The first American jazz historians, particularly William Russell and Charles Edward Smith, argued that the 1890's was the decade when jazz first emerged in the Crescent City. This notion was based on conversations with many prominent New Orleans musicians - including Bill Johnson, Narcisse "Buddy" Christian and Willie "Bunk" Johnson - and on a photograph of the Buddy Bolden Band that Bunk Johnson dated as 1895. (Subsequent investigation, however, revealed the actual date was 1905.)

Contemporary European jazz scholars, on the other hand, argue that jazz' origins are much more recent. Brian Rust and Horst Lange disagree sharply with those who argue for the 1890's, agreeing with Nick LaRocca that jazz did not exist prior to the formation of the Original Dixie Jazz Band in 1916.

The term "turn of the century" is often useful for jazz writers precisely because it is vague. With a range of possibilities extending practically 50 years - from the early 1870's to 1917 - selection of any one year as a "birthdate" seems unrealistic unless new information is uncovered. Events like the formation of the Bolden Band in 1895 and the first recordings by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917, then, are best appreciated as jazz benchmarks, rather than arguments for or against a specific date.

To add to the debate, many scholars question whether what Bolden played  would be recognized today as jazz. Instead, some look to the work of bands like The Original Creole Orchestra or Kid Ory's Band, groups which formed after Bolden's fall from grace in 1906.

Lawrence Gushee's articles on Jelly Roll Morton and the Original Creole Orchestra led by Freddie Keppard have clarified some key dates in the history of New Orleans jazz, and in the process revised theories about when it first emerged.

Reference works, as well, are revising their definitions of the music to keep up with contemporary scholarship. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (1988), for example, includes the following statement in its entry for "jazz": "Black dance bands evolved into classic New Orleans jazz bands in the years between 1900 and 1915." Clearly, the issue of when jazz emerged - and even where, in the minds of some - is far from being settled.

INFORMANCE STUDY GUIDES:

Basic Elements of Jazz

Music Through Art

New Orleans
Decorated Umbrella
Tradition

Music Through The
Language Arts

Music Through Math

Without a distinct birth year, how is a "centennial celebration of jazz" even possible_ The answer is that it requires a little imagination and a lot of love for the music.

Fifty years ago, the National Jazz Foundation, a group of New Orleanians concerned about jazz's uncertain future in the city, held a 50th anniversary celebration in conjunction with a concert honoring the recipients of Esquire's Jazz Poll winners. (The year had been selected on the basis of a date given by Bunk Johnson for the only known photograph of the Buddy Bolden Band, later shown to be erroneous.)

But the concert on January 17, 1945 became an occasion of historical importance itself. Louis Armstrong led a band that included Sidney Bechet and Bunk Johnson, the only time these three jazz pioneers would share a stage. The response from the New Orleans community, as represented by the Item, Picayune and Louisiana Weekly, was overwhelmingly positive. Jazz was portrayed, perhaps for the first time, as a unifying principle, something o which all citizens could be proud.

Then, as now, the idea of an anniversary celebration set the stage for reflection, an opportunity to honor the men and women who made jazz happen. It's never too early or too late to celebrate a legacy like that because the music remains, in the last analysis, timeless.

Bruce Boyd Raeburn, Ph.D.
Curator, Hogan Jazz Archive
Tulane University

INFORMANCE:

Goal: To foster an awareness and appreciation of Jazz music and culture within elementary level students.

Activities

Post Activities

Bibliography

Discography

Community Resources