[so-pu]

The term “jazz” is believed to have originated from the slang term “jasm,” which means “pep or energy” in the African-American dialect spoken in New Orleans around the start of the 20th century. Another theory suggests that the word might have been derived from the French word “jau,” meaning “yellow,” which was slang for both Caucasians and the musical notes in a scale. The term “jazz” was eventually applied to the lively, vibrant music played in the African-American brothels, dance halls, and cafes of New Orleans’ Storyville district, giving birth to the genre we know today as jazz.