If you are a musician you will be familiar with the "cycle of fifths". If not it doesn't matter, you will enjoy the songs that use that form. Much of the music of the vaudevill era played out of multiple chords in a given key.
Here's a classic example,
Edith Wilson ~ "Why Do You Do Me Like You Do?"
And if you liked Edith's style here's another song,
"Rules and Regulations"
And here's a little Fats Waller with his Ragtime piano:
"How Can You Face Me"
And some classic Ragtime guitar from Blind Willie McTell:
The paradox of Ragtime was that it superimposed often sad lyrics on an upbeat, toe-tapping rhythm. This was the basis for Piedmont Blues. Delta Blues had a very different feel.
Robert Johnson is an icon of the Mississippi Delta sound.
The Crossroads is perhaps the best example of that style:
The Big Band era turned the blues sound into a rich texture with the help of giants like Billie Holiday.
Billie Holiday ~ "God Bless the Child That's Got His Own"
Somehow all of those sounds are connected.
I'm just a player, not sophisticated enough in music theory to explain the transition from Blues to Jazz, or explain the many faces of Jazz. I just know I like all of it.
And I just couldn't resist throwing this tidbit in from the Bagdad Cafe movie
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Deborah, that is so true about the gift that African Americans have given not only North America but the world.
I bang pots and pans. We play spoons.
I yearn to play a Fiddle and Juice Harp.
I needed this Treat Post. I Listen. Bless.
`
I Love The 'Flapper' Era. Square Dance.
I use to crash old store-front Pub Bars.
The local showed Hospitality. Chin Goo.
Chin Goo was from `Red Mule' Tobacco.
You would be a great` Square-Dance-Gal.
I really did find ` SANITY in Dance Halls.
Shakey's Pizza in Little Rock during the 60s had a sing along with a projector throwing the lyrics on the wall, a ragtime piano player and a tenor banjo player. Had a great time there one night with a group of German businessmen. The Germans seem to love group singing. Pitchers of beer were poured and before the evening was over they had their coats off and we were all singing Roll Out the Barrel together.
What do you play? Both in terms of instrument(s) and styles
As to the music theory part, some guitarists use that term loosely to indicate styles that are not I, IV, V. Someone explained to me, once, that for any key the chords that don't introduce tones that are not part of the scale are Maj, Min, Min, Maj, Maj, Min, Dim. So, for C they would be C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim. I know that in playing, some chords sound right to me that don't even fit into that scheme. I play mostly by ear with some idea of why I'm doing what i do.
What I like about the first Edith Wilson song is that it is full of surprises and they provide the "salt and pepper" that make the song interesting to listen to and play.
You obviously speak the language. What do you play?