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Etymology of Jazz
Musicians
JAS, JASS, JAZ, JASCZ or just plain JAZZ
"If the truth was really known about the origins of Jazz,
it would certainly never be mentioned in polite society."
The expression arose sometime during the later nineteenth century in the better
brothels of New Orleans, which provided music and dancing as well as sex. The or
iginal Jazz band, according to Herbert Asbury's The Latin Quarter (1938), was th
e 'Spasm Band' made up of seven boys, aged twelve to fifteen, who first appeared
in New Orleans about 1895. They advertised themselves as the "Razzy Dazzy Spasm
Band."
In c.1900 (see Jazz Timeline) another band adopted the same billing for an appea
rance at the Haymarket dance hall, it is said the 'Spasms' loaded their pockets
with rocks and dropped by to protest the infringement. This prompted the owner o
f the hall to repaint his advertising placards to read: "Razzy Dazzy Jazzy Band!
" If the memories of Asbury's sources were correct (he talked to two surviving m
embers of the 'Spasms') this represents the word's earliest-known appearance in
print.
'Jazz' is not a bad word now, but almost certainly the etymology is of extremely
low origin, referring to copulation before it was applied to music, dancing, an
d nonsense (i.e., all that Jazz). The vulgar word was in general currency in dan
ce halls thirty years or more ago" (Clay Smith, Etude 9/24). "According to Raven
I. McDavid Sr. of Greenville, S.C., the 1919 announcement of the first 'Jazz ba
nd' to play in Columbia, where he was then serving in the state legislature, ins
pired feelings of terror among the local Baptists such as what might have been a
roused by a personal appearance of Yahweh. Until that time 'Jazz' had never been
heard in the Palmetto States except as a verb meaning to copulate" (H. L. Menck
en, The American Language Raven I. McDavid Jr. 1963). "She never stepped out of
line once in all the years we been teamed up. I can't sell her on jazzing the ch
ump now" (William Lindsay Gresham, Nightmare Alley 1946).
'Jazz' probably comes from a Creole or perhaps African word, but exact connectio
ns have not been proven. The presumed etymology of sexual origin is quite in acc
ord with the development of many other related words, most notably:
'boogie-woogie' was used in the nineteenth century by blacks in the American Sou
th to refer to secondary syphilis.
'gig' the musician's engagement, probably derives immediately from the 'gig' tha
t is a dance or party, but 'gig' and 'gigi' (or 'giggy') also are old slang term
s for the vulva; the first has been dated to the seventeenth century.
'jelly roll' is black slang from the nineteenth century for the vulva, with vari
ous related meanings, i.e. sexual intercourse, a loving woman, a man obsessed wi
th finding same. "What you want?" she asked softly. "Jelly roll?'" (Thomas Wolfe
, Look Homeward Angel 1929). The term probably derives from 'jelly' meaning seme
n: "Give her cold jelly to take up her belly, And once a day swinge her again" (
John Fletcher, The Begger's Bush 1622). Related expressions include 'jelly bag,'
referring both to the scrotum and the female genitals; 'jerk [one's] jelly,' to
masturbate; and 'jelly,' a good-looking woman. 'Jelly roll' appears in many blu
es songs, such as "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None o' My Jelly Roll," "Nobody in
Town Can Bake a Jelly Roll Like Mine," and "Jelly Roll Blues," the last by Ferdi
nand Joseph La Menthe "Jelly Roll" Morton (1885-1941).
'juke' The modern 'jukebox' was preceded by 'juke house' which was a brothel to
Southern blacks; the basic term coming from a Gullah word meaning disorderly or
wicked.
'swing' The now archaic 'swinge' was used for many years as a synonym for copula
tion ('swive' according to the OED's discreet definition). Note the quote from 1
622 in 'jelly roll' above. Or as John Dryden put it: "And that baggage, Beatrix,
how I would swinge her if I could" (Enemy's Love 1668). The oldest meaning of b
oth 'swinge' and 'swing' deal with beating, striking and whipping (i.e., the swi

ng of a weapon predates the back and forth swaying of a swing or the rhythmic sw
ing of music). For reasons that are not hard to guess, the conjunction of violen
t and sexual senses within the same word is very common.
In a more modern sense, Swing has been used describing 'wife-swapping' and relat
ed activities involving one or more partners of either sex. It has been so used
from about 1964 or earlier, depending on the interpretation one gives to Frank S
inatra's 1956 record album Songs for Swinging Lovers.
"I don't know where Jazz is going. Maybe it's going to hell.
