Due tomorrow: vocabulary 13 (last grade for this marking period)
In class today: paragraph based upon chapter 9
Handouts on Gatsby script assignment, script formatting and jazz age language. copies of all below.
Chapter Nine-- Nick's "El Greco" dream
Homework: please make sure you have read the directions on how to write a script and reviewed the assignment. Review the time line to find your scenes. However, you may add material from other parts of the text.
Groups:
(1) Gatsby and Daisy before the war (departure) Malikk and Hannah
(2) Nick's first encounter with Daisy and Tom after the war: Ashley, Quinton, Mariah, Erin, Taquan
(3) Tom, Myrtle and friends at the apartment: Amanda, Raphael, Aaron, Meghan and Matt
(4) At the Plaza; Ty, Arieanna, Elijah, Julie, Kamicah
(5) Nick's first encounter with Daisy and Tom after the war: Dorothy, NahTivah, Brianna, Zach, Landon
(6) Tom, Myrtle and friends at the apartment: Joe, Rosie, Leon, Keith, Linai, Sharon
Passage:
"Even when the East excited me most, even when I was most keenly aware of its
superiority to the bored, sprawling, swollen towns beyond the Ohio, with their
interminable inquisitions which spared only the children and the very old—even
then it had always for me a quality of distortion. West Egg, especially, still
figures in my more fantastic dreams. I see it as a night scene by
El
Greco: a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching
under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lustreless moon. In the foreground four
solemn men in dress suits are walking along the sidewalk with a stretcher on
which lies a drunken woman in a white evening dress. Her hand, which dangles
over the side, sparkles cold with jewels. Gravely the men turn in at a house—the
wrong house. But no one knows the woman’s name, and no one cares" (185).
For those who have looked at the blog: Monday's in class writing.
The following is Nick's last line in the novel. In a minimum of 100 words, reflect upon how these words embody the theme of The Great Gatsby.
"So we beat on, boats against the current, bourne back ceaselessly into the past." (20 minutes)
Writing
Project: Scenes from a novel
Your job is to prepare a
script based upon one of the following scenes in the novel, which portray a
point of dramatic climax, or give insight into the characters’ actions. You may
adapt lines spoken by the characters in the scene, but you must also create lines that could be
spoken by the character. That means you must understand that individual, his
background and his motivations. (note: I
am using the pronoun his as gender
neutral.) This should be a minimum of
five full pages. That might seem intimidating, but remember you are
working with dialogue. Your group is to follow the rules for how to format a
stage play. This is attached, and there is a copy on the blog. Diction is also
very important, and for that reason, you have a term’s list from the 1920’s.
(also attached and on the blog) You must use at least 15 words from the list. Music? Dancing?
Time frame: due Friday
May 4: your group’s completed and correctly-formatted script.
sketch of your scene
Monday
May 7- scripts returned for a group read through and final editing.
Practice day. Sort out props / etc.
Tuesday
May 8- performances (again, if someone is not there, the group must adapt)
The lines need not be memorized, but should be very familiar and so come
trippingly on the tongue.
Wednesday
May 9- group grading / class participation grade; so it’s in the 25%
category. The expectation the each member demonstrates that he / she
understands the scene / novel and contributes to the dialogue / blocking /
props / motivational cues, etc.
Dramatic scenes to be expanded into scripts.
Nick’s first encounter with Daisy and Tom at their house
Gatsby and Daisy together before the war
Gatsby and Daisy at the mansion when he’s showing her
around
At the Plaza
Tom, Myrtle and friends at the apartment
Checklist:
1. With
your group exchanged information to communicate with each other;
if
someone is not there the day of the performance, your group must improvise. Also,
you might divide up the script writing outside of class.
2. Read
your assigned scene from the book as a group
3. Discuss
the characters. You may insert a character or adapt as needed.
