Jazz History Timeline

Jazz History Timeline Conor Roche

1900- The port of New Orleans attracts many Negroe and Creole musicians due to the abundance of work entertaining the constant flow of people arriving off of the steam boats. New Orleans becomes the center of a new style of music called Jazz.

1910- Due to lack of employment opportunities and the close of Story Ville, many musicians move north. Jazz spreads to Chicago and New York.

1919- Prohibition gives opportunities for working musicians in "speakeasy" venues. This creates an abundance of Jazz music with many more different people experimenting with it.

1922- Fletcher Henderson big band begins 10-year residency at the Roseland Ballroom on Broadway. This is the first big band to play noncommercial jazz and spawns the beginning of Swing.

1922- Louis Armstrong moves to Chicago to join King Oliver's band. His style of playing trumpet revolutionizes Jazz and before long everyone is trying to emulate his style.

1925 to 1928- Armstrong's Hot 5's and 7's recording are released. New light is shed upon a band format with emphasis on the soloist and improvisation.

1927- Duke Ellington begins his residency at the Cotton Club. This is the training ground for Jazz music's greatest composer.

1930- Radio becomes a common household appliance that leads to the exploitation of jazz all over America.

1933- John Hammond discovers singer Billie Holiday and she records with Benny Goodman. Holiday goes on to become Jazz music's most influential singer.

1934- Fletcher Henderson sells music charts to Benny Goodman. The Benny Goodman Orchestra is the first to culturally integrate musicians. With the emergence of World War 2 the Swing era explodes.

1935- Count Basie gathers a nine-piece band and begins a residency at the Reno Club. The Basie big band sound is crafted.

1939- Charlie Christian is signed to the Benny Goodman Sextet. One of the Jazz guitar's most important innovator's is exposed to America.

1944- Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie form a quintet and introduce a new style of complex Jazz called Bebop in reaction to the Swing style. Bebop is based on complex chord changes and improvisation.

1948- Wes Montgomery goes on tour with Lionel Hampton band. His unique style of playing makes him the most copied guitarist in Jazz history.

1953- Art Blakey and Horace Silver form the Jazz Messenger's. They play a new style of Jazz known as Hard Bop. This band is the starting point for many great Jazz players such as Hank Mobley, Wayne Shorter and Kenny Dorham.

1954-