The Influence of Blue and Ragtime on Jazz

Due to limited historical data, it is difficult to determine when was the impetus of Jazz, however it can be determined through careful comparison and study that Jazz was highly influenced from both Blues and Ragtime. Jazz in its many forms can be said to be a product of Blues and Ragtime.

The initial label of “Blues” came from the 1862 memoirs of Southern Carolina slave, Charlotte Fortner. In her response to her life, she considered her days of slavery to be her “blue” days. From this initial label, Blues grew to encompass the music of slavery and eventually solidified characteristics of call and response, falling or moaning vocals, use of b3, b5 and b7 harmonies, 8 or 12 bar melodic form and rhythmic interplay. Similarly, Ragtime (1890 – 1920) had much influence on the birth of Jazz. Music from composers such as Scott Joplin (“Maple Leaf Rag”) and Fats Waller (“Ain’t Misbehavin’”) hold identity of 16 bar themes, syncopated melodies, improvisation, and polyphonic textures of harmonic and instrumental identity.

As the timeline of commercial music history began to progress, one can hear that both the influence of ragtime and Blues united to create the genre that is today known as the Jazz. Initially, the young New Orleans Jazz genre was heard in the standard form of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band’s recording of “Dippermouth Blues” (1923). Up until this time, improvisation and composition were viewed as separate identities. In the recordings of “Dippermouth Blues,” both the Okeh version of 1925 and the Gennett version of 1923 exemplify a soloing structure that incorporated spontaneous composition as part of the improvisation structure. It is at this musical juncture that the term Jazz emerged as a description for music with an emphasis on spontaneous composition and improvisation.

With the incorporation of set spontaneous composition and improvisation, “Buddy Bolden’s Blues” “Dippermouth Blues” and “West End Blues” (and most definitely, Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”) can be labeled the beginnings of Jazz, however, in my opinion “St; Louis Blues” can be found on the Blues side of the musical fence with its tethered Blues vocal traditions or moaning lyrics, call and response melodies, and Blues form in combination with the freely improvised trumpet.