Now's The Time: The Roots of Jazz 1917-24

     Jazz developed in America starting from around the turn of the previous century. In contrast to prior developments in music, this new genre was the first to be effectively documented through audio recordings as performed by its originators. In fact, an essential part of the concept of jazz is the performance itself, since improvisation plays such a key role in its inherent style. This page will examine the early development of jazz and analyze key recordings chosen by several highly-regarded sources:
  • Jazz (selected by Gary Giddins and Scott Deveaux)
  • The Smithsonian Collection Of Classic Jazz (selected by Martin Williams)
  • Jazz, The Smithsonian Anthology (produced by Richard James Burgess)
  • Ken Burns Jazz: The Story of America's Music (5CD Box Set)  
  • Jazz Styles History & Analysis (9th Edition, Mark C. Gridley)
  • Concise Guide To Jazz (3rd Ed, Mark C. Gridley)

Chapters

      The first installment, “Prelude: The Ragtime Years”, summarizes the many forces leading up to the recording of the “first” jazz record in 1917...

Prelude: The Ragtime Years

     The birth of jazz in the early decades of the 20th Century has been documented in several books devoted to the subject, but below are a few of it's major initial sources:
  • The development of military marching bands (essentially John Philip Sousa's).
  • Brass bands in New Orleans (used for funerals, political functions, etc).
  • The syncopated genre of ragtime (fully-notated for piano, but also arranged for banjo and brass band).
  • The birth of urban and country blues (providing both the 12-bar blues form as well as a new sense of melodic freedom).
  • The evolution of ballroom dance bands around the nation (which extends all the way back to Beethoven's time). 
     In New Orleans, the first "known" jazz musician was cornetist Buddy Bolden - however he was never recorded. Other cornetists such as Freddie Keppard and Joe "King" Oliver followed in his footsteps (and were recorded, eventually). The most famous composers for the syncopated ragtime style were Scott Joplin, James Scott and Joseph Lamb, with Eubie Blake soon following. These compositions did not feature any improvisation in the jazz sense, and their renditions are mainly preserved through piano rolls. During and after this time, both both blues and the stride piano style were also developing in other parts of the country, although important recordings would not appear for a few years yet.

     By the middle of the 2nd decade, the art of arranging for jazz band was developed from the ballroom dance bands of the previous decade (essentially in Art Hickman's band). The ragtime trend was beginning to wind down, and the 32 bar AABA song form began to take hold. New Orleans jazz men began to migrate to Chicago and other parts north. Perhaps most importantly, as smaller brass combos were often tasked with playing tunes designed for larger dance bands, improvisation was introduced in order to "fill up" the spaces (with flourishes and embellishments). This would eventually develop into the polyphonic "traditional jazz" sound (later categorized as "Dixieland" by mid-century revivalists). Ragtime piano players also began to introduce improvisation into their performances.

     Below is a timeline describing some of the major events contributing to the development of jazz (mostly as highlighted in Jazz, by Gary Giddins and Scott Deveaux). Some songs have been analyzed to indicate where the different themes arrive.
Year Event/Release Cited
1896 John Philip Sousa composes "The Stars And Stripes Forever" for marching band.

