[Dixielandjazz] Re Roots of Jazz and Blues

[Gluetje1 at aol.com]

My thoughts are that this is indeed how and why early jazz could and did  
happen.  I don't find any other early U.S. city where there was as much  
interchange of ethnicity (with African descendants included) as New  Orleans.
 
If you are fascinated by New Orleans history, there is a lengthy series of  
books by an author named Barbara Hambly.  She has a web page--but don't get  
lost in all her other books--she has a string of other genres also.  In the  
series I am talking about here, book one is "A Free Man of Color" and book two,  
"Fever Season".  I have only read the first two books at this point.   This is 
an author who appears to have done a great deal of historical research  and 
her books are slow reading, remind me of Jane Austin, they way they bury you  
in the setting and the daily life.  BUT the protagonist is Creole (so dark  his 
mother is ashamed of him), an educated professional pianist, and a physician  
educated in Paris, but not allowed to practice as such in New Orleans--not  
allowed full and free practice in Paris either.  Time period begins in the  
1830's, yes 1830's--so very pre-jazz, but very much about what music was getting  
played on what instruments--very much centered around piano and violin.  I  
consider these books rich in portrayal of the conflict of cultures as well as  
the bleed-through (well, yes, and semen-through) of various nationalities.
Ginny
 
 
In a message dated 7/16/2006 9:49:01 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
mike at railroadstjazzwest.com writes:

I've  always believed that it went back farther than New Orleans. I think 
it  goes back to Africa; after that where the slaves(who sang the field  
hollers) came from. There is also a large Western European element to  jazz.

Mike