The Deep Roots of Gospel Jazz
Although some people believe that gospel jazz is a fairly recent type of music, its roots began long before the birth of most other musical forms, and impacted nearly all of them. Gospel jazz, also referred to as the blues, emerged out of the intense emotional experiences endured by downhearted people throughout history. The Origin of Gospel Jazz During the 18th century, the African slaves who tended the fields of the American South expressed their faith through songs called ‘Negro Spirituals’, which often included heart-wrenching cries, later adopted by the jazz sibling known as the blues. This deeply emotional and …