What is "Traditional" Jazz ?
What is Traditional Jazz? That really opens a lively "can of worms"! The word jazz by itself covers a wide range of musical styles and interpretations. Broadly speaking, a simple way of regarding the adjective "traditional" is that it is added to cover the earlier styles from 1900 to 1930, New Orleans to Chicago, although that statement alone would be hotly contested by many ardent jazz fans.
In the UK in the late 1940s to early 1960s there was a revival of various styles from the earlier period that became popularly known as "Trad" (traditional). The more serious followers of jazz refused to accept this term and described the jazz styles they preferred in many ways, New Orleans, Classical, Chicago, Revival, etc., etc. Even these terms are strongly contested by some of the more serious jazz lovers.
Both Buddy Bolden, the unrecorded icon of early New Orleans jazz, and Bix Beiderbecke, the champion of Chicago jazz, died in 1931. That puts traditional jazz into place in the 20th century. These musical styles are still widely played today throughout the world.
There are many books that discuss traditional jazz, its origins and the music still played today. For a more in depth understanding check it out at your local library. However it is worth noting that when asked "What is jazz?", Louis Armstrong replied "If you gotta ask, you'll never know".
Some Notes on the History of Traditional Jazz
We hope to provide some additional notes on "traditional" jazz.
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