In the early 1900's marching band music, ragtime and the blues begin to combine into early jazz. The Jazz sound is born in New Orleans and is a combination of black and creole music. It has been said that jazz is the Americanization of the New Orleans music developed by the "Creoles."
By 1920 the full Jazz sound is the thing and begins leaving New Orleans and migrating to Chicago and New York. Some say that a cornet player, "Buddy Bolden" is considered to be the first real jazz musician.
Jazz is a style of playing that takes different forms of sound and presents it on a concept of collective, rather than solo improvisation. A jazz song might have come from a popular ditty or blues tune that a small band didn't compose and by the time they are finished with it that small band has composed a new piece that often bares little resemblance to the original tune or ditty. A few of those early small bands are:
"Original Dixieland Jazz Band"
The term "Dixieland Jazz" came to mean the New Orleans style as played by white musicians. This band were made up of white musicians and was known as "the white guys who copied African American music but their songs were the first jazz songs released on record. Two of these songs were "Dixie Jazz Band One Step" and "Livery Stable Blues"
Livery Stable Blues
"Kid Ory's Sunshine Band"
This band was the first African American New Orleans Jazz Band to record but under the title "Spikes Seven Pods of Pepper Orchestra". Like many of the other great jazz bands, Kid Ory had many collabrations with the young jazz and bigband stars of the future like Louie Armstrong. Some of his hit recordings were:"Society Blues", "Ory's Creole Trombone" and "Muskrat Ramble".
"New Orleans Rhythm Kings"
This was another white jazz band but unlike the Original Dixie Jazz Band, they didn't deny the African American roots to jazz. They were a big influence on the other white bands. They were also the first group to put out a racially mixed jazz record in 1923 "Sobbin' Blues", featuring Jelly Roll Morton. More of their recordings were "Farewell Blues", "Bugle Call Rag" and " Nobody's Sweetheart".
"Nobody's Sweetheart"
"King Olivers Creole Jazz Band"
"King Olivers" career began in New Orleans, went to Chicago with Kid Ory and there in Chiago he started his own band. The band was made up of the top Hot Jazz musicians including "Baby Dodds" on the drums and his protege "Louie Armstrong." The many recordings of King Oliver are the most significant in the New Orleans style. Some of his songs are "Alligator Hop", "Canal St. Blues", "Froggie Moore", "Snake Rag", and "Workingmans Blues".
"Louie "Satchmo" Armstrong" and "Sidney Becket" were credited with bringing jazz back to a solo music form in the mid to late 20's. Armstrongs "Hot Five" and "Hot Seven" recordings became very popular then. Louie went on to be called "America's Ambassador" and had hit recordings such as "Hello Dolly" and "What A Wonderful World" in the mid and late 60's. Like all great music jazz has had many come backs and many of the well known jazz men who retired, re-entered the jazz world and the world of swing and bebop.
The 20's was the birthing era of many great Jazz artists that went on to become more widely known during the bigband era in the 30's, 40's and beyond. Even people that aren't into music have heard their names. Some of these greats were:
Livery Stable Blues
