The Man Who Invented Jazz

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Sound Design by Graham Haerther
00:00 Intro
01:27 Title card
01:35 Lost to Time
02:29 World He Lived In
03:21 Loudest Horn in the World
04:02 The Big Four
05:38 Mental Health Issues
06:27 Creation Myth
08:35 Coming Through Slaughter
11:01 Bolden Movie
12:04 Recording
12:38 Race
13:30 Soundtrack
13:51 Conclusion

[@Cyrus7596]

of course his name was Charles/Buddy..... couldn't be more jazz

[@soberakin9415]

Jazz messiah finna be called buddy charles

[@TornaitSuperBird]

Sober Akin Or Charles Buddy.

[@TheAdamat]

"it's Bud, not Buddy." Now I get the book.

[@OdaKa]

@@TheAdamat I loved that book

[@TheKilodead4]

Bud not buddy

[@rasmus9442]

ah so this is the CEO of jazz

[@goodwilltubing]

Don't tell this Karen....

[@alexanderyozzo]

Nah, Jelly Roll Morton is

[@kwabenasakyi]

danm you got danm failed your history@@alexanderyozzo

[@garlic_oil]

As a person with schizophrenia I find it incredibly inspiring whenever I learn of people who struggled against such tremendous forces as psychosis, but, in spite of it all, created something precious.

[@miked7295]

I find it horrifying because despite their illness they can do so much while I can do absolutely nothing. Worthless.

[@justaway6901]

People becomes creative under manic state

[@smoly37]

And don't forget: in those days they just started to realise that there was such a thing as mental disorders, brought on by chemical inbalances in the brain. I don't think Bolden himself understood what happened to him. We know so little, he might have developed Korsakov, due to heavy drinking. Or the combination of alcohol and a mental illness. We will never know. I dread to think about how long this human being has suffered being jailed in a mental assylum and never being able to play his music again. What a nightmare.

[@smoly37]

​@@justaway6901That is very well possible. Lets be honest: when you think about the greatest artists we know, a lot of them suffered of mental problems and because of their intelligence and pure coincidence they somehow managed to create something unique. Time plays a role, also. The genius of f.i. van Gogh was admitted to a long time after his death. So....who knows?! Maybe one day you'll write your memoires, and ten years after you passed, they are discovered by a niece of a niece or something like that.... Not all great people got recognizion straight away, I guess I'm trying to say. These are different times.

[@TestTest-ev2ne]

Late reply but you should read "touched with fire- manic depressive illness and the artistic temperament" by Kay Redfield Jamison. It touches on this subject

[@PeterPenn10]

"Ya Like Jazz?" - Barry Bee, the greatest to ever live.

[@Yoshimitsu4prez]

Idk why anyone would ever let “Funky Butt” take on a new name. That’s a perfect name for anything.

[@Strings-jg2to]

Ken Burns: Jazz is a must see. A masterpiece of the jazz genre.

[@happyron]

Who else dreams of someday being big enough to have Polyphonic review your music? I had a Beatles book author review one of my songs once and it made my month!

[@Polyphonic]

I just checked out your channel. It's fantastic to see someone making such positive, uplifting music, especially in these strange and confusing times.

[@happyron]

@@Polyphonic Wow I am deeply honored that someone who hears so much great music would find value in mine. My "inspirational quotes" series is somewhat influenced by your videos which I study, I hope to get more skilled as time goes on and make videos that are as sophisticated as yours, right now I'm doing simple cuts and quotes. You may enjoy my latest recording, which people say is my best vocal, it's an update to my song about what you would say to those your love if you only had a little time left, and since we are only here a while might as well say it now.. I need to make a new video that has non-copyrighted images in it. soundcloud.com/happyron10/the-wider-view-a-song-of-life Thanks again you made my day !

[@happyron]

@Undercoverbus Yes so cool to see intelligent discussion of music -- with cool graphics. I grew up in the 1970s where you rarely had this much less cool graphics. Used to go to the pink floyd laser show at the space theater and that was the closet

[@OdinOfficialEmcee]

I have thought this a thousand times

[@Mr.Introspective]

@@happyron 👍👍

[@theekaleeb6268]

*Sees Title*: ready to be musically inspired

[@heem8814]

ei wynonie harris

[@theminecrafthaag1609]

Say Wynonie, I was by your house last night and guess what happened?

[@heem8814]

The Minecraft Haag what happened

[@Caesar_Online]

Hahaha exactly!

