Some consider this 1916 recording of Wilbur Sweatman playing his own "Down Home Rag" to be the first jazz record. Although it's undeniably rooted in ragtime, Sweatman improvises in a surprisingly jazz or jazz-like manner on his clarinet. According to other accounts, Sweatman was known for his "wild" improvisations on clarinet during past performances in vaudeville shows, suggesting one possible source of jazz improvisation. In spite of its jazz-like qualities, it sounds more like a transitional song. But, it's still "jazzier" than anything James Reese Europe recorded before 1917.
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