Early Jazz was developed at the start of the 20th Century. Prior to this, music was quite distinctly divided into composing and performing. With Jazz, the player became the creator of the music – taking a piece of music and arranging it or improvising on it to make it into their own creation. 

The Saxophone is probably the instrument that is first and foremost known as a Jazz instrument. Being recently invented, Jazz musicians were quick to use it and develop its potential. It’s loud, distinctive sound and versatility make it very suitable for this style. The Piano is also one of the main Jazz instruments, being central to the early development of Jazz and an integral part of the Jazz Rhythm Section. The clarinet was also commonly used in early Jazz Music. Some of the other important Jazz instruments are Drums, Double Bass, Guitar, Trumpet and Trombone.

Jazz originated form Blues and Ragtime which are both types of Jazz – Scott Joplin was ‘The King of Ragtime’ and is well known for his piano music. W.C Handy was the ‘Father of the Blues’ and travelled through Mississippi collecting and publishing Blues folk songs. The Jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton was the first Jazz Arranger and was also a bandleader – he developed Jazz by blending Ragtime with dance rhythms.

Jazz really began to become more popular after World War One, from the 1920s onwards. The 1920s brought a more relaxed and informal culture into society and this is what jazz embodies. As radios became commonplace in houses, the genre quickly spread in popularity. Louis Armstrong, trumpeter and singer, was the most important jazz musician from this time, developing the soloist playing alongside an ensemble. This developed into the Swing Period with important musicians being Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman. 

From the 1940s a split in thinking occurred. In 1942 there was a ban on instrumental recordings and record labels instead recorded completely vocal recordings. This led to vocal based music becoming popular, ultimately leading to Rock & Roll and then Pop. But, on the other side, Jazz musicians such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie developed the more complex and faster paced style of Bebop which continued the development of Jazz. From Bebop, Cool Jazz and Hard Bop were developed. Important musicians here were Dave Brubeck, Chet Baker, Bill Evans, Stan Getz and Miles Davis. 

Miles Davis experimented further, making jazz even more free by simplifying it in harmony and structure. Avant-Garde and Free Jazz were developed and further experimented with by Ornette Coleman and others. From the late 1960s, Electronic instruments were used in Jazz and Funk was developed and from here, Jazz and Pop became more fused together.