Jazz

Have you ever heard music that makes your feet want to tap and your shoulders want to wiggle all on their own. A trumpet might call out a happy tune, and then a piano answers back, playing something totally new and surprising. A friendly trombone might slide in with a wobbly sound, while the drums keep a bouncy beat that feels like a happy heartbeat. Sometimes I’m slow and dreamy, and other times I’m fast and full of fun. I’m the kind of music where everyone gets a turn to shine and make up their own part of the song right on the spot. I am Jazz.

I was born in a busy, wonderful city called New Orleans, Louisiana, more than one hundred years ago, right around the start of the 20th century. Imagine streets filled with the delicious smell of gumbo and the sounds of people laughing. My family was the African-American community there. They mixed together all sorts of amazing sounds to create me, like a perfect recipe. They took the soulful feelings of the Blues, the bouncy, ragged rhythms of Ragtime piano music, and the joyful songs from church and parades. At first, you could hear me in parades marching down the street with shiny brass bands and on riverboats floating on the big Mississippi River. A man named Buddy Bolden was one of the very first to play my tunes on his cornet around the year 1895, and people said his horn was so loud and happy you could hear it for miles. Then, a young man with a big smile and an even bigger sound came along. His name was Louis Armstrong, and when he played his trumpet, it sounded like he was telling a story. In the 1920s, he showed the whole world how to take a simple melody and turn it into a fantastic, one-of-a-kind adventure. He helped me travel from New Orleans to big cities like Chicago and New York, and soon, everyone wanted to listen and dance to my beat.

Over the years, I’ve loved to change my style. In the 1930s and 1940s, I became Swing music, played by big bands that made everyone want to dance. Later, I got faster and more complicated, in a style called Bebop. I’m always growing and changing because I’m all about freedom and creativity. The most important rule I have is to listen closely to the other musicians. We have a musical conversation, taking turns and building something beautiful together. Today, you can still hear me all over the world. I remind people that it’s wonderful to be yourself, to share your ideas, and to create something brand new with your friends. So next time you hear me, listen for the conversation.