Portal:Jazz/Genres/Selected genre

Dixieland music is a style of jazz. Dixieland developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s, and was, for a period, quite popular among the general public. It is often considered the first true type of jazz, and was the first music referred to by the term jazz (before 1917 often spelled jass). An interesting theory behind the name change from jass to jazz is that an establishment which would feature this music would often have a sign outside, in the form of a chalkboard, announcing it would be featuring "jass". Someone would inevitably come along and rub the "j" out. Changing the spelling to "jazz" sounds similar and would alleviate the problem of being left with a lewd word on the sign. (more)