The Birth of Jazz

Overview

I am headed to New Orleans in March of 2023 to tour Tulane University; I’m so excited! Given the connection that New Orleans has to Jazz- my favorite genre- I figured there’s no better subject to kick off my blog!

New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz, a genre that reached its peak in the 1920s and 1930s with musicians like Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and Jelly Roll Morton becoming household names. Jazz in New Orleans was characterized by a unique style that blended elements of ragtime, blues, and European classical music. These musicians, along with countless others, helped to establish New Orleans as the birthplace of jazz and their innovative sound continues to influence jazz musicians around the world today.

However, the city is also home to a rich Blues tradition, rooted in the African American communities and passed down from generation to generation. Notable Blues musicians from New Orleans include Buddy Bolden, Papa Celestin, and Bunk Johnson, who were known for their emotive performances and powerful lyrics that often reflected the struggles and hardships of African American life. The foundation for the development of the blues was laid in the city’s famous red-light district, Storyville, where many early blues clubs were located. Today, the blues continues to be an integral part of New Orleans’ music scene, with many venues and festivals dedicated to preserving and celebrating this genre.

Interview:

Dr. Orrin Wilson

To help bring the music of New Orleans to life, I interviewed my high school Jazz band teacher, Dr. Orrin Wilson, who was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dr. Wilson is an educator, producer, and composer based in New York City who has performed with many multi-platinum artists including: Busta Rhymes, Mystikal, and Destiny’s Child to name a few. Dr. Wilson studied jazz and classical music at the Manhattan School of Music in New York and received a PhD in Music from The University of Nebraska.  He has also performed in many major venues in New York including Symphony Center, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and abroad including La Scala, in Milan and Verdi Theatre in Rome.

While studying music at Manhattan School of Music, his interest grew into producing music and designing sounds. He holds several degrees in music and has done multiple collaborations with professionals in the jazz and the classical world. He’s currently the director of the jazz band at Poly Prep Country Day School.

Q&A with Dr. Orrin Wilson

1. What age were you introduced to music? 

I would say about 8 years old. In elementary school I started playing trumpet. Back then it was very common for people to start music early. Nowadays, kids in America don’t really start playing music until they are in middle school, if at all.

2. Were/are any of your family members musicians?

My mom played flute in high school along with a bunch of my cousins who played mandatory band in school, but other than that, I am the only real musician in my family.

3. What was the music scene like for you as a kid/teenager growing up in New Orleans?

I grew up around lots of different kinds of genres in New Orleans so I was immersed in lots of different kinds of cultures. I would have a balance of playing New Orleans Jazz and listening to Hip-Hop with my friends.

4. Do you remember the first time you saw a live musical performance? 

When I was in middle school, the New Orleans Philharmonic, they performed the Carnival of Animal. It was the first time I saw all of the instruments play together; brass, strings, woodwinds… I was just blown away. I remember thinking “maybe I could do this for a living.”

5. What was your first gig like?

I played with older musicians. It was me trying to learn the melodies to songs on the spot like “I Fly Away” or “As the Saints Go Marching In.” I didn’t even know how to read sheet music then so I would just have to listen to these amazing older musicians to learn the melodies.

6. What instruments do you play? What’s your main instrument?

I play almost all of the instruments. To be a music teacher, you need to learn all of the instruments. I need to be able to teach every student, regardless of what instrument they play. I play the piano, a little guitar, a little percussion, a smidgit of bass and my main instrument, the trumpet.

7. Who is one musician who you looked up to as a kid? 

Wynton Marsalis. I remember the first time I saw Wynton Marsalis. We had this place in New Orleans called the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp where kids came to learn music fundamentals and during one day of the camp, Wynton Marsalis played for the campers. As I got older I heard his classical playing and I just thought to myself “man, there is no way possible that he could play this on trumpet.” And then he released an album called Carnaval, which my AP Music teacher introduced me to. I must have listened to that album hundreds of times. So much so that the CD started to warp.

8. Who are your inspirations?

My inspirations are all great writers – musical writers and creative writers. I love Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Toni Morrison, and of course Wynton Marsalis.

9. What was the best concert you’ve seen and why?

Beyonce during her Formation World Tour. The music, design, and theatrics were mind-blowing.

10. If you could see one musician (dead or alive) play live, who would it be and why?

Louis Armstrong. He made extremely complicated things seem simple. I would love to have a conversation with him and pick his brain about all sorts of things, especially whether he thinks today’s music would be jive and hip or complete garbage.

11. What is the quintessential piece or pieces that any jazz student should know?

Billie’s Bounce by Charlie Parker. You gotta know Blues.

I’ve Got Rhythm by George Gershwin. This helps with rhythm changes.

And probably a ballad. Either Misty by Errol Garner or In a Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington.

12. What led you to decide to dedicate your career to music?

When I first started college, I was a science major. I wanted to be a brain surgeon. But it felt kind of easy because I only had to recite things from memory and I wanted more of a challenge. In my sophomore year, I went to the music department and asked them how I could get into the music program. I had to take entry tests on music theory and my playing ability. While I had been playing music my whole life, it was at that point, I was certain that I had found my true calling.

13. What are the essential qualities that make a good musician?

1. A person who listens to a lot of music.
2. A person who is curious about all types of music.
3. A musician who puts themselves out there and tries to perform as much as they can.

14. How is New Orleans Blues different from blues in other southern states?

Well New Orleans isn’t per se where you hear Blues as much as in other states. You gotta remember, when Jim Crow came to the south in the late 1800s, in New Orleans, you’d hear Ragtime music, French operas because there were opera companies. You should think about Chicago blues and Memphis blues when you want to think about the history of blues. New Orleans isn’t per se a “blues place” but really a jazz place. Blues came to New Orleans by way of Mississippi. There are really three different types of blues: classic blues that you typically hear women sing like Bessie Smith, like the kind you hear from Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, BB King and Howlin’ Wolf from the Chicago style of blues, and rural type of blues like Robert Johnson and Lead Belly. Blues came to New Orleans. It wasn’t founded there. But once it came to New Orleans, it was transformed into styles like jazz.

15. I’m going to New Orleans in March. What do you suggest I check out?

Check out Snug Harbor. Try to go to Preservation Hall and Tipitina’s to see some music. Definitely walk through the French Quarter and hear musicians playing live on the street. And eat as much food as you possibly can.

16. Speaking of which, what is your favorite food from New Orleans?

It’s hard to pick a favorite. My top three are shrimp etouffee, fried shrimp po’ boy, and fried catfish from Landry’s.