Reflections on 1831 "jazz"

[Baker, John]

        It's also striking that one meaning of jaser is babble of a brook.
Compare the story, from the 11/9/1919 San Francisco Chronicle and referenced
in the archives:  "Art Hickman, of the St. Francis orchestra, once said that
the word jazz originated some time ago when the San Francisco Seals were
training at Boyes Springs. One member of the ball-tossing team commented on
a stream of water bubbling from the side of a bank, casting upon it the then
unknown word, "jazz" water."  To what extent has jaser been considered as
the source for jazz?  Palmerston's use, in this view, might be considered a
precursor of the modern word.

John Baker


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul M. Johnson [SMTP:paulzjoh at MTNHOME.COM]
> Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 9:29 AM
> To:   ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject:      Re: Reflections on 1831 "jazz"
>
> Sort of a which came first argument but, interesting that this
> Palmerston quote could, i n ways, echo today's usage of f*cking as in:
> 'They were just f*cking around', 'I was just f*cking with him', 'f*cking
> off'
>
> Gerald Cohen wrote:
> >
> >snip
>
> >     The quote appears in Jasper Godwin Ridley's _Lord Palmerston_, 1970,
> p.137:
> >     "I am writing in the Conference, Matusevic copying out a note for
> > our signature, old Talley[rand] jazzing and telling stories to Lieven
> > and Esterhazy and Wessenberg."
> >
> >      From the context it is clear that no vulgarity was intended, and
> > indeed Jonathan Lighter (author of _RHHDAS_) sees none. Rather we
> > deal with a borrowing by Palmerston of French jaser in its standard
> > meaning: "chatter, prattle (of a child); chat away, chat on (of a
> > person);---also: twitter (of a bird; babble (of a brook)."  So
> > Talleyrand was merely chattering away with his stories to Lieven et
> > al.
>
> >snip
>
> > ---Gerald Cohen