Talk:Jazz (word)

Speculative theories
"Jazz" is a contraction of huge ass. I doubt it's derived from "jism." It's about a feeling, hyperventilating, making baby noises, and etc.   — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jwmorgane797534x (talk • contribs) 22:14, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

"Jas" was a Creole brothel
Another unsourced explanation has it that "Jas" was a Creole brothel where jezebels worked, and music for the clients became known as "Jas" or "Jass" music. According to a further elaboration on this unsubstantiated etymology, when the word "Jass" was printed on posters, the letter "J" was sometimes crossed out for a joke. Supposedly, promoters knew "ass music" was offensive, so the spelling moved from "Jass" to "Jazz", hence "Jazz music." Non-RS Citation: Bruce Price, Is J the sexiest letter?, The Week (Mar. 29, 2013).

The preceding was added to the article by 76.120.243.87 13:28, 30 March 2013. It was moved to the talk page by User:John M Baker (talk) 20:48, 1 April 2013.


 * Music for the clients might be played from recordings, which were new; and some upbeat music was likely sought (versus depressing), leaning in favor of some of the recent Jass/Jazz-music trend which had "jazzed up" other music and the Blues. Maybe it was for this reason that a Jazz club was – and still might be in some quarters – thought of as a naughty club. I remember a person begging in a Pacific Northwest city of the U.S. who wanted money, while I was literally standing outside of one of the more-prestigious and nice Jazz clubs in the city. I offered instead to buy the person a meal; and she refused, saying that she didn't go into clubs like that. This was possibly in the 2000s or late-1990s. My how the rumors just keep going! Misty MH (talk) 09:39, 28 December 2023 (UTC)

Go deas
An editor added this:
 * A story I heard about the origin of the Jazz word ,was that dixieland musicians were playing for a group of native Irish speakers who said that the music was "go deas" which means "very nice " in english and phonetically pronounced "gu jas" and it was used as a joke by the musicians for a long time, every time they finished playing they said "gu jas" and it stuck.

but I could not find any mention of this etymology in google, let alone a citable WP:RS, so I've moved it here for further discussion/investigation. –Quiddity (talk) 16:42, 8 June 2013 (UTC)


 * Fascinating. It would have been fantastic to have had the editor weigh in on this. If I read the edit correctly, it is this user/editor: @Angelo a1? Misty MH (talk) 09:42, 28 December 2023 (UTC)

Association with sex
Re: "Trombonist Clay Smith was rumored to have said, "If the truth were known about the origin of the word 'jazz,' it would never be mentioned in polite company."[citation needed]"

I see this:


 * If the truth were known about the origin of the word 'Jazz' it would never be mentioned in polite society. ["Étude," Sept. 1924]

at http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=jazz, which claim is also supported by:


 * The last word here goes to Clay Smith, a trombonist who played in western mining towns in the 1890s. Looking back on his touring days, he put it this way in Etude (September, 1924): “If the truth were known about the origin of the word ‘Jazz’ it would never be mentioned in polite society.”

at http://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/06/27/jazz-is-a-four-letter-word/

I can't check the original ["Étude," Sept. 1924] to verify its accuracy as a citation. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.174.129.24 (talk) 13:13, 10 March 2016 (UTC)

Just saw this quote in a Catholic essay on popular music (and see urban dictionary on the word jass): Jazz A-Z, by Peter Clayton and Peter Gammond, Giness Superlatives Ltd., Middelsex, Great Britain, 1987 under the entry "Jazz" (2). They maintain that jazz comes from the word jass, which was the slang word among blacks for intercourse and its accompanying enjoyment and was first applied to the Original Dixieland Jazz band playing at Schiller's Cafe in Chicago 1916. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2603:8000:C003:F79E:D48E:259A:92FF:1319 (talk) 20:05, 13 December 2021 (UTC)


 * Interesting. Can you quote? And, can you give a link or links to the source material (if allowed)? Thanks. Misty MH (talk) 09:44, 28 December 2023 (UTC)

Jism > Jis, taboo > Jazz unlikely?
At the very least, the authoritative argument needs a source:

"A direct derivation from "jism" is phonologically unlikely. "Jasm" itself would be, according to this assumption, the intermediary form"

And then I'd still wonder why jiss>jass would be less likely than jism>jasm would be. I don't think there's anything notable to say along those lines. Unless anyone protests, I will remove it. I guess. If I get around to it. 109.41.0.175 (talk) 01:31, 7 December 2018 (UTC)

Vmavanti (talk) 18:01, 7 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Everything, every line, in Wikipedia has to be sourced with citations. If you have a source, you can use it. We're not speculating here. We get our material from sources. Ideally editors are impartial. They collect the words of others and summarize them. We don't debate whether something is true. We debate what the sources say.

Correction of Article
The 1912 baseball article was in the Los Angeles Times, not the New York Times. Fred R. Shapiro, Editor, Yale Book of Quotations — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.36.7.37 (talk) 14:29, 2 February 2020 (UTC)

Boyes Springs
I don't understand the last sentence of the article referring to Boyes Springs (which I take to be a town.) As I understand it "named for " is American English for the British English "named after." If the sentence were true therefore "Jazz" would not be "Jazz" but "Boyes" which is plainly not the case. "Named for" might mean "named at the request of" (someone in) Boyes Springs or named for that town's benefit which needs explanation. I note this sentence is not referenced so maybe it ought to be deleted. Otherewise it needs to be explained further and referenced. Spinney Hill (talk) 14:15, 23 October 2020 (UTC)
 * I corrected the sentence to clarify that Hickman said "jazz" was named for the effervescent springs at Boyes Springs. He apparently meant it was an onomatopoeic coinage.  Note that there is reference information in the text.  John M Baker (talk) 19:08, 23 October 2020 (UTC)

Chronological preferred for etymology
I love this topic, and this article, but: I think it would be best – as it's been difficult to pin this one down – if the article was simply and carefully in chronological order, as it tends to jump all over the place. (I read the whole article.) I love the date-corrections to the couple of mistaken citations, etc.; and I think the mistake should be in there twice, once at the claim of the earlier date, stating it is in error, and once at the correct date. Someone who loves this, and is well-familiar with the article, want to do this? Misty MH (talk) 09:53, 28 December 2023 (UTC)