Jazz

Jazz music emerged in 20th century. This kind of music was invented by African Americans as a blend of European and African traditions.
Jazz music borrowed some elements from American popular music of the 19th and 20th century.
Firstly, the term jazz was used as slang in the West Coast. Jazz had a lot of subgenres from its early development. Jazz music became very popular all over the world and adapted to every culture developing and influencing national traditions.

The origin of the term
It is really hard to give a clear definition of the term, because it traverses from the Ragtime waltzes to 2000s. Some specialists try to define jazz from the outside of jazz itself. They analyze African and European music history. Nevertheless, Joachim Berendt states that all that attempts were unsuccessful. Other way to define the term is to try to study it more widely. Berendt states that "jazz" emerged in the USA as a result of confrontation of European and blacks' music. Improvisation plays a really big role in the jazz music development. Jazz music is a swing style which has its vitality and spontaneity.
In his turn, Travis Jackson stated that jazz music includes: an 'individual voice' development, swinging, improvising, opening to various musical possibilities and group interaction.
Jazz is the term, which is hard to define, however we can argue that the improvisation is one of its basic element. Some specialists argued that jazz music originated from the work songs.
Jazz performers interpret the tunes in their individual ways. They try not to play the same music piece in the same way and in such way the same composition is original over and over again.
Some specialists characterize jazz music as a product of composers' and performer's creativity and contribution.
There were a lot of debates in the jazz communities. They argued about the definition of the term and its boundaries as well. Thus Andrew Gilbert claimed that jazz could absorb and modern the influences from various styles of music. Sometimes, the jazz music performers don't want to give a definition of jazz.

The definition of the term
Some sources tell that the term appeared in San Francisco in 1913. William (Spike) Slattery, sports editor of the Call presented jazz to San Francisco in 1913.
The first word "jazz" appeared in 1913 in the baseball article by E. T. "Scoop" Gleeson.
Specialists argue that jazz music is a result of a slave trade. In the 1800s, almost half million of Africans were brought to the USA as slaves and the history of jazz music emerged. The slaves from West Africa brought their music traditions to the USA and became to spread them there. There were several festivals gatherings, which included African dances and music in different cities such as New Orleans, New England and New York. African music developed on the base of work and ritual songs and dances. This kind of music did not include European concepts and rhythm elements. Later, African music used pentatonic scales.
In the beginning of 19th century black musicians became to use European instruments to play. They used some European music's elements and concepts. African-American cakewalk music, South American, Caribbean and other slave melodies were adapted by Louis Moreau Gottschalk. Some slaves learned hymns and harmonic styles and utilized them in their own music pieces.

Evolution of jazz music
However, the black people could find themselves mostly in entertainment. Some black pianists played in clubs, bars and even brothels. Black musicians could play for "low class" only.

Ragtime emerged at those times as sheet music. Ragtime was developed by African American musicians. William H. Krell published "Mississippi Rag" in 1897, which was the first piano ragtime piece. Tom Turpin the first black rag publisher released "Harlem Rag".
In 1900s, the Dixieland Jazz Band emerged and made the first Jazz recording in 1917. Other bands became to use the word "jazz" in the name of the band.
The "Jazz Age" became its evolution and spread all over the United States of America. New Orleans became a great centre of jazz music and records. Chicago was a centre of "Hot Jazz" and Bill Johnson joined King Oliver there. Famous blues singer Bessie Smith made his first recording in 1920s.
1930s became a time of swing music development. A lot of jazz band and jazz band leaders such as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey emerged.
Swing appeared on the radio and broadcasted all over the USA.

Jazz music developed outside of the United States of America. The European jazz music style appeared in France in 1934. Steel stringed guitar, violin, and double bass were the main instruments in European jazz music as well. Some specialists claim that the gypsy jazz developed because of Philadelphia's Joe Venuti (violin) and Eddie Lang (guitar) Joe Venuti (violin). Hence, gypsy jazz migrated to France because of them in the 1920s.

A lot of people in the whole world were interested in jazz music especially in the 1970s because of Black nationalist period and Black Arts movements. Jazz music could fully express the culture and the traditions of African Americans. Some jazz music performers such as Hubert Laws, Wayne Shorter and Pharoah Sanders became to utilize the traditional African instruments such as cowbells, beaded gourds, kalimbas and other. Jazz music became to be improvised with the help of non traditional jazz instruments such as the jazz harp, wah-wah pedaled jazz violin and bagpipes. Performers such as Jean-Luc Ponty, Alice Coltrane and Rufus Harley used widely unusual jazz instruments. Jazz was influenced by other types of music such as rock, pop, avant garde classical music, which brought its popularity.
The mixes of rock, jazz and some elements of East Indian music were played by Guitarist John McLaughlin. Such artists as Ralph Towner, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, John Surman, Eberhard Weber, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, the Pat Metheny Group and Jan Garbarek developed a new kind of chamber music using folk music and some elements of world music in Germany in the 1970.

Nevertheless, Jazz music was losing its popularity in the 1980s. Generally the audience of old people held and interest in traditional styles of jazz. Wynton Marsalis tried to hold jazz music on the traditional level leaded by such artists as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Jazz music was defined as a unique form of American music stating by the Democratic Representative John Conyers. Jazz music was defined as valuable and rare treasure of the American nation, which should be preserved, supported and promulgated. Thus Americans are really proud of their jazz music performers and this music genre.