Jazz is a form of music that originated in southern UNITED States in the late 19 th century, as a
development of the songs and spirituals of Afro-American slaves, with melodies that incorporate both
African and European music , It is a strongly rhythmic form of music, incorporating elements of ragtime,
the blues and folk music. One popular early form came from New Orleans and was sometimes called
Dixieland jazz, which could be deeply emotional. In improvised (or improve.) jazz, the players make the
music up as they go along. Jazz is also renowned for long soloes by players such as clarinetists and
saxophonists. Jazz led to the development of swing in the 1920s, the ‘big band’ sound of the 1940s
onwards and later forms including fusions with other types of music, such as funk, and free jazz.