The 400 block of South Rampart Street in New Orleans is widely considered to be the birthplace of jazz music. It's also the area where the Karnofsky tailor shop and the Eagle Saloon are located, two of the most iconic landmarks of the genre. New Orleans is a city with a rich history of jazz music, and its influence can still be felt today. In this article, we'll explore the history of jazz in New Orleans and its continuing impact on the world. The beauty of jazz in New Orleans is that classic jazz and its purveyors are still influential for those who play music today.
A trip to New Orleans wouldn't be complete without listening to some bebop, and there are plenty of jazz clubs to choose from. In the early 1980s, Ellis Marsalis' son Wynton moved to New York and put modern New Orleans jazz on the map. But it all started in the Big Easy, playing in the brothels and nightclubs of New Orleans' infamous red light district, Storyville. Some of New Orleans' most famous jazz greats include Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Pete Fountain, Wynton and Ellis Marsalis, and Harry Connick Jr.
Around 1895, Louis Armstrong formed a band that was popular at New Orleans street parades and dances. This band included musicians who would later become leading figures in the early development of jazz, such as Sidney Bechet and Bunk Johnson. However, the popularity of traditional New Orleans jazz would be short-lived, as Louis Armstrong's ironic turn of events moved jazz away from joint work and marked the beginning of the Era of the Soloist, which instead emphasized individual performances. New Orleans has a large number of musical families: Marsalis, Jordan, French, Neville, Andrews, Brunious, Johnson, Frazier, Brooks and Boutté. These families guarantee the continuity of jazz in the city where it was born.
In addition, New Orleans was home to the largest population of free people of color during the era of slavery. Armstrong had already made a name for himself in New Orleans after World War I, but his new position with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band became his first step toward a nationally recognized career. Gretna and Westwego are two communities located in Jefferson Parish just outside the city of New Orleans proper. Jazz is a by-product of the unique cultural environment found in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This environment was shaped by vestiges of French and Spanish colonial roots, African influences after slavery ended, and an influx of immigrants from Europe. Although slavery was abolished long ago, segregation persisted in New Orleans for many years.
People of different races mixed much more freely in New Orleans than in other American cities. Difficult economic times and a growing interest in popular music provided a platform for a variety of musical styles to come together and create a type of music unique to New Orleans. Bolden earned his reputation in Crescent City while Morton went from playing ragtime piano in brothels in Storyville (closed in 1917 and demolished in the 1930s) to achieving international fame. Today, jazz continues to thrive in New Orleans thanks to its iconic musicians who have kept its legacy alive.