[@maximustecher4150]

Y’all people are the only people I have met in my life that know Wynonie lol

[@AkimboCorndogs]

Good lord, this channel’s visuals are always fantastic, but they’re really on another level with this video

[@DookiedoohdahPRO]

that walking looks so smooth and good

[@eliotguerin192]

In New Orleans we grew up revering Buddy Bolden as a hero. But, we still have no idea how he actually played. He’s one of the most recent truly mythical figures in music, seeing as by the 1930s most musicians who were famous enough could eventually lay down a record or two.

[@georgeguja6155]

Ahh jazz, rock and blues are cool but jazz is such a complex and brilliant genre I appreciate you shining the spotlight on these less known but just as brilliant artists it really shows your a true music lover

[@garretphegley8796]

"Jazz is Badass" I guess everything has to be said atleast once...

[@georgeguja6155]

@@garretphegley8796 what do you mean It might not have been the best word but it delivers my idea

[@mcstuff888]

agree

[@fightfannerd2078]

Jazz has nothing to do with Africans, the French invented it

[@kbells1171]

@@fightfannerd2078 Ah yes, cabaret has also nothing to do with the French, the Africans invented it.

[@belr0m]

Do a video on the BASSics of Jaco Pastorius

[@buddhafyre]

Genius and tragedy....

[@pumpSHO]

OMG yesssss A Portrait of Tracy was terrifying to behold

[@cfwhitney]

In case you haven't heard this. Check it out. Great Jaco Documentary. BBC. kzbin.info/www/bejne/joaXhnyHgMeohaM

[@soldoiwakebo6649]

​@TacoTacoTacoTaco I'll bite! Umm, the whole Word of Mouth album?

[@sylaisee_bebop]

this is probably going to get get lost in the comments, but i just wanna say that your video is helping me in a paper i'm writing about buddy bolden for a music history class and i sent this video to my professor who was overjoyed that people were still talking about him and his legacy. your channel was also where i first heard of robert johnson and i got excited when we went over him in class these past two weeks lol

[@xericxcostax8521]

the editing on this video is just unbelievable...

[@darz3829]

Two things - first there is no jazz recording from the era (1917-1931) that uses the "Bug Four" street beat. It really came into being (as far as recordings are concerned) after the 1940s, probably to alleviate the boredom of drummers not content to play a simple march cadence. Second - all the writings about Buddy Bolden give the impression that he just showed up in the 1890s playing like Miles or Louis Armstrong. Since he didn't record we can't know for sure, but on virtually all recordings from that early era, the emphasis was on ragtime. (1890s - 1910). Every recording shows a cornet (never trumpet) playing in a ricki-ticki square approach. Never a laid-back, swingy playing that was not in vogue until the mid 1930s. (except for Armstrong and a few others in the late 20s) There are many recordings that confirm this. Also, there is a 1906 photo of Bolden's band that shows cornet, valve trombone, two clarinets, guitar, and string bass. This instrumentation is not conducive to loud playing or playing harmony without stepping all over each other. If Bolden played a bit more in ragtime and loudly, it's likely his band didn't sound like a jazz band from the mid twenties.

[@y.a.pthered]

I wonder if you've ever had a look into the South African Jazz movement, also had huge ties to the struggle against Apartheid, and I feel like its a story that isn't told enough, even in the country it happened in

[@sbonelomsibi2955]

It is quite rich hey. My grandma talks about it from time to time

[@keikei1943]

I want to get into Mzansi Jazz, I remember a couple of jazz boys from childhood, I want revisit it it's beautiful

[@2hard2knock]

Can you recommend some good South African jazz musicians? Thanks 🙏🏾

[@LiquidIronTV]

Adore these jazz video essays, masterfully done as always!. A video essay on Charles Mingus would be something special I think! One of the Jazz all time greats.

[@cuttingaway123]

Watching at 10:00 pm while listing to John Coltrane with the lights off.... I’m in heaven

[@northernbohemianrealist1412]

Few people know it, but Bolden grew up on Mississippi River boats, which is why he rocked back and forth constantly.

[@jacobgutierrez864]

This is honestly one of your best videos yet in terms of maturity and introspectiveness. You’ve used discussion about one mysterious man,and used it as a catalyst for all of jazz in such an amazing way. Please please please keep up the great work :)

[@cherokee2356]

I love how Kendrick uses jazz in hip hop. Thanks to him , I came into jazz

[@PlannedObsolescence]

They used to do that a lot back in the ‘90s.

[@zonalibrer3357]

@RAPTURE Has listened *Digable Planets* ?

[@flybeep1661]

Jazz Rap is a genre all by itself. highly popular in the 1990s.

