Do you listen to jazz music? Jazz is a type of music that goes way back to the 1800’s. But do you know where jazz originated and who did it best?

Jazz originated in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1819 at Congo Square that is where musicians would play jazz music on Sundays. It wasn’t jazz until the 1890s. At first, it was just mixed beats from the West Indies, from Africa, and church melodies in the US.

After the Civil War ended in 1865, that is when all these musical styles blended to form the genre of jazz. Jazz musicians used the instruments of trumpets and trombones. They then would sing of their pain through instruments. This made Jazz more mournful and just better overall. It wasn’t until the 1890s that the blues came together. This was the start of real jazz. When all of the instruments came together it was beautiful.

Who did it best though? A guy named Buddy Bolden. He was born September 6th, 1877. He was an African American bandleader. People called him “the first man of jazz”. This is because he was at the forefront of jazz. He was the one that made jazz well known. People also called him King Bolden. This is because when he played many people would be sent into a frenzy and some people would say, “Aw, play it King Bolden!” That is how he got his nickname, King Bolden.

Buddy played the cornet. A cornet is similar to a trumpet. He was also the leader of a band. They were really popular. Every time people heard them start to play, lots and lots of people would come running.

Bolden’s music was very popular until somewhere in 1907 when he stopped making music. He unfortunately died not much later in 1931. Buddy has made a huge impact on the jazz industry. His music still is played to this day.

Long live King Bolden.