CONNECTING THE EVOLUTION BETWEEN BASEBALL AND JAZZ
Back in 1915, the word “jazz” emerged in a new musical context. Chicago-based newspapers began referring to a popular peppy music genre as “jazz,” which drew influences from the blues and ragtime styles that preceded it.
🎺 THE USE OF “JAZZ”
From 1860 to the Jazz Age
📚 1860 — “Jasm” Appears in Literature
Source: Miss Gilbert’s Career by Josiah Gilbert Holland
Word: Jasm
Meaning: Energy, spirit, drive
Quote:
“If you’ll take thunder and lightning, and a steamboat and a buzz-saw, and mix ’em up, and put ’em into a woman, that’s jasm.”
Note: This word lays the groundwork for “jazz.”
⚾️ 1912 — “Jazz Ball” in Baseball
Source: Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1912
Speaker: Ben Henderson, pitcher for the Portland Beavers
Quote:
“I got a new curve this year. I call it the Jazz ball because it wobbles and you simply can’t do anything with it.”
Meaning: “Jazz” = lively, unpredictable movement
📰 1913 — “Jazz” in Sportswriting
San Francisco Bulletin
“Jazz” is used regularly to describe energetic or spirited play in baseball.
📣 1915 — “Jazz” as Crowd Energy
Source: The Daily Californian
Quote:
“It puts fight into the team, ‘jazz’ into the rooting section…”
Usage: Now describes enthusiasm, crowd spirit, and team energy
🎷 1915–1917 — “Jazz” Enters the Music Scene
Used to describe a new musical style in New Orleans and Chicago
1917: Original Dixieland Jass Band releases first jazz recordings
“Jass” quickly changes to “Jazz” in spelling
Like jazz, in baseball a thread is woven in and out of leather, uniting two different pieces into a single object that represents America's favorite pastime. This is an important part of American identity. Just as the thread unites the musical instruments, jazz bridges diverse communities and experiences in America.
Post Script: The 1937 East-West All-Star Game was the Negro League's midseason classic