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Category: Folk Music

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

The Painful Birth of Blues and Jazz

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

One hundred years ago this month, February 26, 1917, what is generally acknowledged as the first recording of jazz was released. “Livery Stable Blues,” performed by the Original Dixieland Jass Band [1] was a best-selling record for Victor, but is a problematic “first” as it is a recording of a white band performing an African …