Prehistory of Jazz

This publication follows the history of discoveries pertaining to Portuguese travel to the New World, from the 15th century to the
1920s, with an emphasis on the events leading to the development of jazz. The diversity of cultural influences from all over the world have made the United States a treasury of improvised music. Hendler portrays the development of American music scenes in centuries past, reporting on aspects such as the background of the slave trade, particularly in the Antilles, the music of European immigrant families, and the sounds of the (Spanish-controlled) Mississippi. He sketches the musical relationships between Cuba and the United States and their influence on American popular music around 1900. The highly fashionable march music leaves its mark, as do ragtime and spirituals, all blending to form an impressive repertoire of improvised music. The reader is inspired by the richness of forms and styles and the power of the artistic performances in the prehistory of jazz.

Introduction

I. THE SLAVE TRADE

Preconditions
Slaveholder Societies
The Transatlantic Slave Trade
The Fate of Slaves in America
The Slave-Breeding Industry
Free African Americans
The Musical Consequences of the Slave Trade

II. PREHISTORY OF JAZZ

Minstrelsy
Coon Songs
Two Show-Business Personalities
Spirituals and Gospel Songs
Early Documents
Early Recordings
Race Records
Fieldwork
Cakewalk
March, Two-Step, Polka, or Cakewalk
Strains
Ragtime
Roots of Ragtime: The Quadrille
Roots of Ragtime: Marches
Roots of Ragtime: The Antilles
Roots of Ragtime: British Popular Song
A Chronology of Ragtime
1900 1917
Digression: "Tiger Rag"
1918 1923
Digression: "Bugle Call Rag"
1924 1930s
Musical Verdict
The Blues
Early Documents
"Classic" Blues
Race Records

III. HEADING TOWARDS JAZZ

Jazz and Accommodationism

IV. CONCLUSION


Literature
Discography
Song Titles
Index