This Period we are Featuring the Evolution of Jazz Recommended books on Jazz History at end of page. Jazz started out with a mixture of many types of music. It's roots date back to the 1880's with African origins.
Jazz combines elements of African music with elements of Western European music.
The birthplace of that combination, which is Jazz, is said to be New Orleans. One theory as to why New Orleans is the birthplace is contributed to the black Creole subculture. The Creoles were originally from the West Indies and lived under the Spanish and French rule in Louisiana. They became free Americans under the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The Creoles spoke Spanish and French and lived in the high society of the French district in New Orleans.