Musical journeys: Jazz and blues music

Jazz and blues are types of music that can trace their roots back to the early 20th Century, in the southern United States.

It started from African and European cultures mixing musical ideas together - such as the rhythms of Africa mixed with European instruments.

Jazz and blues originally grew out of New Orleans, Louisiana. It grew in popularity along the area known as the Mississippi Delta. This gave name to the popular style known as the Mississippi Delta blues.

Jazz was very popular as it was a fresh, new sound. Different styles of jazz developed throughout the 20th Century.

People still create and perform jazz and blues music today. They are both very popular styles of music.

Blues music can be played on instruments like the guitar, piano and harmonica.

Singing is very important in blues music too.

The words in blues songs usually explain how the singer is feeling. These feelings are often sad.

Popular styles of blues are:

• Delta blues - usually played solo, on finger-picked acoustic guitar with harmonica. Some musicians slide a bottle along the strings to create a howling sound.
• Chicago blues - usually played on electric guitars with a whole band of different instruments. It was much louder so crowds could hear it.
• Classic blues - often featured female singers such as Bessie Smith or Ma Rainey with a small band playing piano and trumpet.

There are many different instruments used in jazz music such as saxophones, clarinets, trumpets and trombones.

In jazz bands, you might also find a double bass, drum kits, piano or guitar which make up the rhythm section.

Below you can watch and listen to a selection of these instruments played by musicians from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

Call and response is a common feature of jazz and blues music. It's like a conversation between the musicians.

In blues music, the singer would sing a line and a musician would play the response on an instrument.

Jazz and blues musicians often make up parts of the music while they are performing it.

This is called improvisation.

Often a piece of jazz music would start with a main tune, the musicians then take turns to improvise new music on the spot.

Call and response originates from African work songs.

One person would sing a line (the call), which is followed by everyone else singing a different line (the response).