Jazz music is a complex and uniquely American style of music, having been influenced by the musical traditions of numerous diverse cultures. The roots of the genre can be traced to the music of West Africa, which was introduced to America through the slave trade. In the New World, cross-cultural interactions meant that these West African musical styles began to blend with European folk music traditions, planting the seeds for what would one day develop into jazz music. The early 20th century marked the true beginnings of jazz music in the city of New Orleans, which was known for its unique culture and diverse population (1). Initially, jazz instruments in an ensemble tended to have roles that they were typically associated with; however, over time, the changes made to the art form and the contributions of many jazz legends led to the development of many varieties, like orchestral jazz, swing, bop, and free jazz.

Modern-day jazz music is heavily dependent on improvisations and solos, which requires the musician to have an intimate understanding of music theory and a great deal of practice. Because of this emphasis on improvisation over replication, jazz musicians tend to develop their own distinctive musical style; at the same time, this means that even jazz standards can come to sound very different depending on the musician playing. Other common aspects of jazz performances include the utilization of swing rhythms, which emphasize the off-beats in the music, and the use of call-and-response patterns, where one part of an ensemble will play in response to another part of the ensemble, creating the feeling of a dialogue among the different instruments in the band (2).

Jazz has also tied closely into racial issues like segregation and appropriation through much of its history, even at the very beginnings of the genre. For example, “Lively Stable Blues”, widely regarded as the first jazz recording made, was the subject of much controversy for several reasons. It was a recording by a white band of an African American genre; the musicians who played for the record went as far as to assert that they were the ones who had “invented” jazz, failing to give any credit to the African American community that was instrumental in the creation of jazz music. This tied into the broader reality of a segregated music industry that prevented many African American musicians from receiving the recognition they deserved. Even today, many people believe that the impacts created by this situation have yet to be fully rectified (3).