Mar 30 2009
Learning about the Early Days of Jazz
The thing about jazz is that it is truly an American form of music and has been around for a very long time. Yes, rock and roll may have taken over, but jazz has always been around. Throughout the 20th century, jazz has been here and has been through every part of modern American history. As America grew into the prominent super power that it is today, jazz grew right along with it.
While many people may think that early jazz has no resemblance to what jazz is today that isn’t entirely true. Without those early days you never would have gotten to where jazz is today. Without a Jelly Roll Morton and the early Ragtime, Scott Joplin, jazz, there wouldn’t have been a Miles Davis. Just like without Billy Haley and Comets there would never have been a Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. Who knows what Cobain would have done instead (maybe knitted those sweaters he liked to wear).
Well, if you are a history buff, as I am, and you are fascinated by the early days of music and jazz in particular, you can visit Red Hot Jazz and learn all about it. This is a website that is very much a labor of love. There is no money here and even the design of the site isn’t as fancy as some. However, it has one of the largest collections of early jazz music that you can listen to absolutely free. Yes, these are the old records transferred into MP3 format, but it’s a great way to hear what jazz started as all of those years ago.
The site is also a plethora of information about the musicians and bands you are listening to. You can find out about the history of those musicians, how they recorded what they did and where they ended up. There are also extensive articles about the early days of jazz. For example, in those first few days of recorded jazz, the music and bands were often called “jass” instead.
So, take a trip through time and check out Red Hot Jazz. If you want to contact them and tell them you found them here, I wouldn’t mind. History is never something to be afraid of. Learn a little about the history of jazz and you can appreciate the modern jazz all the more.