You can't make anything go anywhere. It just happens" - Thelonious Monk
Quotations from Jazz musicians, composers and fans
Jazz Quotes
Jazz Quotes
Excerpted from Basic Musicianship
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
Claudia Acuna - "I don't want to sing anything that doesn't come real." [P]
Cannonball Adderley - "Hipness is not a state of mind, it's a fact of life." [P]
Nat Adderley - "I never heard of a Jazz musician who retired. You love what you
do, so what are you going to do... play for the walls?"
African proverb - "When the music changes, so does the dance."
Herb Alpert - "Instrumental music can spread the international language."
Mose Allison - "The essentials of Jazz are: melodic improvisation, melodic inven
tion, swing & instrumental personality." [P]
Karrin Allyson - "Keeping your artistic self as creative as possible is a balanc
ing act."
Jon Anderson - "One of the great moments of my life was when I could write music
ian on my passport."
Anonymous - "Support local music." [P]
Anonymous - "You are what you listen to."
Anonymous - "Jazz players do it standing up." [P]
Anonymous - "If you stumble, make it part of the dance." [P]
Anonymous - "Good music doesn't have an expiration date." [P]
Anonymous - "Jazz music doesn't have an expiration date." [P]
Anonymous - "Jazz is an open ended music designed for open minds."
Anonymous - "Art is how we decorate space; Music is how we decorate time." [P]
Anonymous - "If you are not doing what you love, you are wasting your time!" [P]
Anonymous - "The size of your audience doesn't matter. Keep up the good work." [
P]
Anonymous - "A Jazz musician is someone that puts a $5,000 horn in a $500 car an
d drives 50 miles for $5 gig." [P]
Anonymous - "Just remember to make the best music you have the ability to make.
If you do that, you are a successful musician." [P]
Anonymous - "Jazz musicians were liking things before they were cool since befor
e it was cool to like things before they were cool." [P]
Harold Arlen - "Don't know why, there's no sun up in the sky, Stormy weather, si
nce my man & I ain't together, Keeps raining all the time." [P]
Louis Armstrong - "What we play is life." [P]
Louis Armstrong - "You blows who you is." [P]
Louis Armstrong - "Man, if you gotta ask you'll never know"
Louis Armstrong - "I don't need words. It's all in the phrasing."
Louis Armstrong - "Never play anything the same way twice."
Louis Armstrong - "Musicians don't retire; they stop when there's no more music
in them."
Louis Armstrong - "There is two kinds of music, the good & the bad. I play the g
ood kind." [P]
Louis Armstrong - "Man, all music is folk music. You ain't never heard no horse
sing a song, have you?"
Louis Armstrong - "Hot can be cool & cool can be hot & each can be both. But hot
or cool man, Jazz is Jazz."
Louis Armstrong - "If I don't practice for a day, I know it... for two days, the
critics know it... three days, the public knows it."

Chet Atkins - "Everything I've ever done was out of fear of being mediocre."
Chet Atkins - "Once you become predictable, no one's interested anymore."
Chet Atkins - "Do it again on the next verse & people think you meant it."
Roy Ayers - "The true beauty of music is that it connects people." [P]
J. S. Bach - "It's easy to play any musical instrument, just touch the right key
at the right time & the instrument will play itself."
Joan Baez - "If you're gonna sing meaningful songs, you have to be committed to
living a life that backs that up."
Anita Baker - "Applause felt like approval & it became a drug that soothed the p
ain, but only temporarily."
Anita Baker - "You leave home to seek your fortune & when you get it, you go hom
e & share it with your family."
Chet Baker - "Well if I could play like Wynton, I wouldn't play like Wynton." [P
]
Chet Baker - "What a fool I am to think my breaking heart could kid the moon." [
P]
Josephine Baker - "Each time I leaped I seemed to touch the sky & when I regaine
d earth it seemed to be mine alone." [P]
Patricia Barber - "Music chooses her musicians." [P]
Charlie Barnet - "I like the girls to match the upholstery of the car."
Count Basie - "Keep on listening & tapping your feet." [P]
Count Basie - "The real innovators did their innovating by just being themselves
."
Count Basie - "If you play a tune & a person don't tap their feet, don't play th
e tune."
Count Basie - "If you find a note tonight that sounds good, play the same damn n
ote every night!" [P]
Count Basie - "Of course there are a lot of ways you can treat the blues, but it
will still be the blues."
Shirley Bassey - "I'm a virgin & I brought up all my children to be the same." [
P]
Les Baxter - "Music must be an innovation." [P]
Walter Beasley - "People complain about the music industry, but this is a great
time to be a musician." [P]
Jeff Beck - "I don't care about the rules, if I don't break the rules at least 1
0x every song then I'm not doing my job."
