The roar of the wild jazz orchestra slowly booms as the saxophone takes charge of the entire stage, and then slowly, the trumpet tags along to make a lovely tune, almost leaving the audience dumbfounded.
Within a second or so, the whole orchestra can be seen electrifying the otherwise not so lively stadium. The Pianos, Guitars, Clarinets all start to tag along, making the entire moment worth cherishing.
Indeed, it is a sight to watch. If you look closely into the audience of such jazz orchestras, you might find someone slyly reaching out to their pocket and wiping off a tear, almost as if they were wiping a speck of dust obstructing their view. Quite emotional? Yes. Of Course, it will be, it’s Jazz Music!
Speaks to your heart
Originally, jazz was introduced by the African Americans, which were highly influenced by the Europeans harmonic structure and some forms of African rhythms. The land of America and Africa first started this soulful music. the evolution took place In New Orleans during the first half of the 19th century.
At the time, New Orleans was a very bustling place with people of different races, genders, and ages coming together to search for a suitable job or just sit and socialize. This ‘almost ideal’ place needed a little something to spruce things up, and that something was the intervention of music.
As African Americans were still considered slaves in some parts of the United States, the only form of liberation they could ever experience was by playing music. They were also allowed to own drums only in that part of the country which obviously, made things a lot better. As slavery was abolished entirely, many African Americans found jobs as musicians in small sets ups, or they would self-employ themselves as street musicians.
Jazz was started from a very early time, yes. But before we could think of that, Ragtime, a precursor to jazz, was created, which had easily caught the attention of the white folks in New Orleans. Scott Joplin got his first big break where he released 44 Ragtime Originals, which soon became a country sensation. Around the 1920s, more Ragtime artists started to Improvise a little on the already existing tune. The newer version was later called Jazz.
Now, Jazz as we know it is a collection of different instruments merged to form melodies of different pitches. The whole concept comprises an emotion that can be easily caught onto as soon as the music starts. From Esperanza Spalding to Gregory Porter, their taste in Jazz has been impeccable, and this is quite evident through the reactions of the audience.
The end of the story
If you ever want to know what it feels like to understand music and reach its soul, then Jazz is the perfect genre to explore and dabble in. Listen to the music, to the emotion it carries. It will make sure you wipe a tear or two.
Well, out of pure excitement, of course.