1975 Gunther Schuller recording:
  • 0:00: Fanfare, Theme A
  • 0:30: Theme B (syncopated)
  • 0:57: Theme C (main melody, developed in each return below)
  • 1:25: Bridge
  • 1:46: Theme C (with flute countermelody)
  • 2:14: Bridge 
  • 2:36: Theme C (additional brass)
 J(GD)
1897 Ragtime is a fully-notated 2/4 meter style based on syncopated accents. The form is typically a series of themes, such as AABBACCDD.
The 1st known rag, Tom Turpin's "Harlem Rag", written in 1892, is published and starts a trend:
  • 0:00: Theme A
  • 0:20: Theme B, B'
  • 0:58: Theme C, C'
  • 1:35: Theme D, D'
  • 2:13: Theme A
 J(GD)
1899 Scott Joplin writes "Maple Leaf Rag" and becomes "king" of the ragtime composers (his contemporaries include James Scott and Joseph Lamb).
In "Maple Leaf Rag", the C section modulates to a new key, which sets up a climax in the D section (Analysis in 1916 piano roll entry).
Eubie Blake writes "Sounds of Africa", in which some left hand rhythms prefigure stride piano techniques:
  • 0:00: Intro
  • 0:13: Theme A (chromatic descending bass line)
  • 0:22: Theme B, syncopated, A, B
  • 0:49: Theme C, C
  • 1:24: Theme A
  • 1:42: Theme D (solo over with chromatic line)
  • 2:21: Theme E, embellishments on preceding themes.
 J(GD)
1901 Trumpeter Buddy Bolden goes into music full time (although his 1st band was formed in 1895). J(GD)
1902 Scott Joplin writes "The Entertainer".
1905 Buddy Bolden leads a well-known band, instituting a "new style" (jazz).
Joe "King" Oliver begins his career in New Orleans.		 J(GD)
1908 Pianist James P. Johnson arrives in New York and meets pianists Eubie Blake and Luckey Roberts.  J(GD)
1910 Manuel Perez hires cornetist Joe "King" Oliver to add improvisational elements to his Onward Brass Band.
The blues progression is more or less standardized, establishing one of jazz's "standard harmonies".		 J(GD)
1911 Wilbur Sweatman writes "Down Home Rag" (analyzed in the 1916 entry), later arranged for bands around the world. J(GD)
1912 At James Reese Europe's band's debut at Carnegie Hall, Europe meets the Castles (a dance duo). Reese also arranges ragtime piano pieces for his band.
Trombonist Kid Ory forms a jazz band in New Orleans.
W.C. Handy publishes the first "blues": "Memphis Blues". This was essentially a cakewalk piece, but highly influenced by the folk blues music he heard while travelling (it has blues cadences, but is not an actual 12-bar blues).
Stride piano develops on the East Coast through James P. Johnson and Willie "the Lion" Smith. 		J(GD)
1913 Art Hickman forms a jazz dance band on the West Coast with two saxes, building on the New Orleans polyphonic concept.
James Reese Europe records his first record sides. 		J(GD)
1914 Louis Armstrong begins studying cornet with Joe Oliver.
Composer Ferde Grofe joins Art Hickman's band, helping to further develop a new style of big band arranging (based on dialogues between trumpet, trombone and reed sections).
The Victor Military Band records the 1st record based on blues cadences (Handy's "The Memphis Blues"). The song is also recorded by James Reese Europe's band in 1919.		 J(GD)
1916 Freddie Keppard performs nationwide with the Creole Jazz Band.
Sidney Bechet begins touring out from New Orleans.
An ill Scott Joplin makes “shabby” piano rolls of "Maple Leaf Rag", etc, a year before he dies.
  • 0:00: Theme A, A
  • 0:42: Theme B, B
  • 1:18: Theme A
  • 1:35: Theme C, C
  • 2:10: Theme D, D
Wilbur Sweatman records his "Down Home Rag".
  • 0:00: Intro, Theme A (syncopated)
  • 0:21: Theme B, B'
  • 0:37: Theme A
  • 0:46: Bridge, C, C'
  • 1:07: Theme D (or variation of A)
  • 1:22: Theme C, Coda
 JSA
J(GD)

      Below are recommended records in Mark Gridley's Concise Guide To Jazz. These LPs are mostly out of print, but most of the Folkways records can be found on YouTube or Spotify (or ordered from Smithsonian Folkways):
  • Early Band Ragtime (Folkways)
  • Jazz Vol 1: The South (Folkways)
  • Jazz Vol 2: The Blues (Folkways)
  • Riverside History of Classic Jazz
  • That’s My Rabbit, My Dog Stole It: Traditional Southern Instrumental Styles (New World)
  • Come And Trip It: Instrumental Dance Music 1780s-1920s (New World)
  • The Sousa and Pryor Bands: Original Recordings 1901-1926 (New World)
  • Steppin On the Gas: From Rags to Jazz 1913-1927 (New World)
  • Jazz: Some Beginnings (Folkways)
  • Roots of the Blues (New World)
  • Early Band Ragtime  (Folkways)
    A couple records cited in The Essential Jazz Records, Ragtime to Swing can be found on Spotify:


1917 The First Jazz Record

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band
     The first record to actually identify itself as "jazz" was the 1917 single by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band featuring "Dixie Jass Band One-Step" and "Livery Stable Blues". Earlier forms of jazz had developed in New Orleans starting from Buddy Bolden's stylistic experiments and Jelly Roll Morton's early compositions, but unfortunately none of these earlier accomplishments were ever caught on record. Ultimately, a band of white musicians arrived in Chicago and got the opportunity to record a style of music which they had learned from black musicians back in New Orleans.

