How Did Buddy Bolden Influence The Way Back To The Birth Of Jazz?

The roots of trumpet in jazz go all the way back to the beginning of the birth of jazz. Their main role in jazz was to create and maintain the melody. During the beginning stages of jazz, up until the 30s, the trumpet was one of the most vital instruments to a jazz band. Buddy Bolden, for instance, was one of the first musicians who really exemplified the ideals of what trumpet playing does for a band (Bolden was more specifically a cornet player, but both instruments are quite similar and are often mistaken for one another, the only difference being in the tubing). He is commonly referred to as “the first important musician in jazz”. Around the turn of the 20th century in New Orleans, Bolden started playing at different public functions, and gained a

Bolden showed how much talent and dexterity one can have with playing the trumpet.King Joe Oliver was one of many important trumpet players. He was the bandleader of King Oliver’s Jazz Band, and played a lot of New Orleans jazz. The song “Snake Rag” (1923) at 2:13 is a good example. Oliver is accompanied by Louis Armstrong, another paramount trumpet player who was heavily influenced by Oliver. Both players in tandem break away from the repeated strains to riff a short, yet complex, blues melody, before incorporating it into the undertones of the continuing song. Both players were able to command the band in a few measures, showing the trumpets true dominance over the band in that brief moment. Louis Armstrong later became one of the biggest names is jazz. He played with such virtuosity, and had the ability to span a wide range of notes. In addition, he also played in a smooth legato style, and was able to improvise flawlessly. All these attributes easily lifted Armstrong's fame until it surpassed his predecessor. Another great trumpet player that (literally) shaped trumpets’ place in jazz was Dizzy