Are you a music enthusiast who wants to learn more about the swing and jazz genres? Ask any music critics you want, and all will agree on the fact that jazz is a part and an original art form of America. Yes, its creation was certainly influenced by the musical elements from African culture and European classical music style. But none can deny that jazz and swing is an authentic brand of American music. You must have listened to plenty of jazz backstories on the big band swing music radio, but in this blog, we take you on a tour of the top 4 US cities that witnessed the rise and improvisation of jazz and swing style. So, are you as excited as we are for the discussion? Let us dive right in then!
New Orleans – Well, it would be wrong not to start the list with the birthplace of jazz. New Orleans can easily be associated with the greatest swing artists like Buddy Bolden, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, and the list goes on. The influx of African, Spanish, and French populations in New Orleans sparked a cultural revolution in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which in turn, had fueled the development of jazz in this city. Even today, the presence of jazz museum housing musical artifacts proves the legacy of this city as the birthplace of jazz.
New York – Do you love the crooning voice of Billie Holiday? Or the splendid music arrangements by Benny Goodman? Guess where these geniuses were based? New York! If you call New Orleans the birthplace of jazz, then we say New York was the city that had seen the rise of the greatest number of commercially successful swing artists. Right from Holiday’s performance at Cotton Club to Goodman’s historic Carnegie Hall success – New York City is synonymous with the big band and swing music era and rightly called the Mecca of Jazz. We are sure that you would agree too. Would you not?
Kansas City – Although Kansas City is not the breeding ground of jazz, the variant that developed here had a different charm and enriched the collection of big band and swing music to another level. The prevalent blue and ragtime music greatly impacted the improvisation of jazz in Kansas City. One of the notable big band leaders, Count Basie had mastered the Kansas City jazz and incorporated the style in all of his signature tunes like "Jumpin' at the Woodside" and One O'Clock Jump". Even Glenn Miller’s "In The Mood" was composed after the Kansas pattern with riffing sections.
Chicago, Illinois – The immigration of black workers from the Southern States into this city birthed another significant center for jazz music in the twentieth century. Chicago was popular for soul music, but none can forget that legends like Nat King Cole, Bix Beiderbecke, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller played a pivotal role in improving the jazz scene of this city. The club culture in Chicago speaks about the spirit and popularity that jazz and swing had once enjoyed. In fact, the Chicago Jazz Festival is celebrated every year to preserve the culture of jazz music in the city.
Closing Thoughts – There was a time when the genre of jazz and swing would appeal to people from all walks of society. However, the music style has now been intellectualized, and now impresses only a certain section of the population. Do you want to revive the popularity of jazz and swing? If you are a great fan of jazz swing and want to expand the listenership of this genre once again, tune into swing jazz radio and encourage all your acquaintances to do so as well.
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