     Although records by the true progenitors of jazz would not be recorded for more than another half-decade, the record sides produced from the ODJB at least provide some kind of historical record of how early jazz probably sounded. And, aside from the somewhat misleading presentation of jazz's birth in the realm of audio documentation, the music does have a nice swing. Ironically, New Orleans cornetist Freddie Keppard was actually asked to record prior to this episode, but sadly declined.

1917
Original Dixieland Jazz Band: "Dixie Jass Band One-Step".
0:00: Fanfare (2x).
0:16: Clarinet break leads theme A, A'.
0:31: Fanfare (2x).
0:46: Clarinet break leads theme A, A'.
1:01: Theme B with additional percussion elements.
1:32: Theme B repeats several times with variations.		 J(GD)
CGJ
JSHA
Original Dixieland Jazz Band: "Livery Stable Blues". B-side to the above, this song is notable for the "animal noises" during the instrumental breaks.
0:00: Intro theme
0:07: Theme A, A.
0:42: Theme B, B.
1:18: Theme B variation with instrumental breaks (2x).
1:53: Theme A.
2:10: Theme B.
2:29: Theme B variations with instrumental breaks (2x), coda accent.		 JSA
KBJ
The clarinet begins replacing the role of the violin in New Orleans jazz combos. J(GD)
Eubie Blake begins recording early stride piano sides. J(GD)
Joe Oliver joins trombonist Kid Ory's band. J(GD)


     When listening to the early jazz repertoire birthed by the jazz men of New Orleans (including Buddy Bolden, Freddie Keppard, Kid Ory, Joe "King" Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong) it's helpful to understand the formal roles assigned to each instrument. Generally speaking, the trumpet/cornet plays the main melody theme, the clarinet (and/or 2nd trumpet) plays an embellished version of the theme, the trombone plays the chordal root notes and the remaining ensemble essentially chops out a somewhat clipped (but swinging) groove. Another way to look at this role assignment is: the higher-pitched the instrument, the more notes it gets to play.

      In early jazz, instrumentalists were sometimes spotlighted in short solos or "breaks" (see "Livery Stable Blues" below), but the music still essentially functioned as embellishments to the theme. However, during the 1920s, instrumentalists such as Louis Armstrong were able to leverage their high level of proficiency into far more exploratory solo flights...

For a great article on the ODJB visit this Smithsonian article.

1918-22 New Orleans Goes North

     The years 1918 to 1922 featured the continued development of the jazz combo. However, as evidenced by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band's move and recording debut in Chicago, the New Orleans style and its main proponents were mostly migrating north to Chicago as growing numbers of jazz musicians were facing diminishing job opportunities in New Orleans. The major players to make this move included cornetist Joe "King" Oliver, cornetist Louis Armstrong, clarinetist Sidney Bechet, and pianist Jelly Roll Morton. The restless Bechet would also travel to Europe and switch to soprano sax as his main instrument.

     Parallel to the migration of polyphonic New Orleans-style combo jazz to Chicago, East Coast dance and "society" bands developed under the leadership of James Reese Europe and Paul Whiteman. Additionally, the stride piano style (a more improvisational style developed from ragtime) thrived in New York, as James P. Johnson recorded several popular sides. The two pieces analyzed below ("Memphis Blues" and "Carolina Shout") are not technically "jazz", since the elements of rhythm and improvisation is still relatively ragtime-based, but the spirit of jazz can be heard developing.

