The Language of Jazz

The word jazz did not begin to appear in print until around 1915 and was grudgingly admitted into polite society. This book explores the vocabulary which has grown up around it. Entries include words unique to jazz (bebop, Dixieland, ragtime); ordinary words with specific jazz meanings (cool, jam, stride); musical terms adopted by jazz (bar, rhythm, swing); instruments associated with jazz (alto, clarinet, trombone); nicknames of musicians (Bird, Duke, Satchmo); place-names lined to movements in jazz (Dial, Okeh, Savoy) and notable venues (Birdland, Cotton Club, Minton's).