Acclaimed Musician history

American style timeline

• Blues — expressive vocal and instrumental traditions rooted in African American music
• Jazz — improvisation, syncopation, swing, and distinctive tone color
• Ragtime — syncopated melody over a steady march-like bass
• Swing — big-band jazz organized around a strong dance pulse
• Bebop — fast, harmonically complex jazz centered on improvisation
• Rock and roll — rhythm-and-blues influence combined with country and popular song