America's Classical Music?

America's Classical Music?

America’s Classical Music?

“As a classical music, jazz has served as a model for other kinds of music; its influence is international in scope, (Taylor, 328).” It is undoubtedly true that throughout the 20th century, jazz has played a prominent role in American culture, and has also spread through many parts of the world. Jazz began as an African-American musical art, but through the years, has multiplied into many different styles and cultures. These styles include, but are not limited to, swing, European jazz, Bebop, and Latin jazz. For this reason, many jazz historians and scholars have boldly asserted jazz’s position as “America’s Classical Music.” This term, however, brings up many different questions about its legitimacy. Many have questioned why it is not referred as “African American,” since it had originated in African American communities in the southern United States. Also, many have asked why it is only limited to “America” when the jazz phenomenon occurred worldwide. Lastly, many have argued the effects of placing jazz into the same category as Classical music. This would be harmful to jazz because it places a label on jazz to be part of something in the past, and would not be unique. The phrase “America’s Classical Music” has been used frequently in studies of jazz that it has been embedded into many people’s minds as the true term for jazz. Despite the costs and benefits, many historians, however, use the phrase to carry out a nationalistic idea for the United States, that jazz is America’s first and original musical art form, spawning an artistic culture that people in the United States would be proud of.
Although African American artists technically invented jazz, claiming jazz as “American” as opposed to “African American” is more beneficial in terms of nationalism. African American musicians began playing jazz during the early 20th century, but the evolution of jazz represents a process that was a confluence of both African and European...

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