1918
New Orleans cornetist Joe "King"  Oliver moves to Chicago and tours as "King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band". J(GD)
In New Orleans, Louis Armstrong plays cornet in various trios (mostly covering blues). He eventually takes the departed Oliver’s place in Creole trombonist Kid Ory’s "Brownskin Babies". J(GD)
Stride pianist James P. Johnson records his hit "Carolina Shout" on a piano roll (years earlier he had also made other piano rolls, including one for "Caprice Rag"). J(GD)

1919
James Reese Europe returns from the war and records "Memphis Blues" (shortly afterwards, he is stabbed to death by a band member).
"Memphis Blues":
  • 0:00: Fanfare, Theme A.
  • 0:17: Fanfare, Theme A.
  • 0:33: Fanfare, Theme A development, closing fanfare.
  • 1:24: Theme B repeats several times with various instruments taking solo breaks before each cadence.
  • 2:53: Coda.
 KBJ
Traveling New Orleans clarinetist Sidney Bechet reaches Chicago, and later joins Will Marion Cook's Southern Syncopated Orchestra for a European tour. J(GD)
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band visits Europe, further spreading the jazz style internationally. J(GD)
Paul Whiteman starts a touring dance band. J(GD)

1920
Paul Whiteman hits with "Whispering"/"The Japanese Sandman". These songs don't feature swing grooves or solo improvisation, but they do show how dance bands began to develop into looser forms.  J(GD)
Singer Mamie Smith records “Crazy Blues” (this coincides with the “race records” practice, where records were specifically aimed at black or white audiences). The blues form had begun a decade prior, but the harmony structure is still very open to new combinations. The most significant blues element is that Smith sings with a blues vocal attitude. J(GD)

1921
James P. Johnson records "Carolina Shout", which he will rerecord several times in the future.
"Carolina Shout":
  • 0:00: Intro.
  • 0:05: Theme A.
  • 0:25: Theme A in higher register, bass variation.
  • 0:45: Theme A development.
  • 1:05: Theme B with syncopated "shouts".
  • 1:44: Theme C (or B') with "shouts" lower and displaced.
  • 2:39: Final cadenza.
 SCCJ
James P. Johnson records "Harlem Strut" and "Keep Off the Grass", which also show the develop of ragtime into stride piano forms. J(GD)
Sidney Bechet arrives in New York and plays with Duke Ellington's band. Later he joins Clarence Williams's Blue Five. J(GD)

1922
Pianist/composer Jelly Roll Morton settles in Chicago after travelling around the country. J(GD)
Louis Armstrong joins King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band in Chicago, and they begin a legendary run at the Lincoln Gardens. J(GD)
Trombonist Kid Ory records his first record sides with Nordskog/Sunshine. He is the first black New Orleans jazz man to be recorded ("Ory's Creole Trombone"). EJ
Coleman Hawkins begins playing tenor sax in Mamie Smith’s band. J(GD)



1923 Satchmo and Jelly Roll Go Into the Studio    

1923 was notable for several reasons, the most notable being that it was the year debut recordings were made of soon-to-be giants Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton.

Louis Armstrong, Joe King Oliver, 1922
     Armstrong joined Joe "King" Oliver's "Creole Jazz Band" in Chicago and together they did an historic engagement at Lincoln Gardens on East 31st Street. It was during this time that, despite his supportive role as 2nd cornet, Armstrong began to develop his own voice and to hint at a new style of classic jazz which would soon be driven by instrumental soloists, rather than a collective, improvisatory polyphony (highlighted by short "breaks").

     Jelly Roll Morton had been traveling around the States for a few years, but in 1923 he settled in Chicago and made his first recordings for Gennett, from a series of solo piano sessions. Morton is generally considered as the first great "jazz composer". Although he learned from ragtime pioneer Scott Joplin, he took jazz further into platforms for swing and improvisation. A few years later, these piano renditions would provide the blueprint for future pioneer sides with his "classic" band, the Red Hot Peppers.

1923
In Chicago, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band (with Louis Armstrong) records “Chimes Blues”, features Louis Armstrong’s 1st recorded solo.

