The Birth of Jazz in Storyville
New Orleans created a legal red-light district in 1897 through a law written by Alderman Sidney Story. People named the area “Storyville” after him as a joke, which he didn’t appreciate.
This 38-block zone sat behind the French Quarter between North Robertson, Iberville, Basin, and St. Louis Streets. Musicians found steady work in the district’s brothels, dance halls, and saloons.
For twenty years, this district became the place where different musical styles mixed together to form jazz. Musicians worked in both fancy establishments and cheaper venues.
How Cornetist Buddy Bolden Created the Foundation of Jazz
Charles “Buddy” Bolden became the first true jazz pioneer in New Orleans during the late 1890s. Born in 1877, he played cornet with a power no one had heard before. Bolden created the “Big Four” rhythm that became basic to Dixieland jazz.
Musicians called this rhythm the “Spanish tinge” because it used elements from Cuban beats common in Spanish music. His band played at Lincoln Park, Union Sons Hall, and various Storyville venues from 1900-1906.
Though Bolden never recorded, his ideas lived on through musicians who heard him play.
Diverse Musical Influences Collide in Storyville
New Orleans was a busy port where ships arrived daily from across the world. This brought musical styles from many countries directly into the city. African rhythms, Caribbean dances, European classical music, American blues, and ragtime all came together in Storyville.
Black musicians brought spirituals and work songs while Creole musicians added formal training and complex harmonies. Brass bands from military units and funeral processions shaped the lineup of early jazz groups.
Club owners hired musicians who could mix these styles into dance music that drew customers.
Jelly Roll Morton’s Piano Innovations in Brothels
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, who called himself “Jelly Roll” Morton, started playing piano in Storyville brothels around 1902 when he was twelve. His middle-class Creole family kicked him out when they learned where he worked.
Morton created a special left-handed rhythm called tresillo, which became a key part of New Orleans piano playing. This rhythm gave a strong foundation for right-hand solos.
He worked as a “professor” (the name for brothel pianists) at places like Hilma Burt’s and Lulu White’s Mahogany Hall. His mix of classical training with blues created a new sound.
The Role of Storyville’s Entertainment Venues
Basin Street had fancy brothels with pianists who played all day and night. These places hired musicians like Manuel “Fess” Manetta and Jelly Roll Morton to create a classy mood. The back streets had cheaper spots like Fewclothes’ Cabaret, Pete Lala’s, the 101 Ranch, and the Tuxedo Dance Hall.
These places used small bands that played for dancing. Union Sons Hall, also called Funky Butt Hall, became a popular dance spot in the Black section of Storyville. Musicians moved between venues, sharing new ideas that helped shape jazz.
Joe “King” Oliver’s Rise to Prominence
Joe “King” Oliver played in New Orleans brass bands and dance groups between 1908 and 1917. Born in 1885, Oliver created unique cornet sounds using different mutes. By 1915, people called Oliver the best cornet player in New Orleans.
He used hats, buckets, and mutes to make his horn sound like human voices. Oliver and trombonist Kid Ory led one of the most popular bands in New Orleans during the late 1910s. They played at top venues and taught many younger musicians their style.
Sidney Bechet’s Early Jazz Innovations
Sidney Bechet, born in 1897 to a middle-class Creole family, began playing clarinet in Storyville by age 14.
Despite being young, Bechet played with a strong, distinctive sound. He joined established groups like Freddie Keppard’s Olympia Orchestra and John Robichaux’s dance band.
Young Bechet learned music from all parts of New Orleans society. Other musicians called Bechet one of the best clarinet players in the city while still in his teens. His bold playing and advanced solos impressed even older, established musicians.
The First Published Jazz Composition
“Jelly Roll Blues” by Jelly Roll Morton became one of the first jazz pieces published as sheet music in 1915. This helped make jazz recognized as a real musical style. Morton showed that jazz, though based on improvisation, could be written down without losing its spirit.
His publication helped save elements of early jazz that might have been lost. The sheet music let musicians outside New Orleans learn this new style. Morton’s work captured the shift from ragtime to jazz, showing the rhythm changes and blues influences.
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band’s Commercial Breakthrough
Five white musicians formed the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB) and made the first commercially successful jazz recordings in 1917. Their record “Livery Stable Blues” sold thousands of copies.
ODJB recorded “At the Jazz Band Ball” in September 1917, helping spread both the music and the word “jazz” across America. Their records introduced millions of people to New Orleans-style jazz.
Led by cornet player Nick LaRocca, the band played music they learned from Black musicians in Storyville. Their success created the first nationwide jazz craze.
Young Louis Armstrong’s Storyville Education
Louis Armstrong was born near Storyville in 1901 and grew up in this environment. He lived in poverty with his teenage mother in an area called “Back o’ Town.” Armstrong delivered coal to Storyville businesses where he heard early jazz musicians play.
He later remembered listening to these “wonderful jazz musicians” during his delivery rounds. At age seven, a Lithuanian Jewish family informally adopted Armstrong and bought him his first cornet.
Later, at the Colored Waif’s Home, he joined the brass band, starting his path to jazz greatness.
The Navy Shuts Down Storyville
The United States Navy forced Storyville to close in November 1917 after America entered World War I. Military officials worried about sailors and soldiers visiting the district. Secretary of War Newton Baker ordered the shutdown to prevent “distractions” for military personnel.
A rule banned brothels within five miles of military bases, affecting vice districts nationwide. This closure pushed many musicians to leave New Orleans for Chicago, New York, and other northern cities. Musicians followed the Great Migration of African Americans northward to find work.
Visiting New Orleans Jazz Museum, Louisiana
You’ll find the New Orleans Jazz Museum at 400 Esplanade Avenue in the historic Old U.S. Mint building at the edge of the French Quarter. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of jazz artifacts, including Louis Armstrong’s first cornet and Buddy Bolden’s Bible.
The permanent exhibition tells the story of jazz from its Storyville origins through interactive displays. Don’t miss the second-floor performance venue where musicians play regular concerts featuring traditional New Orleans jazz styles.
Explore the museum’s collection of over 25,000 photographs and recordings documenting jazz history. The museum offers daily instrument demonstrations where you can learn about the unique sounds that shaped early jazz.
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