Time to Do Away With the Word "Jazz"?

When it comes to the origin of the word “jazz,” it seems that each person simply believes what she or he wants to. Some people would like the word to come from Africa, so they firmly believe the stories that support that. Others want it to be an African American word, so they look for that. But professional linguists have been on the case for decades, and the real story is a lot less black and white.

The BOTTOM LINES in this discussion are:

1. Nobody knows for sure the etymology of the word “jazz”!! (Even the professionals have not found an earlier word or words, from English or any other language, that “morphed” into the word “jazz.”)

2. The word does not appear to have been invented by African Americans and is not from New Orleans. It seems to have originated among white people (European Americans), and the earliest printed uses of it are in California baseball writing, where it means “lively, energetic.”(Note: The word still has this meaning, as in “Let’s jazz this up”!) The earliest one yet found was in the LA Times, April 2, 1912, as you can see below. This text was discovered by researcher George A. Thompson. 

BEN'S JAZZ CURVE.

"I got a new curve this year," softly murmured Henderson yesterday, "and I'm goin' to pitch one or two of them tomorrow.I call it the Jazz ball because it wobbles and you simply can't do anything with it."

Remember, they are talking baseball here. The line "it wobbles and you can't do anything with it" possibly refers to jazz's syncopation and, to the untrained ear, erratic rhythms.

3. Whites started to call the new music “jazz” in Chicago (and possibly California) in 1915. Because it was a new word, and it was slang, spellings varied at first (jazz, jas, jaz, jass, jasz), but since 1918 it has been “jazz.”

4. Whites meant the word “jazz” as a compliment (meaning that the music was lively and exciting), not an insult!

 WHAT IS JAZZ? by LARRY RENI THOMAS

  Jazz is a term that was given to American classical music around 1900, by the New Orleans aristocrats who after visiting the whorehouses and hearing the black musicians play the sounds of freedom, sought to deny it its dignity when they realized that they couldn't play it and that their associates could not play it either. It has never belonged to black people nor will it ever. When the aristocrats realized that they could exploit it and make money off of it, the music, which is a reflection of the African-American musical reaction to the modern era, they took it over and have controlled it ever since. The first recorded "j-ass" (short for jack-ass) recording was performed by a group of people who the aristocrats selected. It would have been unthinkable and unprofitable to use black people to record black music.
 

American classical music has always had trouble with its African-American core because it has always been given a negative meaning. I interviewed Art "Buhania" Blakey several years ago after a concert at Duke University and he was highly ticked off because there were almost no black people in attendance. When I asked him was there a conspiracy to keep the music away from black people, he said, "Hell, no!" Buhania went on to say that black people don't particularly like it and have been told by black preachers not to listen to the music because it was "devil's music."
 

I have been a jazz radio announcer/writer for three decades and have heard many blacks tell me that they don't like jazz because it moves too fast or slow, there is not enough soulful singing, or that white folks like it. These are all absurd reasons of course, but that's reality. How do we solve it? How do we reverse decades of fear and ignorance? Good questions. Maybe we should ask the aristocrats--the 10 families or .001% of the world who run things. The answer is to keep on doing what we are doing by promoting it, playing it on the radio and by posing such questions and challenging the status quo when they keep trying to make it something that it isn't. It is BLACK MUSIC and it will continue to be for another 100 years. Just like we know that the Old Dixieland Jass Band was some watered down, mediocre music, we will know that most of the music we hear these days that passes itself off as American classical music is as phony as a three dollar bill.

please read the history oif jazz . u will read nick la rocca a dark skined sicialian from new orleans changed the spelling from jass to jazz after jim crow stoped clobes from hiriieing "colords" & the promotion posters were grafeteed by crossing the j off spelling .ass so zz stoped that ;)

Jazz is a term created by those who wanted to deny this majestic, highly-creative art form its dignity.  It was given the name by New Orleans aristocrats who after visiting the whore houses and hearing blacks play sounds of freedom, decided they would call it "jack-ass" music (-j-ass).  The black musicians who created it, didn't call it jazz.  Whites can play it, too, but most of them have respect for and know that it is a black creation.  Red Rodney, Bill Evans, and others actually associated and hung out with black musicians.  As a writer/radio announcer who has been in the business since 1978, I totally agree with Nick. After all, as a musician, he has the right to call it whatever he wants to.  Right on, Nick!

Tell him to suck on it. Jazz will always be jazz. Tryna coin a term.

Old story is old.

Jazz is Jazz. Period.

NO.

He looks smarter by keeping quiet

? To many other genres would go under this term: blues, soul, hip hop, etc. If its recognition he wants, he ought to contact Ken Burns and ask him to create a doc on all the genres created by African-Americans. However, though many internationally popular music genres were created by African-Americans, these genres were also expanded by people of other colors.

I propose they change the name to jezz. And so you could say, 'ooh, that's jezzy.' aww yea

Sure, only black people play Jazz. NOT.

Are you kidding? Jazz might be one of the coolest words ever invented.

Stupid

That's dumb as Hell. Fishbone, Bad Brains, and Living Colour can be considered Black American Music and is the farthest thing from jazz.

That's what I call it already.

No.

"Black American Music"? That's way too broad a term. WAY too ambiguous and not helpful. Jazz is a subset of music. BAM can mean rap, jazz, soul, gospel, hip-hop, be-bop -- need I go on?!

No

c'mon.

Ever heard of Bill Evans?

I think Infantile Egomaniac would suit him better.

Only if he changes his name to Delusional Egomaniac

boring. God, do we really have to have this dull debate again? Just another musician who thinks what he does is in service to God Almighty. It's just music. It doesn't save lives. The Postman's job is more important.

Call it whatever u want, jazz is shit.

rap is just angry disco right?

Idiotic! That's Rap's title right? Just play your horn and shut up

obviously none of you read the article, he needs no publicity.

no one person can single-handed create anything. its impossible to not be influenced by your environment when creating.

What about all the other forms of Black American music? He wants everything under one category?

What a retarded publicity seeker.

Dumb and stupid

Shut up

Stupid.

Black American Music -- "BAM!"

Considering he single-handedly created jazz, I'd say he's in the right.

that's dumb

no. music has no race.