"Chimes Blues" (April 5/6, 1923)
  • 0:00: Intro cadence, Theme 1 chorus led by cornets (repeat).
  • 0:41: Theme 2 with swooping winds and "chiming" piano (repeat).
  • 1:16: Theme 2 in a stop-time rhythm featuring "chiming" piano chords (repeat).
  • 1:52: Louis Armstrong cornet solo (2 choruses) with woodblock percussion.
  • 2:27: Theme 2 featuring swooping winds and chiming piano.
  • 2:45: Ending cadence featuring trombone smear.
 KBJ
King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band (with Armstrong): "Snake Rag" (April 6, 1923)
This song is notable for its many different chorus breaks, especially a "snake-like" falling brass/reed scale punctuated by a trombone smear.
  • 0:00: Theme 1 fragment ending in a falling scale and smear (break).
  • 0:09: Theme 1, break.
  • 0:26: Theme 2 with rising/falling breaks.
  • 1:03: Theme 1, break.
  • 1:22: Theme 3, falling staccato clarinet break.
  • 1:58: Theme 3 variation with honking brass/wind break, vocal exhortation ("Oh Sweet Mama!").
  • 2:34: Theme 3, break, coda.
 J(GD)
King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band (with Armstrong) records "Dipper Mouth Blues" (June 23, 1923) featuring solos from Johnny Dodds (clarinet) and Joe Oliver (wa wa cornet).
  • 0:00: Opening "alarm" fanfare.
  • 0:05: 1st chorus.
  • 0:20: 2nd chorus
  • 0:35: 3rd chorus in a stop-time groove and featuring a clarinet solo (2 choruses).
  • 1:06: 5th chorus (ensemble).
  • 1:21: Joe Oliver wah mute cornet solo (4 choruses), ending with a vocal "Oh play that thing!" in the 3rd chorus cadence break.
  • 2:22: Final cadence. 
 JSA
SCCJ
King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band (with Armstrong) records “Sobbin’ Blues” & “Buddy’s Habit”, which interestingly feature Armstrong on slide whistle.
Sidney Bechet records "Wild Cat Blues" with Clarence Williams' Blue Five:
  • 0:00: Falling melody motif.
  • 0:06: 1st, 2nd chorus (theme A), led by Bechet's sax.
  • 0:28: Bridge.
  • 0:48: Main theme resumes.
  • 1:09: New theme B.
  • 1:30: Stop time groove featuring Bechet's sax breaks.
  • 1:50: Theme B.
  • 2:11: Stop time groove featuring Bechet sax breaks.
  • 2:31: Theme B.
  • 2:51: Final cadence with sax break.
 KBJ
Just outside Chicago, Jelly Roll Morton records solo piano sides for the Gennett label, starting on July 17 with "King Porter Stomp". He also records with white jazz transplants the New Orleans Rhythm Kings on songs like "Sobbin' Blues". The same year, Joe Oliver's Creole Jazz Band records some of Morton's compositions ("Froggie Moore", "London (Cafe) Blues").

"King Porter Stomp":
  • 0:00: Intro fanfare.
  • 0:06: 1st Theme and variations.
  • 0:48: 2nd theme and variations.
  • 1:28: Modulating bridge.
  • 1:33: 3rd theme with accented "shouts", variations.
J(GD)
In New York, stride pianist James P. Johnson records and has some hits such as
"The Charleston" and "Worried and Lonesome Blues".		 KBJ
EJ
Also in New York, tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins joins Fletcher Henderson’s dance band (although his own style had yet to surface). J(GD)
Pianist Duke Ellington begins forming jazz combos in New York. J(GD)
Bessie Smith, the "Empress of the Blues", begins recording. Smith's soulful rhythmic phrasing contributes towards the development of a looser style of solo jazz articulation. Smith will later record important sides with both Louis Armstrong and James P. Johnson.

"Jailhouse Blues":
  • 0:00: Opening cadence.
  • 0:10: Intro chorus.
  • 0:33: 1st vocal chorus.
  • 1:11: 2nd chorus.
  • 1:50: 3rd chorus.
  • 2:28: 4th chorus.
  • 3:07: Final cadence.
 EJ



1924 Fletcher Henderson Gets a Shot of Pops

     In late 1924, the burgeoning career of Louis Armstrong ("Pops") began to intersect with several other trailblazers of classic jazz, most notably Sidney Bechet (in the Red Onion house band and in Clarence Williams' Blue Five combo) and shortly afterwards in a string of sessions with the Fletcher Henderson band in New York. Armstrong and Bechet would sustain a somewhat competitive relationship throughout their parallel careers, but Pops had a more decisive effect on Henderson tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, pushing the young "Bean" to develop his own solo voice.. Still under the radar, bandleader Duke Ellington and trumpet player Bix Beiderbecke also began their respective recording careers.

