... the cities in the Midwest. The great Leroy Carr, for example, hailed from Indianapolis. The "elevation" of the blues by its integration into ragtime -- led by W.C. Handy ("Memphis Blues," "St. Louis Blues") beginning in 1912 -- played a major hand in the birthing of jazz; ... the freedom of improvised vocal and instrumental call-and-answer was probably an attraction for ragtime musicians. For another decade, the blues itself was still mostly played live for phonograph-less rural audiences, yet eventually the jazz connection did ... the movement . The guitar styling was often more intric...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate