Jazz Music in America from 1900 to 1920 Research Paper

Jazz Music in America from 1900 to 1920 - Research Paper Example As the discussion stresses  originating in the United States among African American communities, jazz has played a powerful role with respect to the development of popular music within the 20th century. This form of music was originally the result of a type of synthesis between African and European/American musical instruments/styles. Key elements that help to differentiate jazz from other forms of music are concentric upon the fact that jazz incorporates the following components: swing tones, improvisation, syncopation, blue notes, and poly-rhythms. Additionally, jazz has also incorporated elements of American popular music, further proving it to be one of the most syncretic types of music. As a direct result of the change that has been presented with respect to jazz music, it has continued to evolve and currently represents one of the most dynamic musical genres.  From this paper it is clear that  the transatlantic slave trade can at least be partially understood to have cont ributed heavily to the influx of jazz instrumentation, style and culture from parts of West Africa. During this time, roughly half a million sub-Saharan Africans were taken to the Americas. These slaves were mainly from West Africa and the majority of them originated from the Congo River basin. With them, they brought strong musical traditions.  Understanding concerning jazz music cannot be wholly separated from an understanding of unique societal patterns and/or the politics of a particular era.