The Americas

Find out about the legends of jazz and listen to their music

Discover where the tango originally came from and how it has influenced composers all over the world

An overview of the classical music that has emerged from the United States of America

Blues music is not just sad: it can be funny, rude or even aggressive. Whatever the mood, the blues always attempt to provide an honest reflection of everyday life

Where did jazz originate, and can a single definition be found for this music now found all over the world?

Words and natural speech patterns have a rhythm to themselves, as some pioneering musicians from New York began to realise

As American music began to sweep across the Caribbean it inspired Jamaican musicians to incorporate it in to their own styles, creating yet more new sounds

Another great song whose potent lyrics provided a moving anthem for change, was taken up by the American Civil Rights Movement – find out more.