Jazz

It’s dark in the nightclub. The only light shines on five musicians. Their instruments are saxophone, trumpet, piano, drums, and upright bass. First they play through a melody. Maybe you hum along and tap your foot. Then, the music changes. Each musician plays a solo that sounds somewhat the melody, but not quite. They’re making the music up as they go along, but they’re still playing together.

That’s jazz. It’s music based on American history, but its roots are found in the musical traditions of both Africa and Europe. The music of Africa and the music of enslaved people in America was about communication. People in one village played their drums, and drummers in a nearby village answered. Workers in the fields sang a line of a song, and workers a few rows away sang back. One person sang a melody, and someone else made up a new version of it. That’s called improvisation.