The origins of music are not as clearly segregated as people try to make them.

The other day, I was on a tight schedule, so I stopped by our local barbecue pick up restaurant, Alamo Barbecue.  I like picking up food there because the food and conversations in the waiting line tend to be equally satisfying. This time was no different.

Two of the guys waiting in line with me played in a blue grass band together.  We had a great conversation about music and the similarities of blue grass and jazz.

Many people aren’t aware of the fact that blue grass and jazz share many of the same origins.

Both genres of music share its roots in the blues.  The blues were a helpful musical expression that assisted poor people in getting through the difficulties of poverty.  Blues music originated with African Americans, but has influenced and morphed into a variety of musical genres that cater to different people groups. 

Over the years, jazz and blue grass have exchanged and borrowed from each other a lot.  For example, today, the banjo is considered a blue grass instrument, but originally the banjo was a slave instrument that was commonly used in early jazz music.  Over time, many jazz musicians traded the banjo for a guitar and the banjo became a staple for blue grass musicians.

Both genres of music rely heavily on the upright bass (and electric in more recent years) and syncopated drums as a foundation to establishing the groove of the music.  Syncopation is essential to both genres of music, but the accents of the beats are different.  Blue grass generally accents beats 1&3 and jazz generally accents beats 2&4.

Whether you like the music or not, I encourage you to take the time to listen intently to both genres of music.  Listen to how all the instruments have a specific role and how they each interact with one another.  The soloing of both genres of music is often phenomenal!

In relatively recent years (late 70s-early 80s), an outstanding musician by the name of Bela Fleck has resurrected the forgotten jazz instrument, the banjo.  Check him out with two of my all time favorite musicians, Chick Corea & Bobby McFerrin.