Over the past century, various influences have worked to shape
jazz into a complex structure of styles, rhythms and techniques which are difficult to lump under the same banner. This
paper explains that most forms of jazz have a few peculiar features in common which differentiate them from other types of
music. It explains that in order to conduct a survey of the history of jazz, the paper also highlights some of the musical form's commonalities.
More summaries about the History of Jazz