1. Call-and-Response:
Slave spirituals frequently incorporated call-and-response singing, where a leader would sing a line, and a group would respond with harmonies. This practice became fundamental to improvisational techniques used in jazz, where soloists exchange phrases with the ensemble.
2. Polyrhythms and Syncopation:
African rhythms brought to the US by enslaved people are central to the rhythmic complexity and syncopated beats inherent in jazz music.
3. Blue Notes:
Many slave songs include "blue notes" or slightly flattened third, fifth, and seventh notes of traditional Western scales. The usage of blues notes provides jazz artists with expressive potential beyond standard tonality.
4. Improvisation:
Spontaneous improvisation thrived within religious slave musical traditions and became core to the spirit of jazz, giving musicians avenues for individual creativity and emotional expression.
5. Instruments:
Enslaved craftsmen built musical instruments using local resources; their creations included banjos, fiddles, and homemade percussion instruments. The adoption of these instruments contributed to the rich instrumentation employed in early jazz.
6. Social Function:
Music, religious, or otherwise, fulfilled various functions—from worship to entertainment. In a similar vein, early jazz evolved within African American societies as vital aspects of religious expressions, leisure gatherings, and collective experiences.
7. Musical Traditions:
American slave music encompasses influences from African musical traditions—including West African drumming patterns, call-and-response choruses, and intricate polyrhythms—which profoundly shaped Jazz's essence.
In essence, enslaved Africans utilized music as a mode of religious expression, social cohesion, resistance, and artistic expression amidst adversity. These cultural foundations left an indelible mark on the subsequent emergence and flowering of Jazz as America's quintessential art form.