Fun Fact Friday with Special Collections

Affectionately known as JAM, the Jazz Appreciation Month celebration was created by the National Museum of American History. This year, the celebration is exploring the combination of Afro-Caribbean music and jazz which has led to the formation of Latin jazz. This year’s poster features Cachao and was created by Francis Henry Cuadro.

Jazz has a long history of combining different styles. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, jazz was an interpretation of American and European classical music entwined with African and slave folk songs. New Orleans had a huge influence on the creation of early jazz. Also known as Dixieland, jazz music is known for its New Orleanian roots and by the 1940s was made incredibly popular by Louis Armstrong.

The 1920s are known as the Jazz Age. Much of the jazz music of the era was performed in small bars where people went during prohibition. Jazz musicians from New Orleans began playing around the country, bringing the genre to more people. By the late 30s into the early 40s, jazz was starting to pull influences from Afro-Cuban music. Many performers and their audiences loved the Caribbean influences. This led to the spread of jazz through the Caribbean. Today, dances such as the mambo and rumba are seeing a resurgence.

Special Collections has an abundance of selections when it comes to jazz music. The Cajun and Creole Music Collection has many albums by Louis Armstrong, Charles Mingus, Frenchmen from Dixie, and many more!

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Fun Fact Friday is brought to you by Special Collections.

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