Jazz » New Orleans/Classic Jazz » Ragtime

Although lacking the improvisation or the blues feeling inherent in jazz, Ragtime was a strong influence on the earlier forms of jazz. At its prime from 1899-1915, ragtime is best known as totally written out piano music, though it was also performed by orchestras. Its syncopations and structure (blending together aspects of classical music and marches) hinted strongly at jazz, and many of its melodies (most notably "Maple Leaf Rag") would be played in later years by jazz musicians in a Dixieland context.