Creole Music & Its Contribution to the Development of New Orleans Jazz
by Milly Vappie

The term “creole” comes from the Portuguese word “crioulo” and means “native to a region.” Originally, it was used to distinguish between whites born in the Americas and those born in Europe. But as the slave trade shifted from Africa to the islands of the Caribbean and West Indies, the term came to differentiate between those slaves born in Africa and those born in Louisiana and the Islands. Overtime, as the interaction between the French, Spanish, and Indian inhabitants and those of African heritage resulted in a more multiracial society, “creole” took on a new meaning – one describing people of mixed racial ancestry.

Prior to 1800, music in Louisiana probably reflected music indigenous to the people of the region, with a clearer distinction between European and African styles. But during the 1800’s, Louisiana and New Orleans fostered an environment that was both restrictive and creative. While laws were created to guarantee the separation and subjugation of people with African ancestry, the cultural environment provided avenues and outlets for artistic growth. It was during this time that another event occurred that impacted New Orleans’ cultural growth. In 1809, the city received a large influx of immigrants escaping the slave revolution in the French colony of Saint Domingue (the western part of the island later became Haiti). This group of refugees, consisting of slaves, whites, and free people of color, eventually made their way to Louisiana after being expelled from Cuba for being a potentially dangerous presence. These Creole Islanders brought their own unique cultural and artistic traditions that contributed greatly to the creation of New Orleans’ musical heritage.

As in Cuba, Martinique, and other islands of the Caribbean and West Indies, the music of Louisiana developed differently in urban regions as it did in rural areas. The music of the southwestern rural Louisiana Creoles became known as Zydeco and remains much closer in style and rhythm to the rural music of Haiti and other French colonies. But in New Orleans, the proximity of the entertainment arena of Congo Square to the opera houses, dance halls, theatres, and the “red light” district of Storyville, as well as the interaction that took place between people of different cultures in this port city, afforded ample opportunities for the interchange of cultural traditions and artistic creativity. In addition, the celebration of Mardi Gras, the society clubs and the many dances and balls, provided numerous venues for musical employment and expression. Furthermore, the end of the Civil War, gave former slaves the freedom of movement to travel from the plantations of the southeastern River Parishes to New Orleans, while others came to the city from regions outside the French-Catholic dominated communities adding a dash of blues and gospel to the musical pot.

Among folklorists and cultural anthropologists, the term “creolization” is replacing the “melting pot” theory as a way to describe the cultural history of the Americas. This new description portrays a society that is constantly forming new cultural identities while maintaining the distinctive individuality of a local community. At the turn of the 20th century, many facets were in play as the artistic environment of New Orleans absorbed the myriad cultural characteristics of its inhabitants. The rhythms imported by African slaves as well as the Creole immigrants of the islands, the classical music of Europe, the instruments brought from Europe and Africa, the Creole-French language, the gospel and blues traditions introduced to the region, and the tightening of Jim Crow laws, were all ingredients thrown into the musical gumbo that contributed to the birth of jazz.

Early New Orleans jazz as represented by bands such as King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, still had an ensemble sound but with freedom to improvise within the structure of the song, often with sections that loosely resembled movements found in classical pieces. As time passed and musicians moved outside New Orleans, and followed the lead of musicians such as Louis Armstrong, a loosening of the structure lead to a more free-form style of jazz. The Creole musicians that permeated the jazz world such as Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Kid Ory and Barney Bigard, to name a very few, emphasizes the enormous impact they had on the development of jazz. This influence continued throughout the music world as later Creole musicians would come to impact the evolution of rock and roll through their involvement in the 1950’s and 60’s rhythm and blues period.

Nestled in the Hogan Jazz Archives at Tulane University are a handful of creole jazz recordings by New Orleans musicians including Danny Barker, Albert Nicholas, Pops Foster, Kid Ory and others. The Creole-French lyrics and Latin rhythms are prime examples of the influence of the creole music of the islands of the Caribbean and West Indies. Jelly Roll Morton acknowledged this when he referred to New Orleans music as having that “Latin tinge.” Don Vappie a native Creole New Orleanian, realized the need to keep this music alive when he first heard the recordings. With his known musical roots dating back to the late 1800s, it was a logical step to form the Creole Jazz Serenaders to celebrate the unique culture of New Orleans and his Creole heritage. The band performs many of the creole jazz classics of New Orleans and the Islands, as well as songs that represent the evolution of jazz.