music could have been born. It is a city of incredible diversity and rich history. Perched in the delta of the Mississippi river it has been a center of commerce and culture for the longest time. Named after the town of Orleans in France, New Orleans lived through the rule of the French and the Spaniards before becoming a rightful subject of the United States. From the early days of its history, the city became known as a jubilant place with its annual carnivals. The traditional celebration of Shrove Tuesday called Mardi Gras is famous around the world. During the festival city’s denizens dress richly and celebrate wildly, marching on the streets in colorful processions.
New Orleans has always boasted a diverse populace with a significant number of people of color living in the city. And with different nationalities came different cultures and beliefs. Catholicism mixed with Voodoo rituals, traditional choir chanting tangled with the rhythms of Africa. Such an eclectic foundation served the birth of jazz music wonderfully. The music of the early jazz band of Buddy Bolden and Nick LaRocca drew on the very essence of the city. It captured the entirety of the city’s culture, its wild mix of religions and nationalities, and its semi-tropical climate of almost never-ending summer. It channeled the brass band dance music of the 19th century into a similar, yet different form. Jazz is still a part of life in New Orleans. The city holds annual Jazz and Heritage festivals to celebrate the music and ensure it remains known as the birthplace of jazz.
A music critic Bruce Eder proclaimed Benny Goodman’s performance at Carnegie Hall “jazz’s ‘coming out’ party to the world of ‘respectable’ music”. With the phenomenal success of his new rhythmic style, Goodman triggered a whole new era for the American music scene – the age of swing. The musical career started early for Goodman. After receiving lessons from the classically trained clarinetist Franz Schoepp and being influenced by already developed New Orleans jazz of Johnny Dodds, Leon Roppolo, and Jimmie Noone, he promptly joined Ben Pollack Orchestra and worked with them for five years. After that, he set forward to play with his own band eventually starting a nationwide swing craze with a series of successful concerts.
In 1938, his success was marked by the famous concert in Carnegie Hall. In the 1930s Goodman contributed to stopping racial segregation in music by employing musicians of color Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa to play with him, ignoring the infamous Jim Crow laws of the southern states. The recording of Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) was one of the first to break the convention of 3-minute long recorded songs, lasting more than eight minutes with the famous Carnegie Hall version lasting 12 minutes 30 seconds. The work with Benny Goodman gave a boost to many famous jazz musicians of the era including the pianist Jess Stacy, guitarist Teddy Wilson, and drummer Gene Krupa. He also unknowingly advanced the development of electric guitar music by helping Charlie Christian find his audience. Despite the clarinet’s decline in popularity after its place in jazz bands was usurped by easier-to-handle saxophone, Goodman continued playing until his death, exploring the genre and making occasional forays into classical music.
Soul jazz, also known as gospel jazz originates from hard bop performances of the mid-1950s and never fully differentiated itself from the father genre. Both styles share the same rhythmic, rollicking nature with the focus on tenor saxophones and guitars. The main feature of the soul-jazz is the inclusion of the gospel music elements, such as “Amen chords” and triadic harmonies, as well as the focus on religious themes. The genre features melodic and rhythmic ostinato with funky tunes fit for dancing. It was described as being blues-based with an added dimension of feeling and spirit by Horace Silver. The major contributors to the genre include Ray Charles, Frank Foster, and Cannonball Adderley. The rhythmic and pumping nature of the soul was an influence on other music genres, including hip-hop and various sub-genres of funk. In the modern-day, many hip-hop artists claim to be influenced by the soul-jazz.
One example is Black Eyed Peas whose music is definitely a far cry from the soul originals, but still shares the similar rhythmic and harmonics rendered in a very different style with the use of modern electronic instruments and Spanish music overtones. It also shares repeated figures and infectious rhythm of the genre which is characteristic of many hip-hop bands linking two styles together. However, the influence of soul is not limited to hip-hop and other offsprings of rhythm & blues. The other example is Red Hot Chili Peppers who name themselves a funk rock band. Some of their songs like Californication share repetitive funky figures similar to those of soul bands, but with the piano, baseline substituted with a strong bass tune. Soul jazz alongside hard bop and rhythm and blues are a major influence on the modern popular music scene which borrows many of the widespread tropes from those genres.