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Blues and jazz remain one of America's most important contributions to world culture. While the 12-bar blues pattern may be the base of rock 'n' roll, the blues has grown well on its own merit. A product of early 1900s black culture, blues became the way to express raw emotion. It began with Leadbelly and Robert Johnson playing with only a single acoustic guitar and a soulful voice.
The electric guitar didn't take any of the bite out of blues - in fact, if you'll pardon the pun, it made it all the more electrifying. So many blues guitarists have had instantly recognizable tones, including B.B. King's pitch-perfect vibrato, the in-your-face attack of Buddy Guy, and the super-smooth stylings of Stevie Ray Vaughn.
Jazz has stood the test of time as well. The genre came into its own when Louis Armstrong picked up a trumpet and started playing in the Hot 5 in the early 1900s. He blew the doors off every place he played with his virtuosity and volume. Armstrong, along with King Oliver and other predecessors, helped to introduce improvisation to recorded music.
Since its humble beginnings in New Orleans, jazz has branched off in all sorts of directions. Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker are still among the most influential jazz musicians for their mind-blowing bebop. Dave Brubeck introduced strange time signatures to jazz. Miles Davis brought excitement to the low-key "cool jazz," and later expanded the minds of listeners with experimental jazz, along with Ornette Coleman.
Blues and jazz bars are incredibly popular to this day, even though they remain among the least televised music forms. As long as somebody has some soul, they'll find something they like in jazz and blues.
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