From Roots to Fusion — Episode 2

By the time former slaves arrived in Memphis and New Orleans in the 19th century, these cities in the southern United States were teeming with immigrants, primarily from Ireland and Italy. As a result, blacks were forced to live in ghettos and accept more menial jobs. However, they had a fundamental ally: their talent for music.

Thus, in some corners of these urban settings, the traditions of work songs began to merge, spirituals and country blues. In this second episode of our podcast From roots to fusion, we are witnessing the evolution of that ancestral memory and the birth of what was later known as Hot Jazz, which gained a certain popularity and led to blacks appearing at private parties, even animating funeral processions.