In the days of slavery, many landowners sought to further rob their captives of any cultural identity by forbidding the playing of traditional African music. The early "work songs" created on the plantations as a substitute contained the "call and response" pattern of lyrics that became a mainstay of many subsequent styles of black music. The lyrical focus on Christian religion and positive aspects of life were initially intended to indulge the slaves' masters, but later aided this style of music as it transitioned into mainstream acceptance.
Jazz is often referred to as the "Great American Art Form," as it is one of the first aesthetic schools to spring from the relatively young nation, overtaking ragtime in popularity in the early 1900s. Though the free-form, evolving nature of jazz doesn't lend itself to the inclusive, communal spirit of gospel, many of the musicians who played in early gospel services were professional jazz performers in the evenings. The focus of jazz on improvisation and adaptation greatly aided these musicians in injecting life and dynamism into gospel songs.
Blues came from the Mississippi Delta around the early 1900s, and while this style of music occupied the same time and place, it couldn't be further from the spiritual themes of gospel. Blues lyrics focused on despair, hardship, alcohol, murder and general bawdiness, but the driving rhythms and pentatonic scales naturally transferred to gospel services, which cleaned up the lyrics but retained the energy and 12-bar structure.
New Orleans has its own take on a number of cultural traditions, including food, music and language, but Dixieland jazz is one of the few that took off outside the Gulf Coast. The wandering, polyphonic arrangements of Dixieland consist of one instrument playing a solid melody line, with a number of others improvising around it; the resultant piece is chaotic, yet always upbeat and melodically sound. After an explosion of popularity shortly after World War I, many bands adopted Dixieland motifs, including gospel choirs and ensembles. Ironically, Dixieland was itself a largely white interpretation of the black jazz band music popular in the previous decade.