jazz

[George Thompson]

Jan Ivarsson has sent me on an interesting chase.  He wrote: "The French
dictionary "Le Nouveau Petit Robert" (my ed. from 1993) gives under the
word "jazz": - - - 1918; jazz-band 1908 "orchestre"- - -  They do not
cite sources, and I do not have the big, 6 volume, Robert accessible,
but it might be worth looking into."

Indeed, it has been worth looking into.  The 1985 Robert (9 vols.)
refers to Manfred Hofler, Dictionaire des Anglicismes, Larousse, 1982.
This has under "jazz" ("musique d'origine negro-americaine. . . .") the
following as French sources:
    ***  Des <<blues>> et des <<Jezz>> [sic] executes par un quintette
de saxophones m'ont paru tout particulierement remarquables.  (Le Matin,
25/8/1918, 2d.)
    Les Americains reclament la paternite du Jazz, les Anglais aussi. .
. .  Ce Jazz qui a tant fait jaser est une danse que l'on execute de
preference sur les Musiques aux rythmes heurtes et syncopes.
(Vade-mecum du partait danseur, 1920, 10)
    J'aime egalement l'opera, le classique et le jazz.  (Cinemagazine
16/9/1921, 12b.)

It has for "jazz-band" ("orchestre de jazz") the following as French
sources:
    [LA GRANDE NOUVEAUTE AMERICAINE -- THE SENSATIONAL AMERICAN JAZZ
BAND (Le Matin, 3/2/1918, 4a.)]  [Glancing over Hofler's intro and list
of abbreviations, I don't see an explanation for his use of [] here.  I
assume that they signify that in this passage he regards the words "jazz
band" and an unassimilated quotation from the American.]
    CHANGEMENT DE PROGRAMME . . . CASINO JAZZ BAND  (Le Matin 28/6/1918,
 4b.)
    LE VERITABLE ET JOYEUX JAZZ-BAND DE NEW-YORK  (Le Matin 14/9/1918,
4a.)
    Le theatre Apollo music-hall, transforme avec son agreable
promenoir, son grand bar americain et son Jazz Band sensationnel, est
immediatement devenu le lieu de rendez-vous a la mode. . . .  (Le Siecle
12/11/1918, 3c.)
    Comment s'etonner apres cela que tous les impresarii songent a
ouvrir de nouvelles salles aux revues a grand spectacle et aux
Jazz-Band, au moment ou Paris est devenu la Babel du vingtieme siecle.
(Le Siecle, 10/12/1918, 3c.)

And another passage from 1919.  It seems that the date "1908" in Jan's
posting is a typo for 1918.  I suppose that these passages refer to
James Reese Europe's band?  I don't know who else could have been
playing jazz in Paris in 1918 -- other than French imitators of Europe.

Despite this, I wish my stock portfolio was as safe as Jerry Cohen's
$100.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African
Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998.