1924
Cornetist Louis Armstrong meets clarinet/soprano sax player Sidney Bechet in the Red Onion Jazz Babies ("Texas Moaner Blues", "Cake Walking Babies (from home)", etc). This band plays in the polyphonic New Orleans style.
"Cake Walking Babies (From Home)", rec. Dec 22, 1924 for Gennett.
  • 0:00: Theme in 8 and 12 bar sections.
  • 0:42: Theme: 1st 8 bars.
  • 0:58: Vocal version of theme (20 bars).
  • 1:37: 8-bar chorus with 1 bar Bechet sax break, then 12-bar chorus w 4 bar Armstrong cornet break in the middle.
  • 2:19: Chorus with 1 bar trombone break, 4 bar Bechet sax break.
This tune was also recorded by the same personnel for Okeh on Jan 8, 1925 as Clarence Williams' Blue Five.
J(GD)
SCCJ
Louis Armstrong joins Fletcher Henderson’s band, influencing Coleman Hawkins and band arranger Don Redman.
"Copenhagen"
  • 0:00: Intro led by brass break, then winds.
  • 0:17: Theme led by winds, repeat.
  • 0:42: Armstrong cornet solo over theme changes.
  • 0:55: Accent cadence (2x).
  • 1:12: Bridge with winds break, repeated with echoed brass cadence.
  • 1:29: Intro reprise (led by high winds, then low winds).
  • 1:45: Trombone breaks lead off 2 choruses.
  • 2:11: Bridge featuring clarinet (with banjo breaks).
  • 2:28: Intro reprise, accented cadences, intro figure, falling coda.
J(GD)
Armstrong's cornet and Henderson's piano are recorded as a duo supporting blues singer Maggie Jones on "Anybody Here Want To Try My Cabbage?" and "Good Time Flat Blues" (Louis Armstrong: Portrait of a Young Man).
"Anybody Here Want To Try My Cabbage?"
  • 0:00: Intro turnaround.
  • 0:12: 1st verse (AA section) in dialogue with Armstrong.
  • 0:36: B section, A section.
  • 0:58: 2nd verse.
  • 1:42: Armstrong cornet solo (AA).
  • 2:08: Vocal returns for B section in stop-time rhythm.
  • 2:20: Armstrong finishes solo over A section.
  • 2:31: 3rd verse (AABA).

Paul Whiteman's white dance band performs Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" in NYC.
J(GD)
Duke Ellington’s Washingtonians record, and spend the next 3 years developing an original sound.
J(GD)
Bix Beiderbecke (cornet) and the Wolverines record for Gennett. Beiderbecke also meets C-melody saxophonist Frank Trumbauer in the Sioux City Six. In a very brief career, Bix defines a more "cool" style of soloing, compared to Armstrong's "hot" blowing.
"Riverboat Shuffle" (Wolverines):
  • 0:00: Intro: comprised of several different accented figures (AA).
  • 0:16: B section of intro, followed by A variation.
  • 0:26: AABA theme with breaks (inc. brass, piano, trumpet).
  • 1:06: Beiderbecke cornet solo with breaks.
  • 1:48: 2 theme choruses with breaks (cornet, clarinet, guitar, sax), final accent.
J(GD)
Pianist Jelly Roll Morton duets with cornetist Joe "King" Oliver ("Tom Cat", "King Porter").  





Sources

J(GD): Jazz (Giddins/Deveaux)
SCCJ: The Smithsonian Collection Of Classic Jazz
JSA: Jazz, The Smithsonian Anthology
KBJ: Ken Burns Jazz Box
JSHA: Jazz Styles History & Analysis (Gridley)
CGJ: Concise Guide To Jazz 3rd Ed (Gridley)
EJ: Early Jazz (Schuller)