will of Bolden's forceful personality andthe driving swing of his band taught aprofound lesson: make every piece ofmusic your own; fill it with swing and thespirit of the blues and make it sing withindividuality.Bolden's brand of self expressionbecame a calling card for New Orleansmusicians, who playfully embellishedfamiliar melodies and developed distinc-tive phrasing and timbres that becametheir trademarks. Among these pioneerswere pianist Jelly Roll Morton and cor-netist King Oliver, who led their peersin a new exploration of improvisation.They expanded what were once briefmoments of embellishment into longerimprovisatory statements and foundways of incorporating the freedom ofself-expression into their written arrange-ments. Generally performed by a smallensemble of cornet, clarinet, trombone,tuba (or bass), guitar (or banjo) anddrums, early New Orleans jazz high-
A Brief History
Jazz emerged in the late 1800s inthe cosmopolitan port city of NewOrleans. A former colony of bothFrance and Spain, the coastal city washome to an astounding variety of cul-tures and people who struggled to liveand work together within the confinesof crowded streets, schools, and store-fronts. Though hardly immune to theracism and segregation that plaguedthe rest of the country, French colo-nialism had left New Orleans with a tol-erance and cultural sophistication thatmade it unique. African Americans,Creoles, Native Americans, and peopleof varied European, Caribbean, andLatin American descent pushed andpulled in a social and political dancethat continues today. They foundcommon ground, however, in music.The city swelled with opera, marchingbands, ragtime piano, Latin dances,symphony orchestras, string ensem-bles, barbershop quartets, societydance music, sacred hymns, not-so-sacred blues, and the last vestigesof African song and dance kept alivein Congo Square. Elements of all ofthese styles, with particular emphasison ragtime, the blues, and the church,converged in a new music called jazz.Like most aspects of American life, jazz abounds in legends, some moretrue than others. Though the precisebirth of jazz is still shrouded in mystery,the impact of Crescent City cornetistCharles Buddy Bolden is affirmed bycountless musicians, patrons, and schol-ars who echo the tale of his resonanttone. Some say Bolden could call theentire city to attention with a simplefanfare. Though his mythic sound wasnever recorded, the rhythmic lilt thatpropelled his band (which peakedaround 1905) would be appropriated bydozens of New Orleans musicians whoheard him "rag" every kind of popularsong, filling them with the sound ofthe blues and the church. The sheer
Charles Buddy BoldenJelly Roll Morton
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