Here they played African music characterized by accented off-beat rhythms that would become a fundamental ingredient to the development of jazz music.
New Orleans was founded by the French in 1718 and changed hands to Spanish rule for much of the 18th Century. The guide told us that it was the Spanish who let their “Catholicized” slaves have Sundays off, on which they would gather in Congo Square. Here they played African music characterized by accented off-beat rhythms that would become a fundamental ingredient to the development of jazz music.