Antedating of "Pazzazz"(1915) and an interesting cite for "jazz"

[Gerald Cohen]

Yes, I quoted "the old jazz" from 1913, although previous work on
those quotes was done by Peter Tamony and Dick Holbrook (fully
acknowledged in my writings on "jazz").

    Still, the 1915 "jazz" quote noticed by Sam Clements is important
as a piece of the puzzle; the 1915 article cited by Clements shows
that two years after Scoop Gleeson's dramatic introduction of the
term "jazz" to the public, the term was still in use in the San
Francisco Bulletin and now, very limitedly, elsewhere (Wichita, TX).
Of course, in a few years it was crowded out by the term "jazz" in
its musical sense.

     As for "pazazz" in the 1915 article, the term doesn't have the
exact same meaning as the present "pizzazz," but it seems to be
ultimately the same word. OED, btw, presents varying spellings of
"pizzazz."

Gerald Cohen


At 12:35 AM -0400 8/14/03, Douglas G. Wilson wrote:
>>While searching ancestry.com for "jazz", I found this from the August 19,
>>1915 edition of the Wichita Daily Times(Wichita Falls, TX).
>>
>>       ITS NIX ON THE SLANG
>>         STUFF FOR GEORGE ADE
>>___________________________-
>>Main Pazazz of Quick and Ready Chat-
>>     ter Holds up Wind and War
>>          bles Never Again.
>>______________________________
>>      (From San Francisco Bulletin)
>
>....
>
>>     "Tear of a Yard or So of your Old-time Stuff about the Expo, you know.
>>Something with a Dish of the Old Jazz in it to catch the Wise Guys."
>>    This time Ade merely looked pityingly and said nothing.
>
>....
>
>The "old jazz" looks like the same "old jazz" quoted by G. Cohen from
>(IIRC) 1913.
>
>The "pazazz" isn't obviously the same "pazazz"/"pizzazz" which appears
>elsewhere (and later). It looks like this 1915 "pazazz" is a word for a
>person (here, "George Ade"), meaning perhaps "expert" or "champion" or
>"king" [figurative]?
>
>-- Doug Wilson