Gumbo
New Orleans and its Musical
Heritage
New Orleans and its people
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New Orleans was the most cosmopolitan city in the 1800’s
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It was an ethically mixed city, with three main groups
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A. French -mostly Roman Catholics
B. Americans- Mostly Protestant
C Mixed races-other Europeans(Germans, Italians, Irish,etc.) Creoles of Color ( mixed
raced black/white) Freed Slaves, Slaves, Chinese. Native Americans
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By 1860 40% of New Orleans population was foreign born
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New Orleans was the Center of the U.S. Slave trade
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. New Orleans in built on a swamp and sanitation was poor. 50% of all non
white children died before their first birthday, and adult life expectancy was
short.
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46 for whites
36 for non-white
Congo Square
 Congo Square: New Orleans - Slaves meet
on Sundays to sing and dance and share
ideas. This allowed the sharing of musical
ideas between many different groups of
slaves. By the 1840’s the music was a
mixture of many styles, including African,
European, Caribbean and American
influences. Congo Square was an important
mixing ground for black musical culture
Creoles of Color
Creoles of Color - Mixed black and white race.
 Mostly children of French fathers and their Black Mistresses.
Many Creoles of Color were well educated and prosperous .
Many lived in the “Down Town” section of New Orleans.
Many looked down on darker skinned blacks and many owned
slaves
Many Creoles were trained musicians performing mostly
European style music, and some with a Latin feel. Creole
musicians performed many of styles of European dance music.
Dance was a very popular activity in New Orleans.
Minstrel Shows
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Minstrel shows were a very popular form on entertainment
in the U.S. at this time.
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A Minstrel show is like a modern day variety show (i.e.
Saturday Night Live) with all types of different acts. White
performers would perform “Black Faced” portraying blacks
and stupid and simple minded. Minstrel Shows travel and
perform all over the USA.

The first known Minstrel Song was “Jim Crow” by Thomas
Dartmouth ”Daddy Rice”
Early Music
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New Orleans had 3 opera house, and two symphony orchestras, (1 white & 1
creole)
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Brass bands were also a popular form of music in New Orleans, both for dances
and parades
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Bands for funeral parades were and still are a New Orleans custom. A slow
stately hymn was played by the band going to the cemetery, and a stirring light
hearted anthem on the way back and New Orleans had many funeral at this
time.
The Civil War & Reconstruction
 The Civil War 1861-1865
 New Orleans was captured by Union troops on 4/24/1862
 During this period until 1877 blacks in New Orleans enjoyed
new freedoms
 1865-1877 Reconstruction: Federal Troops enforced new laws.
Blacks gained many new rights, but only because the Federal
troops enforced the new laws. Blacks now had the right to vote
and own land. All Federal troops left the South in 1877 ending
Reconstruction. White southerns brutally regained power and
control and began in forcing “Jim Crow laws.
 Jim Crow laws denied civil rights to blacks
New Styles Arrive
 By the 1890’s 3 new types of music and arriving in New Orleans
Ragtime, America’s most popular music until the 1920’s
 Ragtime was loved by young people for dancing and hated by
their parents
 Ragtime is most often in 2/4 in 16 bar phrase. Closely tie to the
form of a march
 It gets its name because the melody is played ragged and
syncopated
 The sale of print sheet music was big business
 Scott Joplin was the “King of Ragtime”
 Blues (Style and form)12 bar phrases with pitch bends moans
and cries
 Baptist Church Music
Separate but Equal
 Homer Adolph Plessy a Creole of Color in act of civildisobedience 1892, sat on an all white street car. He
was arrested, tried and convicted of breaking the law.
His case was appealed all the way to the U.S.
Supreme Court in 1897. His conviction was upheld in
a landmark ruling
 The Supreme Court ruled that discrimination was legal
if you provided Separate but Equal
 Creoles are now treated as blacks
“King” Buddy Bolden

King” Buddy Bolden, the first known Jazz artist. Played cornet with a
big sound. He combined elements of Ragtime and Blues to form a new
style of music. His music was referred to as Gut Bucket, Rat Music and
Hot Music. He is credited with developing the BIG FOUR. A strong
accent on the fourth beat of each measure
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Buddy Bolden lived the Sporting Life!! He drank a lot and lived on the
edge. Buddy Bolden spent the last 23 years of his life in La. State
Insane Asylum.
Storyville
 Storyville, an 18 block red light district of New Orleans. Named
after city alderman Joseph Story who tried to control vice by
creating an entertainment district. More than 230 brothels
(Sporting House) with more than 2000 prostitutes. Piano
players were needed to provide music for the guests. Most of
the guess where white.
Jelly Roll Morton
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Ferdinard Joseph Lamonthe/Jelly Roll Morton(10/20/1890)
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“ I myself happened to be its creator in the year 1902
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Jelly Roll’s first job as a musician was playing for the prostitutes in
Storyville. He would earn $50 to $ 100 per night
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Thrown out of his grandmothers house at 17, he began to travel
sharing his music where ever he when. During hard time he would
sometime pimp, hustle pool or whatever he could to survive, but was
always a “showman”
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Jelly Roll did not invent jazz, but he was the first to write it down. As
he travel around the country he needed to write it down so other
musicians not from New Orleans could play with him.
Jelly Roll
 Jelly Roll set the form and terms
 Jelly Roll was all around Showman
 Break-solos
 Riff- unison melody
Jazz travels north
 Jazz began to spread north as many musician left New Orleans
for better opportunities to play in northern cities like Kansas City,
Chicago, and New York
 Shipping industry in New Orleans was slowing down in the mid
teens and jobs were be lost to other port cities
 Many blacks move north to escape “Jim Crow”Laws and
develop a better life.
Freddie”King” Keppard
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The next great Trumpet player was Freddie Keppard, he also took his music on the road with mixed
success.
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Keppard was offered the first chance to record jazz. (12/15) He turned down the offer for many reasons,
one being he was afraid people would steal his ideas,and he wanted to be paid for rehearsal time, RCA
refused
Livery Stable Blues
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The first jazz recording was made by The Original Dixieland Jass Band, recorded on 2/26/17 in NYC for
RCA/Victor
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Released 3/7/17 it sold 200,000copies @ .75 cents and help start a national jazz craze.
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The Original Dixieland Jass Band were 5 white musicians from New Orleans, they claimed to be the
Creators of Jazz. The leader of the group Nick LaRocca claims the white not blacks invented this new
music.