Bert Kelly's Jaz Band (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Ben Zimmer]

On Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 5:35 PM, Ben Zimmer
<bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
> On Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 5:10 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
>>>
>>> The 1/15/1917 advertisement does confirm [Bert] Kelly's claim that he
>>> was among the first to use "jazz band," but does not demonstrate his
>>> absolute priority, since there were at least two other "jazz bands," Brown's
>>> Jazz Band and the Original Dixieland Jass Band, prior to that date.
>>
>> Also:
>> [Indianapolis] _Freeman_ 11/25/1916 p 6 col 5 [EAN]
>> [advertisement] "Biggest Ballad Hit of the Season
>> By W. Benton Overstreet
>> "I Wonder if Your Loving Heart Still Pines for Me"
>> Sung with success by Anna Holt with Estelle Harris
>> and her "Jazz" Orchestra."
>>
> [snip others from Dec. 1916]
>
> The ODJB's precursor, Stein's Band From Dixie, was referred to as "the
> imported New Orleans Jass Band" in the May 1, 1916 Chicago Herald (see
> HDAS and OED). The group accompanying Estella Harris was called a
> "Jass Band" in the Chicago Defender on Sep. 30, 1916.

There's also a notice in the Defender of 9/16/1916 about "Al Narcisse
and his famous Jass Orchestra."

And far from Chicago, there's this from the 8/28/1916 San Francisco
Examiner (first reported here by George Thompson):

"The Jazz Orchestra, under the leadership of Mr. George Gould, San
Francisco's newest and most sensational find, for the dance lovers.
Mr. Gould renders a number of his own creations with that Jazz
syncopation rarely ever heard above the Mason and Dixon line."

--bgz

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

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