[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 696 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 696

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding jazz 
                     heritage in the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2016

  Mr. Cleaver (for himself and Mr. Richmond) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
                               Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding jazz 
                     heritage in the United States.

Whereas the seeds of jazz came from the merger of traditional West African slave 
        folk music with the harmonic style of hymns of the church;
Whereas these songs eventually coalesced in unwritten form, into melodies;
Whereas these melodies came to be performed in urban centers, such as the famed 
        Congo Square of New Orleans;
Whereas these performances evolved over time to contain the core elements such 
        as heavy use of improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swung 
        note;
Whereas these elements combined with the unique performance aspect of southern 
        dance bands bore our modern day understanding of jazz music;
Whereas pianist Jelly Rolle Morton composed his ``Jelly Roll Blues'' in 1905, to 
        be later published in 1914, introducing the world to the New Orleans 
        style;
Whereas jazz would continue to spread and mature, from the original early 20th 
        century style of Dixieland, to the famed Kansas City Bebop of the 1930s;
Whereas Kansas City jazz and its distinguishable styles such as a 4/4 beat over 
        the 2/4 beat, extended soloing, and a heavy blues influence would 
        forever find a place in the hearts of musicians and common folk 
        traveling west;
Whereas jazz would be further fine-tuned through the likes of Duke Ellington, 
        Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkings, John 
        Coltrane, Billy Holiday, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Charles 
        Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Art Tatum, the legendary Louis Armstrong, and 
        countless others;
Whereas New Orleans, Louisiana, has become known throughout the world as the 
        fertile ground from which music unique to the United States was born;
Whereas Kansas City, Missouri, through the musical genius of local artists 
        including Charles ``Yard Bird'' Parker, Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams, 
        Big Joe Turner, Bennie Moten, and the incomparable Jay McShann, became 
        known throughout the world as the breeding ground from which this music 
        unique to the United States has grown up: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes that New Orleans, Louisiana, should be 
        officially proclaimed as ``The Birthplace of Jazz''; and
            (2) recognizes Kansas City, Missouri, as ``The Home of 
        Jazz''.
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