The Iconic Sound Of New Orleans Trad Jazz

by jennie on October 20, 2011 · 0 comments

in Band Hire : Birmingham and the midlands, Band Hire : Bristol and the south west, Band Hire : London and the south east, Band Hire : Manchester and the north, Band Hire : Scotland, Swing jazz, trad jazz, mainstream jazz bands

Marching bands of musicians were commonly employed to accompany wedding and funeral processions in the culture of the French-influenced enclave of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans. By the turn of the 20th century, these strolling players had become something of an institution, and their particular choice of instrumentation and distinctive style of music began to develop a character all of its own.

The origins of the music can be found in hymns, spirituals, gospel, ragtime, blues and brass band styles popular at the turn of the century, and the resulting amalgam represents an early fusion of inherited European melodic and harmonic influences with their African/American negro counterparts.

Improvised melodic counterpoint over a firmly-established marching bass

New Orleans Trad Jazz Band/><br />
<span class= Find out more about booking trad jazz bands for weddings or parties.

Typical instrumentation of a Dixieland or New Orleans marching band would be a permutation of sousaphone, euphonium or double-bass, then banjo for rhythm and harmony, topped off with trombone, trumpet and clarinet interweaving a conversation of melodic ideas. Sometimes guitar might be added to support or replace the banjo, and saxophone makes an occasional topline appearance. Solid rhythm could be provided by a portable bass drum, or if the band were performing statically, drumkit became a possibility.

The signature characteristic of the New Orleans or Dixieland sound is this interweaving dialogue between the topline musicians, forming a complex latticework of melodic invention over, under and around the main theme, securely underpinned by the accompanying instruments. This simultaneous conversation, potentially verging on the cacophonous, is the springboard medium for the evolving musical style that became known as jazz (a negro word with diverse and obscure connotations).

In the intervening century which saw the dawning of the recording and cinematic age, jazz as a musical genre in its own right has inexorably burgeoned into a global phenomenon, taking on influences from further afield and in turn influencing the development of both art and popular musical culture. For many people, however, the term will forever be associated with the joyous, celebratory, carnival spirit immediately conjured up by Dixieland or Traditional Jazz.

The continuing popularity of Dixieland and Traditional Jazz

One of the major advantages of Trad Jazz is that its performance, being completely acoustic, is eminently portable, and equally effective outdoors or indoors. The light-hearted, joyful , toe-tapping sound combined with the straw-boatered, striped blazered image favoured by many such bands effortlessly presents the perfect backdrop for weddings, birthday parties and other celebrations.

Trad Jazz is an instantly recognisable form of music which usually brings a smile to everyone’s face. Unsurprisingly for such a popular form of musical entertainment, there are a considerable number of Trad Jazz Bands operating all across the UK, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to track one down.

Dixieland and New Orleans Trad Jazz is wonderful, colourful, carnival stuff, and makes for a great festive party atmosphere at all types of celebration. Strike up the band!