What is a key feature in both spirituals and jazz traditions?

Call-and-response singing is a key feature in both spirituals and jazz traditions, reflecting a deep-rooted cultural practice that has origins in African musical forms. In spirituals, this technique serves as a means of communal expression and interaction between the leader and the congregation, facilitating participation and emotional connection during worship and storytelling.

In jazz, call-and-response is pivotal in improvisational contexts, where musicians engage with each other through musical phrases that echo or respond to one another, fostering dialogue and creativity. This technique highlights the collective nature of both art forms, emphasizing the importance of community and shared experience in their musical expressions.

While improvisation, syncopation, and polyphony are also significant elements found in these genres, they do not serve as the unifying feature across both spirituals and jazz traditions the way call-and-response does. Thus, the call-and-response technique captures a fundamental aspect of the musical communication inherent in both forms.