[@dpm12]

Nas does the same thing.

[@aestheticaltwat]

90s Hip-Hop is filled with Jazz samples. Listen to some Wu-Tang or De La Soul.

[@jadenhawes7603]

How does Polyphonic not have 1 million subscribers yet?

[@Christian-97]

Coming close.

[@rydenr.2999]

From about 0:40 to 0:45 you can see Joan Crawford at the front there. That photo is from 1927. (The same woman as my profile photo.)

[@CorbCorbin]

Sadly, for many years, because of the film “Mommy Dearest,” her relationship with Christina, became the only thing about Crawford that most people associated her with.

[@augustosolari7721]

Loved how bette Davis threw her down the stairs in "whatever happened to baby jane"

[@KimBrown900]

As far as the man who invented Jazz, Jelly Roll made that claim, and he had some reason to make that claim. Jelly Roll said it isn't Jazz if it doesn't have that Latin tinge. And that is his influence on the music at the time and since. Buddy was known for his call, a fanfare as such echoed in the performances of Louis Armstrong who knew Buddy and learned from him. The call could be heard all over New Orleans, it was so loud. It was improvised, but they mostly played parade music, think Mardi Gras, and second line.

[@BmakinFilm]

It is unlikely that Armstrong knew Bolden in any significant sense of the word, and highly unlikely that he learned much from him: Buddy Bolden was arrested and placed in an insane asylum in 1907 and he was never heard from again. From the oral histories we have, his last public performance was in summer/fall 1906. Armstrong was born in mid 1901. Armstrong was 5 years old when Bolden was institutionalized. It may be that Armstrong had not yet even begun to play cornet. Sydney Bechet's autobio Treat It Gentle contains much of this.

[@Low_violin]

These graphs are sick! Love your videos man, keep up the great work!!

[@TheKikiitha]

never clicked so fast

[@acarouselofantics]

I know, right.

[@francescaa8331]

Exactly

[@nikolademitri731]

This is probably my favorite video of yours. You took it in an absolutely brilliant direction, got much deeper than usual, going far beyond the music you talk about, and getting into the material and social realities of humanity. Bravo!

[@DarkOne0878]

Kinda surprised there's no mention of Congo Square here.

[@nickzardiashvili624]

What you're describing here has been extensively studied by Jean Baudrillard, a philosopher. His book "Simulacra and Simulation" deals with symbols, signifiers becoming more significant than what they stood for, the signified. He called it hyperreality. Boldin is another excellent example of hyperreality.

[@averyintelligence]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing I'll have to look up jeans work

[@dylanyoung4057]

Your vids are so well done. Always excited for the next one to come out as they intensify my love of music. It’s one thing to know an artist’s discography and another to know ab their actual lives and where their music comes from and ur my main source of the latter so thanks man. Keep it up!

[@mariomujica2987]

I support you on Nebula man. Keep up the amazing work. I would buy more merch if you release something too

[@Polyphonic]

I'm working on some more merch.

[@oow1667]

The editing in your videos is flawless.

[@kirbymia6209]

Absolutely love your videos! I really appreciate the level of effort you put in visually, through content and research and aurally for these videos! Please keep the jazz ones coming. They're my personal favourite. Much love!

[@choicedecision]

What a great video. The way you brought the story to life, both through the narrative and the editing of the video, was superb!

[@juankaimejia]

I love the evolution in the animatión, the writing and the narration in the channel. And as always astonished by the research. Amazing work.

[@SoFarSoGoodSoWhat14]

It's so sad that we don't have any footage or recordings of him :(

[@sedrickjones5675]

The one person that could find a record of Bolden would be rich in an instant.

[@puyatecla9903]

This is a great channel, I love all the videos, keep it up dude

[@andersnehm3838]

nice job, amazing pictures and stunning editing!

[@bri310]

New Orleans is a magical place. The amazing artists that come from some of these placed is so inspiring. Nola, Philly, so much innovation. To see how African and Caribbean sounds and its fusions with other world music over the years has lasted and evolved is really phenomenal. The untold uncelebrated impact is almost sinful. So glad for videos like this

[@aldodocarmo]

Magnificent mini-documentary! Kudos!

[@heregedaescribaria6990]

I love so much this channel! Every video is a master piece. Thank you thank you thank you, Polyphonic for exist!

[@Scriabinfan593]

György Ligeti (who is one of my favorite composers) once said that the real music of the 20th century was jazz.

