The location of New Orleans as the
birthplace of jazz does not owe itself to one sole factor, but rather
to a variety of contributing elements acting in unison. Undoubtedly,
a genre that draws influence from African musical traditions would
necessarily manifest itself in a location that houses a large
population of African Americans. Given this characteristic, New
Orleans begins to seem like a suitable birthplace; however, one may
also assume that the perfect environment in which to cultivate the
arts would be a wealthy one. On the contrary, by the time that jazz
began to gain prevalence, the living conditions in New Orleans had
become downright incompatible with safety and prosperity. Although it
may seem contrary to logic, I believe this was indeed the
characteristic of New Orleans that made it a great location for the
dissemination of a new, upbeat musical movement. In support of this
notion, one can imagine a scenario in which fear and despair grip a
person's soul. For instance, as Africans were forcibly removed from
their homelands and brought to America as slaves, they clung to the
aspects of life that gave them comfort; “Music and folk tales were
among the most resilient of these [things]” (Gioia 7). Now turning
back to New Orleans, it makes sense that these free African Americans struggling
to provide for themselves and their families in the face of dastardly
living conditions would turn to the elements of African American
culture which granted them comfort. For many people of New Orleans,
this was the most affective method of coping with hardship. As an extension, New Orleans was renowned for its fascination with celebration
and parties of all kinds. Furthermore, the vibrant red light
district known as Storyville or more simply, the District was an
ideal location for the formation and growth of jazz music.
Specifically, New Orleans jazz music, or dixieland jazz music
centered on one instrument, usually the trumpet playing the melody
with other instruments improvising around it. At any rate, music was
a huge part of life in New Orleans during this time. Many regard the
location as one in which music of all types could be enjoyed;
“whether high or low, imported or indigenous,” it was said that
each genre could find an audience (Gioia 33). In light of these
observations, I believe that the most important factor contributing
to New Orleans' reputation as the birthplace of jazz would be the
presence of hardship and struggle that necessitated it.
When it comes to interpreting the
extent of Mexican influence on New Orleans jazz, one should trace the
genre back to the early 1900's. During this time period, some of the
city’s most promising musicians were acquiring classical musical
instruction from Mexicano instrumentalists” (Johnson 229). In this
sense, it becomes clear that Mexican artists had a transnational
level of influence on musical developments in the Southern United
States. In addition, Mexican influence extended to include new
instruments namely, the saxophone and other woodwinds. Lastly, many
Mexican immigrants directly influenced the New Orleans jazz scene by
playing, teaching, and learning from local artists. In these ways,
Mexican influence on New Orleans jazz was far-reaching.
