The Original Dixieland Jazz Band were the first artists to make a jazz recording. This event occurred in 1917, which is the same year Scott Joplin died and the classic era of ragtime came to an end. The group was also the first jazz band to appear in film. They performed a cameo in the 1917 film "The Good for Nothing." The Original Dixieland Jazz Band was comprised of white members and went on to perform in London two years after the historical recording.
Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, and had unusual nicknames such as "Satchelmouth" and "Pops." He grew up in a poor family in New Orleans, which is considered the birthplace of the jazz movement. Armstrong's voice and musical talent interested established musicians in New Orleans, namely Joe "King" Oliver, who invited Louis to take his own place in Kid Ory's band. Louis Armstrong recorded the songs "Body and Soul" and "Heebie Jeebies," which introduced scat singing to a mainstream audience. Armstrong's attention to technical skill, spontaneity and different chords left a lasting impression in jazz that was only rivaled by musicians such as Bill Evans and Miles Davis.
The Atlantic record label was revolutionary in popularizing many genres of black music, such as blues, jazz and soul. The label was founded by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson in 1947. The project was Abramson's ambition, but he was drafted into military service in 1953. Upon his return after two years of service in Germany, he felt he was too out of touch with current musical trends and sold his shares. Ahmet Ertegun continued to recruit high-quality artists throughout the decades, such as Ray Charles, Joe Turner and Ruth Brown. Atlantic was linked with Warner Bros in 1967, and has since been wholly assimilated into the Time Warner company. Atlantic's promotion of jazz music brought the genre to a wider audience and made its musicians household names.
New forms of jazz music began to develop in the 1940s, but became more popularized after Ornette Coleman appeared at the Five Spot in New York in 1959. Coleman and his sidemen introduced the idea of jazz improvisation to a wide audience. Jazz moved beyond swing music into a form called be-bop. Artists were indulging in difficult and advanced chordal improvisations. Soloists often experimented with different chords and instrument sounds over an intricately composed piece. Bebop eventually gave way to the avant-garde free jazz that was explored in the 1960s and 1970s.