Jazz has developed from an amazing fusion of European and African musical traditions. And it happened thanks to the famous Christopher Columbus, who allowed me to become acquainted with African music, having opened for Europeans America. It is in this country moved the inhabitants of Europe and Africa, along with traditions. The music of Africans have been largely ceremonial in nature, and considerable importance was made in her rhythm.
Cross-rhythm, polyrhythm and polyphony rhythms are the most striking features of the traditional music of Africans. The melody and harmony were at the initial stages of development. For this reason, it is the music of Africans many opportunities for improvisation.
So blacks together with the Europeans brought to the American territory of the rhythmic base of jazz. While European music was able to share with this direction their major and minor standards, the melody and harmony.
And at present it is not clear where first heard jazz. Some believe that it happened in the southern United States, where the Europeans simply did not recognize the culture of Africans.
Others believe that jazz music emerged in the North of the United States of America, where the Europeans were more tolerant towards people with different skin color. Here already in the eighteenth century, Africans began to convert to European religion and there was a unique genre of songs called "spirituals".
These songs wore improvisational nature and high emotionality. And it is from them later came the jazz.
But Marshall Stearns, author of the famous book called "History of jazz", as the basis of jazz has seen the simultaneous penetration of religious chants and traditional rhythms of African music and various street bands.
Especially interesting was with wind. After 1865 after the Civil war, brass bands disbanded the military, and all the instruments sold at a very low price. At the time, and was able to appear the musicians with wind instruments on the streets of the United States of America.
This is a classic set of musical instruments in jazz groups: the clarinet, saxophone, trombone, trumpet. But the very Foundation of this music, of course, are percussion instruments that specify the right rhythm.
Over time, jazz has captured the hearts of a wider audience America and non-traditional musical direction started to turn into real music.