[@ihabphantom]

I was wondering where you've been in the last couple of weeks (since this is your first post since "Us and Them"), but it was worth the wait... FANTASTIC VIDEO. I love jazz and love your videos in general and jazz videos in particular. I was wondering if you've seen Netflix's mini-series "The Eddy" about a jazz venue in Paris. I know that you usually talk about music, but if you watch it, could you please consider making a video about it?? It really is a beautiful show for jazz fans, and I think you would find it interesting. Keep up the great work!!

[@windturbine6796]

I have one rule of thumb: ALWAYS click on a Polyphonic video.

[@kevinlawrence8580]

Buddy Bolden was the first true known jazz musician. It's sad he never was able to record his music

[@TheMariograph]

All your videos are awesome on every possible way. Thank you so much.

[@mymuses4336]

YESSSS! I absolutely LOVE jazz..,it’s one of the reasons that I moved to New Orleans in the first place! Terrific story! 🖤🎉👑🎺⚜️

[@jakeharris3248]

The Birdman Charlie Parker ! I was born in 1975 and I can remember a bar in the more run down part of town called Birdland that had been there since the late 40’s early 50’s. Turns out they had Birdland bars and nightclubs all over the US and even some international locations. If Buddy Bolden invented jazz , Charlie Parker personified it !

[@phoebes1370]

There are so many musicians from new Orleans!

[@erichodge567]

I'm so happy to read the comments and know that there are still so many that still love jazz. Perhaps nothing so beautiful can ever die.

[@bryanbailey2720]

This channel scratches an itch I never knew I had

[@Madjed2024]

Thank you for sharing this Loved your analysis and now I need to learn more about the kind

[@francescaa8331]

Great topic. I so enjoy this channel.

[@chasefreak]

Hey-Nice job on this presentation about Buddy Bolden. He was the first to get recognition out of New Orleans, however, there were some before him too who nobody knows about. I have a pic from the late 1880's w the New Orleans Creole band and there are cats sitting down in their John Phillip Sousa outfits holding their Cornets and I often wonder...who WERE these guys??

[@Linkin-2603]

I'm in the process of beginning an assignment at school where we have to write about a historical overview of a genre, this has definitely helped me set the groundwork for it.

[@matheusnobre5880]

Have you ever considered making a video on Bill Evans?

[@malikphillips4794]

I love you for making this video! Instant subscription

[@DanielJohnson-ms7kr]

Great video man

[@RobertoGinsburg]

Great quality and informative video like ever. You should a video of *Professor Longhair (New Orleans) , maybe the earlier antecedent for Funkyness* on Rhythm n Blues. Scholar Alexander Stewart made a extraordinary paper about the New Orleans second line drums and *"Rhumba-boogie"* pivotal influence that contagied R&B acts around USA like Ray Charles, Little Richard, Lowell Fulsom, Johnnie Otis and most specially over James Brown via a Florida drummer named Clayton Fillyau

[@JakobSeidl]

6:10 he died in 1931, not 1934

[@LanceTheDriver]

Amazing video. Thank you for making this.

[@aschneider70]

Great! And the graphics are amazing!

[@nevar23]

Great video! I've been fascinated with Bolden since the 90s. Another great book that features Buddy Bolden is "The Sound of Building Coffins" by New Orleans author Louis Maistros. One of my fav books ever.

[@ylf.thealien]

Brilliant vid!

[@MachineHeadDissent]

One of the best channels on KZbin right here!!!...🤙😎🤘

[@geddylifeson5136]

Great job!

[@dRealNayon]

Too bad there's no record of his music that lived today. But, I'm glad that there's people that continued his passion to this day

[@rockandrollguy]

Awesome video I learned a lot! I think it would be awesome if you did a video on Roy Brown

[@dani_andi]

man, great editing

[@lupcokotevski2907]

I have an original 1953 Australian press Bunk Johnson LP which includes Buddy Bolden in the liner notes as "legendary leader of the first jazz band" that Bunk had played with almost half a century earlier.

[@c.i.demann3069]

masterful video. well done, sir.

[@levmatta]

Please do one on Louis Armstrong!! And he's 2 revolutions.

[@kipperbill]

What I love about Bolden, after first hearing his name 7 minutes ago, is how much fun he and his audience would've had in those old halls

[@badnewsproduction01]

Great video. Top notch content

[@charliesherman2416]

I was fully prepared to hear you say "The real Buddy Bolden is the friends we made along the way".

[@RH-uf9il]

Great video!

