Okay, so virtually every single American musical form including Jazz and Blues can trace it's origins back to two musical ancestors, the 2 C's, Celtic and Classical. That's the real skinny on this matter, if you do not believe me you are ignorant or as mad as a hatter. Celtic and Classical evolved into numerous styles such as Folk, County-Western, Bluegrass, boogie woogie which originated from old honky tonk piano playing (White people), etc... Jazz is the mulatto bastard child of White honky tonk(the stuff they played in the southern/western saloons aka honky tonks) piano playing which later became known as boogie woogie no one is for sure where the term boogie woogie came from. This honky tonk/boogie woogie piano style itself had been influenced by classical pianists such as Chopin and Franz Liszt just to name a few, and eventually evolved into jazz. In the beginning of what would become known as jazz, Whites had MORE influence than Blacks on it's creation. But then the Blacks claimed jazz as their own and took it and ran with it and evolved it into their own style.     The Blues, like Jazz, was the illegitimate mulatto child of White Country and Folk music. Liberals, Blacks, and the misinformed like to say virtually every single American musical style goes back to African slave music, but actually.....Celtic and Classical are the mother and father of all American musical genres that I can think of. Even Blues and Jazz, there is no escaping it. All this Whites don't know nuffin' about moosic, Whites ain't got none rhythm, only Blacks can make moosic, is all bullcrap. Rock N' Roll was a Black creation...yeah....just another Black Invention Myth like these ones here.....   http://www33.brinkster.com/iiiii/inventions/