Jeff Beck - "I play the way I do cause it allows me to come up w/ the sickest so
unds possible. That's the point now isn't it?"
Jeff Beck - "When Jazz broke through in England, I remember sneaking to listen o
n the radio much to my parent's disapproval."
Ludwig van Beethoven - "To play without passion is inexcusable." [P]
Ludwig van Beethoven - "Music is the mediator between the spiritual & the sensua
l life."
Ludwig van Beethoven - "Music should strike fire from the heart of man & bring t
ears to the eyes of woman."
Bix Beiderbecke - "One of the things I like about Jazz, kid, is I don't know wha
t's going to happen next. Do you?"
Harry Belafonte - "You can cage the singer but not the song."
Tony Bennett - "To work is to feel alive." [P]
Tony Bennett - "If you follow your passions, you'll never work a day in your lif
e."
Tony Bennett - "One of the advantages of growing older is you learn what to leav
e out."
Tony Bennett - "I still insist that American performers are the best performers
in the world."
Tony Bennett - "Just give a drum roll, announce my name & I come out & sing. I h
ave a contract that says I'm a singer. So I sing."
George Benson - "I've had the pleasure of playing with the baddest Jazz cats on
the planet."
George Benson - "I have been doing music all my life so everyday when I get up I

expect music will be part of it."

Irving Berlin - "Talent is only the starting point." [P]
Irving Berlin - "Life is 10% what you make it & 90% how you take it."
Irving Berlin - "Everybody ought to have a lower East Side in their life."
Leonard Bernstein - "The joy of music should never be interrupted by a commercia
l."
Leonard Bernstein - "This will be our reply to violence: to make music more inte
nsely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before." [P]
Yogi Berra - "Anyone who understands Jazz knows that you can't understand it. It
's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it."
Eubie Blake - "Listen to the birds and don't hate nobody." [P]
Eubie Blake - "Be grateful for luck. Pay the thunder no mind."
Eubie Blake - "If I'd known I'd live to be a 100 I'd have taken much better care
of myself."
Eubie Blake - "Never trust anyone who wants what you've got. Friend or no, envy
is an overwhelming emotion."
Eubie Blake - "I don't have any bad habbits. They might be bad habits for other
people, but they're all right for me."
Art Blakey - "We're here to have a ball."
Art Blakey - "It takes an intelligent ear to listen to Jazz."
Art Blakey - "Music washes away the dust of every day life." [P]
Art Blakey - "If you feel like tapping your feet, tap your feet."
Art Blakey - "When it comes to music, don't lie to yourself; just tell yourself
the truth."
Art Blakey - "People will hire you and then tell you not to do what you were doi
ng when they heard you." [P]
Art Blakey - "A name doesn't make the music. It's just called that to differenti
ate it from other types of music."
Terence Blanchard - "Forget about upholding the tradition and just play who you
really are." [P]
More Jazz quotes & quotations:
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
34 Rules for Bands
Musicians
An essential guide for career-minded musicians
Never start a trio with a married couple.
Your manager's not helping you. Fire him/her.
Before you sign a record deal, look up the word "recoupable" in the dictionary.
No one cares who you've opened for.
A string section does not make your tunes sound any more "important".
If your band has gone through more than 4 bass players, it's time to break up.
When you talk on stage you are never funny.
Asking a crowd how they're doing is just amplified small talk. Don't do it.
Don't say your video's being played if it's only on the Austin Music Network.
When you sign to a major label, claim to have inked the best contract ever. Ment
ion "artistic freedom" and "a guaranteed 3 record deal".
When you get dropped insist that it was the worst contract ever and you asked to
be let go.
Never name a song after your band.
Never name your band after a song.
Never enter a "battle of the bands" contest. If you do you're already a loser.
Learn to recognize scary word pairings: "rock opera", "white rapper", "blues jam
", "open mike", etc.
Drummers can take off their shirts or they can wear gloves, but not both.
It's not a "showcase". It's a gig that doesn't pay.
No one cares that you have a web site.
Getting a tattoo is like sewing platform shoes to your feet.
Don't hire a publicist.
Playing an hour's drive away doesn't mean you're on tour.
Don't join a cover band that plays Miles songs. In fact, don't join a cover band

.
Although they come in different styles and colours, electric guitars all sound t
he same. Why do you keep changing them between songs?
Don't stop your set to ask that beers be brought up. That's what girlfriends/boy
friends and lead singers are for!
If you use a smoke machine your music sucks.
We can tell the difference between a professionally produced album cover and one
you made with the iMac you got for Christmas.
