Before It was Jazz

Intro

Jazz is a genre of music that emphasizes experimentation and emotion. Although the term “jazz” has been used to describe the genre for over 100 years, many leading artists have denounced the label. Many “jazz” artists find the term too constricting, white, and inaccurate. Other people find the term too broad. For instance, how can Kenny G and Thelonious Monk be in the same musical genre? This essay explores how some “jazz” artists feel about the term. 

Origins of the term

The origins of the word “jazz” is complicated. There are many differing accounts of where the word originated. Some say it came from the word jasm or jism which refers to sexual activities. Others point to the 1912 use of the phrase in a baseball announcement as the origins of the word (Brewster, et al., 2021). Although dictionaries have definitions for the word, jazz music is hard to pin down. Jazz is a fusion of African instrumentation and rhythm combined with Western European harmonization (Hasse, 2016). But jazz also breaks that mold at times. It can be discordant and eerie at times, too. Jazz is vocal and instrumental. Jazz is avant-garde and popular. Most importantly, jazz began as Black American music. 

Jazz history

The term was first associated with music coming out of New Orleans in the early 1900s. The music quickly traveled across the country and across the globe as Black people moved around. Many jazz artists joined the military band and brought the sound to different countries during WWII. Importantly, jazz is malleable. As artists from Asia, Europe, and Latin America were introduced to the genre, they added their own cultural spin on it. This early jazz shared many characteristics with blues and ragtime. Jazz accompanied the Lindyhop and Charleston dances because the fast-paced dance moves vibed well with the music’s quick tempo. Around this time, some white jazz artists tried to find ways to slow the tempo to make the music more suitable for white audiences. At almost every instance to slow or whitewash jazz, there has been a new movement to speed it up or make it more intricate. 

Nina Simone

The famed singer, Nina Simone, abhorred the label jazz singer. Simone was a powerhouse. She could sing a lullaby or a marching chant with the same ease. She was often compared to other Black female singers at the time. However, she rejected those comparisons, not because she thought she was better than others but because she felt the comparisons came about due to racism. She was hardly ever compared to the white powerhouse singers of the time, and that irritated her. When asked about being called a jazz singer, Simone replied, “To most white people, jazz means black and jazz means dirt and that’s not what I play. I play black classical music” (Bardin, 1997). Nina Simone was classically trained, so it makes sense that her music should have been described as such. 

Miles Davis

Miles Davis was a musician and composer from 1926 to 1991. He primarily played the trumpet, but he was always experimenting with instruments and mutes. Miles Davis had a decades long musical career during which he popularized creative ways to play music. Davis used to call jazz a “dirty word” (Allen, 2022). He did not see his music as jazz music. Instead, Davis called his music “social music.” Miles Davis’ music was a conversation about life, social inequity, and love. Davis’ music went beyond one genre. Some have called him a “music musician” rather than a jazz musician due to his revolutionary, long-lasting music (Tunde, 2024).

Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus, a.k.a. the bad boy of jazz, rejected the term on many occasions. He thought jazz was a degrading term (West, 1979). Mingus highlighted bass playing in his music. He was different and unpredictable. He was stubborn and not afraid to share his opinions with whomever he pleased. Charles Mingus emphasized individuality and creativity in his bands. The term jazz was too constricting for Mingus. The word led to certain ideas of what jazz was and wasn’t. According to him, other jazz artists were “too focused on cliches” and “playing what the audience wanted” (West, 1979). It was paramount that artists make music that reflects them and their feelings. He thought of music as emotional expression, not just a way to make money. 

Renames

People have suggested many alternatives to the word “jazz.” In 1924, jazz band leader Meyer Davis held a vote to rename jazz, and the people chose “syncopep” (Word Matters). This, obviously, did not take off. Later, Downbeat, a jazz magazine, also held a contest to rename jazz, and the top vote was for “crewcut.” This is the antonym for the “longhair,” a term used to describe classical music (Brewster, et al., 2021). Nicholas Payton suggests that we create a new genre called “Black American Music” or BAM (Payton, 2014). This new genre would include the spiritual and emotional music from Black Americans. 

Conclusion

Personally, I find BAM to be too constricting a phrase, but I understand where Payton is coming from. At times, it feels like any accomplishment by Black Americans is absorbed into “popular” or white American culture. Although jazz has expanded into other cultures, it was birthed by Black Americans and continues to be a pillar of Black American music. Jazz artists had little say in how their music was named or perceived. These artists wanted their music to be seen as a reflection of themselves and their opinions on the world. Many artists saw the label as a way to confine Black artistry into its own catergory. Some saw this label as a means to separate Black music from Western classical music. Jazz music will continue for generations to come whether it is named that or not. 

References

Allen, M. (2022, Apr. 30). Does jazz need a rebrand? Why the genre’s greatest icons resented the word ‘jazz’. The Grio. https://www.yahoo.com/news/does-jazz-rebrand-why-genre-171500868.html. 

Bardin, B. (1997, Jan.) Simone Says [Interview]. http://boscarol.com/ninasimone/pages/nina/interviews/details1997.html. 

Brewster, E., Shea, A., Sokolowski, P. (Hosts). (2021, May 4). A Lexical History of ‘Jazz’ [Audio podcast episode]. In Word Matters. Meriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-matters-podcast/episode-39-jazz.

Hasse, J. (2016, Mar.) Jazz. Smithsonian Music. https://music.si.edu/story/jazz. 

Payton, N. (2014, Apr. 30). Black American Music and the Jazz Tradition. Nicholas Payton. https://nicholaspayton.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/black-american-music-and-the-jazz-tradition/. 

Tunde, J. (2024. May 23). Miles Davis Wasn’t a Jazz Musician. He Was a “Music Musician”. Medium. https://medium.com/the-riff/miles-davis-wasnt-a-jazz-musician-he-was-a-music-musician-f2e7c7e46e5e.

West, H. (1979, Jan. 14). Charles Mingus: The love-hate life of Charles Mingus a love-hate life in which music was paramount. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/01/14/charles-mingus/ec3f32b4-e6e9-4404-a519-306641efb114/.