Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, on March 22, 2022. Patrick Pleul/Pool via ReutersElon Musk could leave Tesla as CEO if his

How could the principle of radical mundanity proposed by the Fermi paradox help explain why humans havent found evidence of extraterrestrial technological civilizations (ETCs)? This is what a recently submitted study hopes to address as a lone researcher investigated the prospect for finding ETCs based on this principle. This study has the potential to help scientists and the public better understand why we havent identified intelligent life beyond Earth and how we might narrow the search for it.

First came the blues, and then came jazz. The origins of the blues can be traced to the human catastrophe of American slavery in the Mississippi Delta.Though jazz took shape amidst the vibrant cultural climate of early twentieth-century New Orleans, it is marked by profound musical connections and cultural affinities with the blues. Blues and jazz both serve as powerful expressions of the impact of slavery and the struggles of Black communities in America.How the Blues Began in the Mississippi DeltaScars of a whipped Mississippi slave, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1863. Source: Wikimedia Commons.Following the conclusion of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the subsequent abolition of slavery in the United States, many African Americans sought to break with musical forms associated with slavery. Yet simultaneously, many looked to music as a way to express the sense of pain, loss, and generational trauma visited on their communities.First came the blues, a raw musical form derived from African musical traditions, religious spirituals, work songs, and the field hollers of Mississippi slaves. The blues emerged in the Delta region of Mississippi during the late nineteenth century, while jazz, a later innovation, emerged in the vibrant musical landscape of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the early 20th century.In 1915, composer and ragtime pianist Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941) of New Orleans published Jelly Roll Blues, now consideredby many to be the earliest example of jazz sheet music. Early jazz both built on the traditions of the blues, largely by transcending its structures, and reflected the cultural diversity and creativity of its times.How New Orleans Became the Birthplace of JazzDancing in Congo Square by EW Kemble, 1885. Source: Wikimedia Commons.In contrast to the harsh restrictions faced by slaves in the Delta region of Mississippi, those in Louisiana were allowed to gather with others to play drums, sing, and dance on the weekends. Regular Sunday ring shouts in Congo Square, New Orleans, not only preserved African and Caribbean drumming traditions, but also created a melting pot of musical styles.Within this rich cultural climate, the structured military cadences of marching drum bands evolved into a more spontaneous, syncopated, dance-friendly style. Concurrently, European dance trends like the Waltz fused with African, African-American, and Caribbean influences. The polite, refined steps of the Waltz gradually gave way to the more suggestive, expressive steps of the Foxtrot.As ragtime piano and early Jazz gained prominence, groups deviating from the marching tradition sought a new approach. The syncopated rhythms of the marching bands were reproduced by a lone musician on a stationary set of drums, and the Jazz drummer was born.Blues vs. Jazz: Key Musical DifferencesAn unknown jazz drummer at the Memphis Juke Joint, Tennessee, 1938. Source: Wikimedia Commons.BluesJazzMood and feelMelancholic, throbbing with emotion, often carrying themes of hardship and resilience.Smooth, swinging, and often more upbeat or playful.InstrumentationTypically solo vocals with a lone guitar.Rich ensemble sound featuring piano, guitar, trumpet, clarinet, trombone, and drums.StructureTypically solo vocals with a lone guitar.Includes dazzling trumpeters, creative solos, crooning vocals, and bluesy, soulful piano.Guitar techniquesFingerstyle playing with bends, sliding notes, and syncopated rhythms to create a unique sense of time.Defies rigid forms; embraces spontaneity, off-beat rhythms, and syncopation.LyricsRaw, soulful, and straightforward narratives drawn from everyday life.Defined more by its approach than composition. Any song, even a blues song, can be played in jazz style.How the Blues Shaped the Sound of JazzLouis Armstrong, jazz trumpeter and vocalist. Source: Wikimedia CommonsIn many respects, jazz wouldnt exist without the blues. Improvisation is a key element of jazz, and during the early days of the jazz scene, the 12-bar blues structure was by far the most important template for improvisation.Blues and jazz share a common cultural heritage in the African-American communities of the South. Yet, musically, various elements of the blues also made it into jazz, from blue notes and dissonances to the interactive, conversational dynamics of call-and-response and syncopated polyrhythmic structures. Blues rhythms are fundamental to the vibrant musical landscape of jazz.At a basic level, both blues and jazz share a common emphasis on spontaneity and creative improvisation. Critically, the fundamental harmonic structure, melodies, and chord progressions of the blues became integral to jazz. Renowned jazz musicians, from Jelly Roll Morton to Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), have all based some of their best compositions on the bedrock of the blues.