The birth of Jazz in New Orleans comes from the many cultures living in the growing city; the French, Creole, Latine, Caribbean, formerly enslaved, and free people lived side by side. Each group of people heavily influenced the other musically. Black Creole musicians were descendants of European colonists and, therefore, were often classically trained and lived in a higher social class than other Black people in Louisiana. However, they were still subjected to Jim Crow laws. Creole and non-creole musicians blended, filling the slow-paced blues with improvised riffs and melodies – calling it Jazz.

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Jazz became a hit and spread across the country. Classical composers began to write jazz songs and as the sound evolved, Black communities started to make up dances to match the upbeat music. By 1910, social places that were once filled with the classic foxtrot and elegant waltz had been replaced by the wild and upbeat energy of jazz. The white youth fell in love and demanded more jazz bands to perform.

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The Jazz Age was at its peak in 1920 as jazz bands popped up all over the country. Many white musicians learned techniques from Black artists and saturated the jazz scene, pushing black artists out. Some white musicians went so far as to proclaim they invented the musical style. Nick LaRocca, for example, claimed jazz was a white man’s music and a genre for which they should be credited, stating,

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As mixed-race bands began to tour the country, Black band members were often left behind, as the other members were worried audiences would not accept them. However, Benny Goodman, bandleader of a mixed-race swing band, was an outlier. Goodman once said, "If a guy's got it, let him give it. I'm selling music, not prejudice." As his popularity grew, racially mixed groups became more accepted in the mainstream.