Jazz is often seen as America's traditional music and has a history that goes back over 100 years. It started in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and is a mix of American, European, and African music and culture. Important features of jazz are making up music on the spot (improvisation), complicated musical notes (chords), and the use of instruments like the saxophone, trumpet, and piano.

The city of New Orleans played a big part in its growth. The city's mix of people interacted with each other, leading to a mix of different types of music like ragtime, marches, and blues. At first, jazz was mostly used for dancing, but after the first recordings of jazz were made in 1917, the music became popular and grew quickly.

The growth of jazz was led by a group of amazing musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. Jazz grew into different styles including traditional jazz, swing, bebop, cool jazz, and jazz-rock, among others. At the same time, jazz spread from the United States to many parts of the world, and today you can find jazz musicians and jazz festivals in many countries.

Jazz is a wonderful form of art, and some people think of it as "America's traditional music" because it shows the national character and culture. In a way, it acts like a musical mirror, showing who and what Americans were in their own view at different times in their growth.