The Resilience of Jazz

Jazz was never just about entertainment, it was literally a survival tactic. When enslaved people

in America had their drums confiscated to erase their culture, they turned their own bodies into

percussion instruments. Those early work songs and spirituals weren't just melodies, they were often

secret codes for escaping to freedom. This evolved into the rebellion of Ragtime and the

raw anger of Charles Mingus fighting segregation. By the time Bebop arrived,

the music became fast and chaotic on purpose to mirror the urgency of the struggle.

Jazz isn't just a genre, it is the sound of resilience refusing to be silenced.