[@adamgates1142]

Haven't sseen any of your videos yet but I'm gonna sub now based on the quality of your titles

[@abrahampalmer1153]

Jazz music is my favorite genre of music ever there is no other genre of music can make me feel enlightenment like jazz does IMO.

[@acarouselofantics]

Like everyone else, I appreciate your content! Great commentary.

[@RAnnEllisHall]

Thank you so much!!

[@teddzagan5178]

How am I only hearing about his biopic now!? Great vid dude

[@andrewgillis8572]

Nice takes - and Ondaatje was quoted nicely right after I wrote my comment

[@CALLOFDOOTY16]

Wow... wow... wow... I am now ashamed to have never have heard of Bolden, but am enlightened to have learned about, at least some, of his genius! Thank you.

[@XZITT]

Who Invented Jazz, The Black Man. Rock And Roll The Black Man. Blues, R&B, Hip Hop, on and on Made us great in sports. Arts, Culture to the World

[@j0an-07-arc6]

No music changes tru inspiration and ideas pass by that others and changed it music evolves by every single person that plays it

[@InventorZahran]

In other words, Black people created almost every genre of modern popular music!

[@marcobaek1378]

im korean....we have our culture and such.....thank you very much

[@mikeysweeney6340]

Maybe not invented rock n roll, but you're definitely right about everything else

[@MicahAndrews]

@@mikeysweeney6340 chuck berry

[@eshaibraheem4218]

Very many thanks for this.

[@mottahead6464]

The guy who invented Jazz was actually schizophrenic ? Why is it that I'm not surprised ? Jazz is too bold for average people. One has to be at least a little bit adventurous to be a real Jazz fanatic.

[@BrainySnacks]

Jazz was literally the most popular music in the world for half a century.

[@Horus-Lupercal]

He had schizophrenia, he was no serial killer.

[@mottahead6464]

@@Horus-Lupercal I just meant that he saw reality in a different light.

[@ohtongodinez6444]

This video is a lie.

[@woah3108]

@@BrainySnacks bahahahahahaa fr though

[@deskwerks]

Yep. "The Jazz Loft" was great!

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

You should do a video on how Miles Davis invented Jazz Fusion with Bitches Brew

[@cactaceous]

If he invented Jazz Fusion as you claim, he did it earlier, in his previous album In A Silent Way. Bitches Brew was an extension of what he first attempted on In A Silent Way. Filles de Kilimanjaro is where he began using electric instruments that would serve as a future blueprint. On the Jack Johnson album that came right after Bitches Brew, is where he best captured the full fusion, in my opinion.

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

@@cactaceous true. I have yet to hear In A Silent Way

[@cactaceous]

The Colorization Channel Look it up. It’s pretty great. One of his best.

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

@@cactaceous ok

[@taogoat27]

Miles in the Sky is arguably the first Jazz Fusion album

[@williamhively3295]

I get that words are different north of the border, but Buddy ‘s instrument is usually pronounced [kor-net’]. Thanks for a deeply insightful look at the origins of jazz and how one guy became the embodiment of the unknown artists that took a huge creative leap and made a uniquely American art form.

[@taogoat27]

Thank you, I was really triggered by "cornit"

[@juanortiz9123]

Such a mistery fellow...... As per usual, GREAT video! Thank you!

[@Nikkyeshiva83]

There was another movie about Buddy that was made years ago and never released. Anthony Mackie played Bolden. It was filmed near where I lived down in NC.

[@gorillaengineering]

I just want to use the comment box to say a big thank you. I'm searching for my path in music, and this videos are food for my soul. Thank you for making my days better days.

[@gothcaillou]

Why is that dude walking like QWOP?

[@joaojoaojoaojoaojoao2113]

imagine going back in time and playing the olatunji concert to him

[@OdaKa]

Bruh said "Lou isssss Armstrong" tho

[@DarkeningSkies1]

How Satch always pronounced his name. White folks called him “Louie”.

[@OdaKa]

@@DarkeningSkies1 that would explain why he pronounced the "isssss" so strongly, making a point

[@averyintelligence]

That's actually his name lol

[@Afar1]

The first watch hasn’t even ended yet and there are already over 1k views!!!

[@Detdriterveljegi]

Great video, top of the line, loved more or less every minute of it. That said, that walking animation of Bolden is so absolutely hilarious. Still a like & subscribe from me :-)

[@harunosmanovic]

it would be great to have a spotify playlist accompanying your videos...

[@ruaoneill9050]

I'm not crying you are!!! Shut up!!! Brill video, thanks for introducing me to jazz in a way that doesn't overwhelm me but actually makes me desperate for more 💜🖤💜🖤