letter to Gracyk about jazz

[Mullins, Bill]

I just posted the following to Tim Gracyk; hopefully he can add to the
discussion:

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Tim - I recently found your site, and have enjoyed greatly the material
on it. What a good collection!

My interest was from researching the early uses and derivation of the
word "jazz".  I'm a member of the American Dialect Society's email list:

http://www.americandialect.org/index.php/amerdial/ads_l_the_american_dia
lect_society_email_discussion_list/

and posted a link to one of the articles yesterday (use the search
facility for "jazz" if interested . . .).

It's obvious you've gone through a great deal of early archival material
on jazz.  What's the earliest you've found the word "jazz" (or jass, or
jaz, or jazbo, or other derivatives) in a musical context?   Was it the
material you discussed in the article on the Original Dixieland Jass
Band?

Any such usages before 1915 would be of great interest.

Thanks very much,
Bill Mullins

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