Ragtime originated in the American South in the late 1800s. This music is composed of vibrant rhythms often associated with African dance. Scott Joplin was a great pianist of the ragtime era. But at a time when jazz culture had shifted to the blues style. The blues style also had an important influence on the development of jazz. Usually, blues singers sang with background instruments such as guitar, piano, and sometimes harmonica. Bessie Smith was a famous and very important blues musician, she had a great impact on the blues era. Over time, jazz has continued to evolve throughout history. The next style of jazz was Dixieland, aka traditional jazz, which emerged in the early 20th century. Dixieland jazz was a combination of blues, ragtime and marching band. Common instruments in a Dixieland jazz style band included the clarinet, cornet trumpet, trombone, and saxophone. Normally the rhythm section included banjo, drums, piano, tuba or double bass. Unlike the blues, Dixieland was generally played without a singer. Some of Dixieland's most talented jazz musicians were trumpeter Louis Armstrong, trumpeter Bix Beiterbecke, and pianist Jelly Roll Morton. The Dixieland jazz phase died out with the arrival of the Big Band. Big band was a very popular style. A big band is an ensemble of 10 or more musicians. The Big Band played instruments such as saxophones, trumpets, piano,