"Jazz Means Happy and Loose Like" (1917)

[Dennis Preston]

Wilson is right about Zeke, but I think not about Rastus; I have
never heard it used as a hillbilly caricature name (and I have ben
called pretty much all of them).

dInIs



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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: "Jazz Means Happy and Loose Like" (1917)
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>At 12:41 PM -0500 12/3/07, Wilson Gray wrote:
>>OT. "Rastus" and "Zek'l" were still being used as generic personal
>>names for a darky, like "darky" was used as a generic term for a black
>>male, into the early 'Sixties. I wonder how far back they go.
>>
>>To give the white devil <har! har!> his due, these names were quite
>>often also attached to poor whites of the caricatured "hillbilly"
>>type.
>>
>
>I think Rastus the hillbilly has since officially changed his name to Cletus.
>
>LH
>
>>On Dec 3, 2007 12:11 PM, Benjamin Zimmer
>><bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
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>>>   Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>   Poster:       Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
>>>   Subject:      Re: "Jazz Means Happy and Loose Like" (1917)
>>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>   On Dec 3, 2007 11:56 AM, Benjamin Zimmer
>>><bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>>>   >
>>>   > Interesting item from America's Historical Newspapers...
>>>   >
>>>   > -----
>>>   > Morning Olympian (Olympia, Wash.), July 1, 1917, p. 1, col. 1
>>>   > Jazz Means Happy and Loose Like.
>>>   > It's a Lovely Syncopated, Care Free Feeling.
>>>   > Many guesses and opinions have been offered as to the meaning of the
>>>   > word "Jazz," since Raymond Ballard's Jazz Orchestra played at the Red
>>>   > Cross ball last Thursday evening.
>>>   > Regarding the word, its acceptance by the public and its meaning, Mr.
>>>   > Ballard said yesterday: "Jazz music is simply the natural, happy
>>>   > expression of syncopated music. The word is also used to express the
>>>   > meaning of a mixture or a jumble, and its application in that sense to
>>>   > dance music. [illegible] the ability of the musicians to [illegible]
>>>   > mix it up [illegible] and all kinds of liberties with it, yet at the
>>>   > same time to maintain a perfect rhythm and perfect harmony.
>>>   > "'Jazz' musicians absolutely must feel the spirit of it and play
>>>   > because they like to play, else they cease to be 'Jazz' musicians, and
>>>   > paradoxical as it may seem, they must possess musical talent and
>>>   > ability.
>>>   > "In the south when a darky meets another darky and says 'How's you
>>>   > feelin' this mornin' Rastus?' and Rastus replies: 'I's feelin' mighty
>>>   > jazz' he means that he's very happy. And that's about all there is to
>>>   > 'Jazz,' but it's a whole lot!"
>>>   > -----
>>>
>>>   The same article was printed the following day in the Olympia Daily
>>>   Recorder, which provides the illegible sentence above:
>>>
>>>   "The word is also used to express the meaning of a mixture or a
>>>   jumble, and its application in that sense to dance music, lies in the
>>>   ability of the musicians to add to the melody, mix it up, turn it
>>>   around; in fact, take any and all kinds of liberties with it, yet at
>>>   the same time to maintain a perfect rhythm and perfect harmony."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>   --Ben Zimmer
>>>
>>>   ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>   The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>-----
>>                                                -Sam'l Clemens
>>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48864 USA

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