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America has some outstanding exports that we supply to the world. Our farmers are so efficient at producing food that it could be said that we feed the world. And in terms of high technology, the world looks to America to lead the way and we do so very well indeed.

But one of our greatest exports provides the world with dozens of fascinating products that they cannot get enough of. And that is our culture. The American culture, from fashion to movies to gossip to the internet, fascinates the world. You can see it in how countries all around the world imitate and develop local versions of American customs and culture to become as much like Americans as they can.

And of all the different elements of our wonderfully diverse culture, American music stands out as a genuinely unique cultural phenomenon that captivates the world as much as it captivates us. There is a certain sound that is so uniquely American that it could not have developed in any other nation than this one. That sound is big and bold, full of life and optimism and excitement. That is because the nature of American music is that it reflects the spirit and the heart of what it is to be an American.

Probably the first type of music that became known as distinctively American is what came out of Broadway. While England and other countries have vibrant theater districts, this thing we came to call the Broadway show tune could have come into being nowhere else but in this big sprawling country. Of all those tunes, the lyrics from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma capture that American feeling as well as any

We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We’re only sayin’
You’re doin’ fine,
Oklahoma! .

The exuberance, the pride and the excitement of that song is as much an expression of what it means to be an American as you can find. But Broadway is not the only place you can find music that is so distinctively American that it could have come into being nowhere else but here. Jazz is an outstanding example of a uniquely American music that has spread around the world. This rich and sultry musical style grew out of the swamps of Louisiana, spread to Chicago and then to the world to become one of the most addicting music styles of its time. And to this day those who become jazz fans are jazz fans for life.

And we cannot leave our discussion of a music style that shows off the greatness of the American Spirit without mentioning Rock and Roll and even Hip Hop. These much maligned styles of music are very American because they are bold, in your face, challenging and not afraid to say what needs to be said. At the same time they are complex, fun, interesting and once you are hooked on them, you are hooked for life. What better way to describe the American spirit. And what better export to the world than a music that gives to mankind the spirit of America.

They say that if you listen to the music of a people, you can genuinely get a feel for the spirit of that people. Sometimes we dont think of ourselves as a people in the same way a country that is largely populated by one ethnic group is. But America is a culture with a rich history, a set of cultural values, a language all our own and a unique view of the world that is totally American. From Bye Bye Miss American Pie, to Oklahoma to the great songs of Jazz, Country and Folk music, the richness of the American culture is fully expressed in her music. And that music is something Americans prize and take joy in every day. And we know our music is truly great because the world cannot get enough of it either.

The essence of the sound of Jazz music is so versatile due to the origins from which it first began. In fact, New Orleans, Louisiana is the place where Jazz first began between 1850 and 1900 by African slaves as well as the freed people of color. The first style of Jazz music was known as Dixieland.

In Africa from the Middle to Central to the West, one can hear the intricate rhythmic improvisation of the percussive instruments that is often heard with Jazz Music. These rhythms combined with the American Spirituals, Hymns, Blues, and the blue grass hillbilly musical sounds created a type of sound the originated in Jazz music. However, the music was just a peculiar sound without a particular title to call it fifteen years later in 1915. The great pianist Earl Hines born in 1903 played this type of music before the title Jazz became an official style of music. The word “Jazz” which was formerly spelled as “Jass” has it’s origins as a type of American slang used to describe the sound of Jazz music.

It is the sound of Jazz music that began as an offspring from the origins that created this music. In the beginning of the century the instruments used in Jazz music were European percussion, brass and woodwind instruments primarily for the military marching or dance bands.

Moreover, these instruments were used in the funeral marches in the deeper party of the southern area and well as the northern. The essence of the origins of Jazz music finally became developed into it’s own style with an original shape. In addition, origins of Jazz music expanded the style to the point where it cannot be defined as pure folk music even when some of its roots began there.

Once the education system included the study of music to train musicians in a formal setting it paved the way for many to learn the techniques to create music from the heart. The importance of the origins of Jazz music is to learn all about the sound that many have fell in love with. Jazz music represents freedom to create color and sound that can be interpreted best by the performers and composers who create this style of music. The origins of Jazz music has been a subject worth debating over when it comes down to labeling it a particular style. Duke Ellington himself explained it as “It’s all music” due to the fact that the music has no particular structure or form it has to take.

Jazz music is not a simple style that can easily be defined except as free music that can easily meld into other styles of music to take it to another level. Jazz music itself is an innovation of African, Impressionist, Spiritual, Hymnal, Blues and Blue Grass hillbilly music simultaneously combined into a music masterpiece. The essence of the sound of Jazz music comes from the different musical elements from each part its origins as putting pieces of a puzzle together into one cohesive entity.