The history behind the word “jazz” signifies not just a type of music but also the buildup of how it came to be. Jazz first emerged in New Orleans and later spread globally, but the author suggests it may have originated from the Caribbean. The modernization of jazz from the 19th to the 20th century allowed different ethnicities to blend their influences, shaping what we now know as modern jazz. Jazz is not only as a genre of music but also as a lifestyle because it represents freedom and creativity. It allowed musicians, like the Uptown players in New Orleans, to perform with passion and express their creativity without being held back by a lack of formal education.

Even after all this time, there still seems to be segregation, but in this case, it is between the Creoles and the Uptown players. The Creoles viewed the Uptown folks as inferior because they couldn’t read notation, didn’t know the “classics,” and didn’t seek a “refined” tone. This indicates that, even though they were of the same race, Creole musicians viewed themselves as superior due to their education and the demand for their polite style of jazz, unlike the Uptown players’ "dirtier" style. This divide between Creoles and Uptown musicians reflects how societal hierarchies and internalized perceptions of class and culture influenced the birth of jazz.