'Just Scratchin(g) the Surface': The Unacknowledged Commonality of Jazz, Blues, and Gospel

There has been little attention paid to the study of elements in common between instrumental jazz and vocal blues and gospel. This article attempts to isolate some examples of the many and varied ways in which these three genres of music, despite their ideological differences, have influenced each other. The author touches on the non-verbal content of vocal music and the pseudo-verbal elements of instrumental jazz, including that of Duke Ellington. Priestley's contention is that jazz scholars' willful ignorance of these factors diminishes their awareness of what constitutes the fundamental attraction of jazz.