Jazz is a colorful fusion of music and tradition that was shaped due to the legacy of the diverse and energetic city of New Orleans; Jazz music reflects the culture of New Orleans, and artist such as Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band were permitted to flourish and evolve because of the cosmopolitan spirit of the city. Some of the first predecessors of Jazz were the festivities that took place at Congo Square in New Orleans, a place where slaves were allowed to dance, sing and play traditional African music. These ceremonies were different from European traditions, as they brought the principle elements of African tradition, according to Robert F. Thompson, of call and response, vital aliveness, boldness and energy. Soon these traditional African elements began to fuse with the current New Orleans culture of French, Spanish, and American influence that was a result of the exchange of ownership until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Gioia terms this “syncretism”, and it became tangible when the musician Buddy Bolden performed what is know as the earliest Jazz music. But what Gioia calls the “Africanization of American music” was only possible in a city such as New Orleans because of its history as a cultural melting pot combined with the tradition of a more liberal form of slavery within the Latin system. Because this form of slavery was extended to New Orleans, Black people were not treated as poorly as they were in the English system of the North. Therefore, there existed a more tolerant and accepting attitude toward black people during and after slavery, allowing events such as Congo square and Bolden’s music that would never have been tolerated in other American cities. Different from other cities too was the attitude towards Creoles in New Orleans. In most American Cities if you had black ancestry you were considered black, where as in New Orleans you could enjoy an elevated status if you were Creole. Creole’s such as Jelly Roll Morton used this to their advantage and became hugely successful; however if he were not in New Orleans he may have never been realized.This can be seen with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, an all white band with only decent talent that was able to gain a wide geographic popularity even in the North because of their marketability as caucasians, as well as being the first to be commercial recorded. Also because New Orleans was a port city, it saw a great deal of trade and travelers. In order to attend to the desires of many of those only staying a short while, the town of Storyville and the many Brothels it contained came alive. Storyville is credited as the birth place and marketer of Jazz, due to the demand for sensual music in the Brothel houses. However, the most significant factor in the emergence of Jazz in New Orleans was the racial and cultural tolerance that existed in the city. Because it was a major port city with French and Spanish influence with the tradition of Latin Slavery, it became largely diverse and accepting in comparison to its Northern counterpart. This created an environment where musicians had numerous stylistic elements at hand, and more importantly the enablement to perform.
