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What is Jazz? According to the dictionary, jazz is defined as, “A kind of syncopated, highly rhythmic music originated by Southern blacks in the late 19th century” . But, everyone should at least agree that jazz is the mother of all music, and is referred to as the only art form originating in the United States . America was home to immigrants from all over Europe and beyond who wished to build a new life, or just needed to escape from the old. These people, often thought of as second-class, brought their culture with them to America, expressed it musically, and changed the music world as we know it today. Most early jazz was played in small marching bands or by solo pianists. Besides ragtime and marches, they also had hymns, spirituals, and blues. The bands played this music at picnics, weddings, parades, and funerals. Characteristically, the bands played hymns on the way to funerals and lively marches on the way back. Although blues and ragtime had arisen independently of jazz, and continued to exist alongside it, these genres influenced the style and forms of jazz and provided important vehicles for jazz improvisation.
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