[Dixielandjazz] Ben's "Jazz Curve" 100 years ago

[Jack Mitchell]

Stephen Barbone wrote:
"Henderson gave a Los Angeles Times reporter a preview of what he had
planned for the game. “I got a new curve this year,” he explained,
“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.” The headline for the item, from April 2, 1912, was simply “Ben’s
Jazz Curve.”

 In a relatively recent surprise for etymologists, the latest historical
research has located his quote as the first known use of the word
jazz"

That quote was discovered by NYU librarian George Thompson in 2004. It was 
reported in THE FRISCO CRICKET Spring 2005. I guess 2004 is "relatively 
recent"for those of us wrapped and rapt in the music of the past. It 
certainly is the first known appearance of our word in print, but it has 
been traced to spoken use in a musical context in San Francisco in 1910. 
George Demarest told his bass playing brother William to "jazz it up!". 
William went on to a career in movies and TV. This was described in detail 
by Dick Holbrook in the London magazine STORYVILLE for December, 1973 in an 
article entitled OUR WORD JAZZ.

Best wishes
Jack