In the 1920s, on the streets of New Orleans, a familiar sound could escape from the walls of nightclubs. Sensual saxophone solos and eerie scapping selections filled the air. The style was new and spontaneous. This new genre incorporated the styles of gospel hymns, blues, and ragtime, but was completely different in its own way. The sound, with its new techniques that gave it a raw and unique character, managed to capture America's curiosity and make many people fall head over heels for this infectious new sound. It attracted people of all ages, races and social status. This new genre was called jazz and became so popular that an era was named in its honor. Jazz is a blend of spiritual African-American folk songs and faster, upbeat Ragtime that uses a variety of beats and rhythms as well as improvisations to captivate its audience. Jazz music originated in African American culture, but quickly spread throughout the rest of America as African Americans migrated north for new work (Great Neck Publishing). Jazz music was considered so unique because it allowed musicians to express their individuality and their own interpretations through the use of inflection, changing rhythms, and an openness to improvisation during solos. One of the ways in which jazz music captivated its audiences was through the musician's use of inflection. The musician often placed extra emphasis on certain words or notes to intensify the music. Artists also used inflection to accentuate, sustain, or flatten notes (Schuller 379). When the instrumentalist played solos, he often used inflection on different notes to keep the audience interested on the prolonged notes. This led to the creation of well-known "swoops"... middle of paper ...... "Chapter 7: From Ragtime and Blues to Jazz." History of gospel music. 70. United States: Facts on File, 1998. History Reference Center. Internet. November 4, 2013. Carus Publishing, Company. “Scat and improvisation.” Pavé. 27.4 (2006): 47. Historical Reference Center. Internet. November 8, 2013. Columbia University, Press. "Jazz." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition. (2013): 1-3. Historical reference center. Internet. November 4, 2013.Great Neck, P 2001, “History of Jazz”. Monkeyshines about music and great musicians. p. 129. Historical reference center. Internet. November 8, 2013. Matthews, Andrew. “Jazz: American Music.” Pavé. 34.7 (2013): Historical reference center. Internet. November 4, 2013. Schuller, Gunther. Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968. Print. Stearns, Marshall. The history of jazz. New York: Oxford University Press, 1967. Print.