Although New Orleans is the acknowledged birthplace of jazz, Chicago is regarded as the first place outside of the South where jazz was heard, and New Orleans-style jazz was first recorded in Chicago. Popular in the 1920s, "Chicago Jazz" refers to a white style of music, closely related to New Orleans Jazz, in which soloists were more prominent than the ensemble. The music is also tighter or less rhythmically realized than the New Orleans style.

When World War I increased employment opportunities for African Americans outside the South, Chicago became a center of the black community. Jazz moved to Chicago to fill the need for familiar entertainment. From the black neighborhoods, jazz moved into the white areas of Chicago, where young Chicago kids were fascinated with the new sounds.

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, a group of white New Orleans musicians who were the first band...