Remember, if Blues solos are so difficult, why can so many 16 year olds play the
m?
If you ever take a publicity photo, destroy it. You may never know where or when
it will turn up.
Cut your hair, but do not shave your head.
Never pierce any part of your face.
Do not wear shorts onstage - or - a hat.
Oxymorons: "major label interest", "demo deal"," blues genius" and "$500 guarant
ee."
3 things that are never coming back: a) gongs b) headbands and c) playing slide
guitar with a beer bottle.
And most important, never pay any attention to someone's list of things your ban
d shouldn't do.
20 Rules for the Sideman
Sideman
An essential guide for sideman musicians
Never smile.
Always complain.
Never recommend anyone who plays better than you.
If you don't know the tune, play harmony.
Double book, then choose.
Always assume the leader knows nothing.
Never play requests (especially if you know it.)
Never show up sooner than 30 seconds before the gig (one minute if you need to s
et-up equipment.)
Whenever possible, use ink when writing on music.
Always open your spit valve over the music.
Always worship dead Jazz greats.
Be negative about anything connected with the gig.
Always bring drinks back onto the bandstand.
If you're backing up an act, always talk when not playing.
If it's a comic, never laugh.
Always bum a ride with one of the other cats.
Always wait until someone is buying before you get thirsty.
Avoid tipping at all costs (waitress, coat room, valet, etc.)
Always ask "When does the band eat?" or "Where's the band's table?"
Save all the high notes for warming up and after the gig.
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Styles of Jazz Music [1] 2
Jazz Styles
Jazz styles significantly evolved with an
inner necessity characteristic of any true art form
Ragtime - The origins of Jazz: Rhythms brought from a musical heritage in Africa
were incorporated into Cakewalks, Coon Songs and the music of "Jig Bands" which
eventually evolved into Ragtime, c.1895 (timeline). The first Ragtime compositi
on was published by Ben Harney. The music, vitalized by the opposing rhythms com
mon to African dance, was vibrant, enthusiastic and often extemporaneous.
Notably the precursor to Jazz styles, early Ragtime music was set forth in march
es, waltzes and other traditional song forms but the common characteristic was s

yncopation. Syncopated notes and rhythms became so popular with the public that
sheet music publishers included the word "syncopated" in advertising. In 1899, a
classically trained young pianist from Missouri named Scott Joplin published th
e first of many Ragtime compositions that would come to shape the music of a nat
ion.
Classic Jazz - At the beginning of the 1900's, Jazz styles took the form of smal
l band music and its origin credited to New Orleans. This musical style is somet
imes mistakenly referred to as "Dixieland" but is less solo-oriented. Though tra
ditional New Orleans Jazz was performed by blacks, whites and African-American c
reoles, "Dixieland" is a term for white performer's revival of this style.
New Orleans style, or "Classic Jazz" originated with brass bands that performed
for parties and dances in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the musical
instruments had been salvaged from the Confederate War which included the clarin
et, saxophone, cornet, trombone, tuba, banjo, bass, guitar, drums and occasional
ly a piano. Musical arrangements varied considerably from performance to perform
ance and many of the solos embellished the melody with ornaments of Jazz improvi
sation. This lively new music combined syncopations of ragtime with adaptations
of popular melodies, hymns, marches, work songs and the Blues. The mid 1990's sa
w a strong resurgence in the Classic form.
Hot Jazz - c.1925 Louis Armstrong recorded the first of his Hot Five band record
s, the first time he recorded under his own name. The records made by Louis Arms
trong's Hot Five and Hot Seven bands are considered to be absolute Jazz classics
and speak of Armstrong's creative powers. The bands never played live, but cont
inued recording until 1928.
The music was characterized by collective improvised solos, around melodic struc
ture, that ideally built up to an emotional and "Hot" climax. The rhythm section
, usually drums, bass, banjo or guitar supported this crescendo, many times in t
he style of march tempo. Soon, larger bands and orchestras began to emulate that
energy, especially with the advance of record technology, that spread the "Hot"
new sound across the country.
Chicago Style - Chicago was the breeding ground for many young, inventive player
s. Characterized by harmonic, inovative arrangements and a high technical abilit
y of the players, Chicago Style Jazz significantly furthered the improvised musi
c of it's day. Contributions from dynamic players like Benny Goodman, Bud Freema
n and Eddie Condon along with the creative grooves of Gene Krupa, helped to pion
eer Jazz music from it's infancy and inspire those who followed.
