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

[Stephen G Barbone]

Dear Jack:

The list has had the discussion about the derivation of "jazz" before.  
The only reason I brought it up again is that the first printed use of  
the word appeared 100 years ago, in 1912. We should celebrate that  
anniversary. <grin>

Actually George Thompson discovered the quote in 2003, not 2004.  
Source:  an article in the L.A. Times dated August 24, 2003.

The search for the "beginning" of usage of the word "jazz" still goes  
on. Some opinions below:

1) It derived from the name of the 19th century dancing slave, Jasper.  
Or a 19th century drummer named Charles (Chas) Washington.

2) It derived from the Creole "jaser" which means to speed up.

3) It derived from the Mandingo "jasi" which means to act out of  
character

4) It derived from the slang word "Jazm", "Gism" or "Jism" circa 1860.

Etc., etc., etc.

Below is a short excerpt from an opinion about "jazz". It makes sense  
to me. It is from the WBGO web site. WBGO being THE jazz radio station  
in Newark NJ / NYC. The site is well worth visiting.

http://www.wbgo.org/blog/origins-word-jazz

by Dr. Lewis Porter- All of the popular stories about the origin of  
the word are wrong—and I do mean all! One of the most ridiculous is  
the idea presented in the Ken Burns documentary series, that jazz is  
short for the jasmine perfume that “all” New Orleans prostitutes wore.  
(Remember, the word is not from New Orleans—and there are many other  
reasons that this makes no sense.) Similarly, there is no truth to the  
ideas that “jazz” came from “jasbo,” “jaser,””jasper”—all are wrong,  
and based on nothing but hearsay.
- Professionals have not found a definite origin of the word “jazz” --  
perhaps they never will. However, some of them favor the idea that it  
developed from a slang word “jasm,” which has been found as far back  
as the Civil War in writings by European Americans. “Jasm” (also  
spelled “gism”) meant “energy, spirit, pep,” and, from that, it also  
had the connotation of sexuality and semen. The reason some  
professionals favor this as a source for the word “jazz” is that  
“jazz” also had similar meanings, and from that also developed the  
connotation of sex.
- Most of the original New Orleans jazz musicians (born between, say,  
1885 and 1901) said that the word “jazz” was not used in New Orleans.  
They were adding improvisation to ragtime and other kinds of music, so  
they would refer to it as their version of “ragtime,” etc. They said  
they first heard the word “jazz” up north (usually meaning Chicago).
Bottom Line? The derivation of the word is as difficult to pin down by  
etymologists  as the definition of the music "jazz" is by jazz fans.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband




On Mar 25, 2012, at 2:08 AM, Jack Mitchell wrote:

> 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.” . . .
>
>
> 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.