At the end of the 19th century, the city of New Orleans was buzzing with the sounds of different types of music, as people from many parts of the world passed through its port. Some of these styles blended
together to create a radically new kind of music. This became known as Jazz.

THE ROOTS OF JAZZ: The origins of Jazz lie mainly with blues and gospel. Musicians began combining their music with some of
the other European styles around at the time including French military band music, Spanish folk and European ballroom dance. Jazz was the result of this extraordinary mixture.
Early Jazz tunes weren't written down, but were passed on by ear from one musician to another. As a result, the music changed slightly each time it was played, and players didn't have to be able to read music. In the 1920's, unemployment hit the States, and many Jazz musicians went to look for work in the cities such as Chicago. Their music became known as New Orleans or Dixieland Jazz. Nowadays, it is often called traditional or trad Jazz.