Swing - The 1930s belonged to Swing. During that classic era, most of the Jazz g
roups were Big Bands. Derived from New Orleans Jazz style, Swing was robust and
invigorating. Swing was also dance music, which served as it's immediate connect
ion to the people. Although it was a collective sound, Swing also offered indivi
dual musicians a chance to improvise melodic, thematic solos which could at time
s be very complex.
The mid 1990's saw a revival of Swing music fueled by the retro trends in dance.
Once again young couples across America and Europe jitter-bugged to the swing'n
sounds of Big Band music, often played by much smaller ensembles.
Kansas City Style - During the Depression and Prohibition eras, the Kansas City
Jazz scene thrived as a mecca for the modern sounds of late 1920s and 30s. Chara
cterized by soulful and blusey stylings of Big Band and small ensemble Swing, ar
rangements often showcased highly energetic solos played to "speakeasy" audience
s. Alto sax pioneer Charlie Parker hailed from Kansas City.
Gypsy Jazz - Originated by French guitarist Django Reinhardt, Gypsy Jazz is an u
nlikely mix of 1930s American swing, French dance hall "musette" and the folk st
rains of Eastern Europe. Also known as Jazz Manouche, it has a languid, seductiv
e feel characterized by quirky cadences and driving rhythms.
The main instruments are guitars, often amounting to a half-dozen ensemble, with
occasional violins and bass violin. Solos pass from one player to another as th
e other guitars assume the rhythm. While primarily a nostalgic style set in Euro
pean bars and small venues, today Gypsy Jazz is appreciated and performed world
wide.
Bebop - Developed in the early 1940's, Bop had established itself as vogue by 19

45. It's main innovators were alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizz
y Gillespie. Until then, Jazz improvisation was derived from the melodic line. B
ebop soloists engaged in harmonic improvisation, often avoiding the melody altog
ether after the first chorus. Usually under seven pieces, the soloist was free t
o explore improvised possibilities as long as they fit into the chord structure.
Differing greatly from Swing, Bebop divorced itself early-on from dance music, e
stablishing itself as art form but severing its potential commercial value. Iron
ically, what was once thought of as a radical Jazz style, Bebop has become the b
asis for all the innovations that followed.
Vocalese - The art of composing a lyric and singing it in the same manner as the
recorded instrumental solos. Coined by Jazz critic Leonard Feather, Vocalese re
ached its highest point from 1957-62. Performers may solo or sing in ensemble, s
upported by small group or orchestra. Bop in nature, Vocalese rarely ventured in
to other Jazz styles and never brought commercial success to it's performers unt
il recent years. Among those known for writing and performing vocalese lyric are
Eddie Jefferson and Jon Hendricks.
Mainstream - After the end of the Big Band era, as these large ensembles broke i
nto smaller groups, Swing music continued to be played. Some of Swing's finest p
layers could be heard at their best in jam sessions of the 1950s where chordal i
mprovisation now would take significance over melodic embellishment.
Re-emerging as a loose Jazz style in the late '70s and '80s, Mainstream Jazz pic
ked up influences from Cool, Classic and Hardbop. The terms Modern Mainstream or
Post Bop are used for almost any Jazz style that cannot be closely associated w
ith historical styles of Jazz music.
Cool - Evolving directly from Bop in the late 1940's and 1950's, Cool's smoothed
out mixture of Bop and Swing tones were again harmonic and dynamics were now so
ftened. The ensemble arrangement had regained importance. Nicknamed "West Coast
Jazz" because of the many innovations coming from Los Angeles, Cool became natio
n wide by the end of the 1950's, with significant contributions from East Coast
musicians and composers.
Hard Bop - An extension of Bebop that was somewhat interrupted by the Cool sound
s of West Coast Jazz, Hard Bop melodies tend to be more "soulful" than Bebop, bo
rrowing at times from Rhythm & Blues and even Gospel themes. The rhythm section
is sophisticated and more diverse than the Bop of the 1940's. Pianist Horace Sil
ver is known for his Hard Bop innovations.
Bossa Nova - A blend of West Coast Cool, European classical harmonies and seduct
ive Brazilian samba rhythms, Bossa Nova or more correctly "Brazilian Jazz", reac
hed the United States c.1962 (timeline). The subtle but hypnotic acoustic guitar
rhythms accent simple melodies sung in either (or both) Portuguese or English.
Pioneered by Brazilians' Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim, this alternativ
e to the 60's Hard Bop and Free Jazz styles, gained popular exposure by West Coa
st players like guitarist Charlie Byrd & saxophonist Stan Getz.
More Jazz Styles...
"A Jazz musician is a juggler who uses harmonies instead of oranges." - Benny Gr
een