"Jazz" from Utah papers , 1918

[George Thompson]

This is a marvellous figurative use of the word.

"The hotel keepers of Manhattan are playing both sides of the game and
the food administration furnishes a jazz band of statistical admiration
for their efforts."

The ODJB (Original Dixieland Jazz Band) had a hit record in early 1917
which drew the word to the nation's attention.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: James Smith <jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM>
Date: Friday, September 9, 2005 4:46 pm
Subject: "Jazz" from Utah papers , 1918

> Not an antedating, by any means.  But judging from the
> articles below from three small Utah papers, "jazz"
> was a pretty well known word by 1918.  Two of the
> articles are plugs for movies, so maybe the film
> industry was helping to spread the word.
>
> BTW, the Eureka typesetters seemed to have avoided
> using periods to end sentences.  Was this a common
> practice in the early 20th century?
>
> ************************************************
> [Grand Valley?] Times-Independent [Moab, Utah]
> 1918-07-19
>
> ...
>
> The Milos Concert Company, a musical comedy
> troupe, will give an entertainment
> at the Woodman hall Friday night.  The
> company consists of seven people, and
> promises a high class program of vaudville and music.
>
> Following the show a dance will be given, the music
> to be furnished by the Milos six-piece Jazz orchestra.
>
> The corpany has played in many Utah towns
> and has given complete satisfaction everywhere.
> The entertainment will no doubt be greeted by
> a big attendance at the performance in Moab Friday.
> ************************************************
>
> Davis County [Utah] Clipper 1918-02-08
>
> PATRONS ARE THE PATRIOTS
> customers of some hotels profit very
> little by new plan of conservation of food supply
>
> ...
>
> A patriot is a noble thing but isn't
> it better to be one than to trim one?
> The hotel keepers of Manhattan are
> playing both sides of the game and the
> food administration furnishes a jazz
> band of statistical admiration for their
> efforts.  These bonifaces who are
> shrinking the meals end and swelling the
> prices need something all right, but
> not governmental encouragement.
> Meanwhile the hotel user can feel sure
> that the war has not changed his function
> at all - he's the paying goat now
> just as he used to be.
>
> ************************************************
>
> Eureka [Utah] Reporter 1918-01-18
>
> Arbuckle Coming to Star on Saturday
>
> ...
>
> As one of the exciting episodes of his forthcoming
> production, "A country hero" Roscoe Arbuckle staged
> the
> explosion of a Ford car in the main street of
> Jazzville, where the story is laid  "Fatty" assigned
> four cameramen and two graflex machines to the scene
> and the results are declared to be most satisfying
> This is the first Paramount picture to be made by
> "Fatty" since he returned to the Coast studios, and it
> is to be shown Saturday at the Star Theatre
>
> ***********************************************
> Eureka [Utah] Reporter 1918-02-01
>
> Olive Thomas Stars In "An Even Break"
> ...
> This is said to be as strong a pro
> gram as The Flame of the Yukon
> Olive Thomas the celebrated fol
> lies beauty who made a hit in her
> first screen play Madcap Madge
> will appear next Tuesday at the Star
> theatre in An Even Break a Tri
> angle play which brings the gayety
> of Broadway cafe and theatre life to
> the screen
>
> A magnificent setting said to be
> the largest and most costly ever
> erected on the triangle stages fur
> nishes the background for the Har
> rison Fisher beauty and a company
> of one hundred girls who dance to
> the music of a jazz band  More than
> four hundred people participate in
> this one cafe scene which is devised
> with special lighting effects to en
> hance the beauty of the selected com
> pany of entertainers
>
>
>
>
>
> James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
> South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
> jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
>                               |or slowly and cautiously.
>
>
>
>
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