[Dixielandjazz] "Dixieland"

[Robert Smith]

I'm probably teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, but anyway here goes:
The term "Dixieland" was a derogatory name given to the French-speaking areas of the Southern States of America. It arose when 10-dollar bills issued in the early 1900's were overprinted with the French word for "10", viz. "Dix" on bills circulated in the French-speaking areas.
The name Dixieland Jazz was originally applied not to the style of jazz, but to where it was being played, and I think it would be difficult to trace the gradual evolvement into a description of the style. Even today most people would be hard put to it to define "Dixieland Jazz", or, for that matter, "OKOM".

Cheers

Bob