4. Decide
who is playing which role (s)
5. Decide
who is sketching out the scene
6. As a
group, write the scene. (transcriber? typist? someone to do the introductory
pages? Make sure to interpolate at least 15 words or
phrases from the jazz age vocabulary list. Remember how plots are constructed.
There should be a build up to the climax and a denouement.
7. Give
me your script to make copies. I will get it back the next day.
8. Read
through the script as a group, making necessary changes, as well as checking
for errors.
9. Decide
on props and costuming. (Have someone write up the list with the corresponding
character / action) Everyone must have
at least one item that is representative of your character.
ScriptFrenzy - Your ticket to creative adventure
ScriptFrenzy - Your ticket to creative adventure
How to Format a Stage Play
You know what a play is,
and you've probably seen published versions before, but for the purposes of
writing it looks a little different. Some of the formatting of your play is
done as you write.. Generally a page of
a play means a minute to a minute-and-a-half of production. Scanning the
page quickly for the density of dialogue and directions makes estimating this
easy. The standardized placement of the character names makes it easy for the
actors, and the spare layout makes it simple to keep notes on the page as they
go along.
Plays are made up of two
things: dialogue and stage directions,
and they both have different formats on the page.
STAGE DIRECTIONS
There are three different kinds of stage directions:
1.) Scene Directions
·Left 3.5"
·Right 1"
These start the play or
act, and yes, they are pushed halfway over to the right side of the page. This
is where you give the basics of where and when this particular scene is set,
and what is happening as the lights come up and perhaps what has happened between
the scenes as it applies to what is on the stage at that time.
EXAMPLE:
2.) Staging Directions
·Left 2.0"
·Right 1.0"
These describe what happens
on stage during the scene. Entrances, exits, major movements of characters, new
characters, fights, light changes and being chased by a bear are all examples
of action that would require stage direction.
EXAMPLE:
Note that the stage
directions are single spaced when within a single character's dialogue, but a
blank line is left when between character passages.
3.) Character Stage Directions
·Left 3.0"
·Right 1.0"
These are always brief and
fit right under the character tag, relating to that character. These types of
directions give a clue to the style of the line. Often they are line directions
such as "waving him off" or "sing-song" or "whispering
to ROBERT". These should be used sparingly, as they are regarded as
directorial. They are needed only when a reader wouldn't understand what was
going on without them.
EXAMPLE:
A few things to remember:
·Every time you mention a
character in the stage directions their name should be in ALL CAPS. This makes
it easier for the actors, director, and team to scan the page and find what the
actors are doing.
·Stage directions are always
enclosed in parenthesis.
·Stage directions show only
what is taking place on stage (what the audience can hear or see), they do not
tell the interior life or previous life of people or objects.
DIALOGUE
Character Tags:
Character tags are indented at about 4". You can center them, but most
writers find it easier to set a single tab for the Character Tag.
Use
all capital letters to identify the character speaking.
You can use their full name or a shorter version (such as a first name or last
name), as long as it's unique within your draft.
EXAMPLE:
If the character's line
goes over a page break, use (cont'd) at the bottom of the page after the last
of their dialogue and then put a new character tag at the top of the new page
with (cont'd) after it on the same line. You don’t need to put these in until
you're done with your draft and know where the page breaks are.
As for the content of the
dialogue itself, it's pure prose. Write in a style that's easily spoken.
Because it's conversational, you'll be breaking plenty of grammar and
punctuation rules. You might even want to turn off your word processor's
grammar checker.
LINE SPACING:
For the most part, stage plays are single spaced. Additional blank lines are
left between character's dialogue and stage directions.
The Global Settings:
Margins
·Top: 1.0"
·Bottom 1.0 - 1.5"
·Left 1.5 (scripts are 3
hole punched so leave more room on the left)
Right 1.0"
You can add these elements
once you're done with your script:
Headers
Upper right corner – start on the first page of dialogue – use a roman numeral
for the act and then the page number. Start numbering over with each act. Each
act is number consecutively through the end of the act: i.e. I-1, I-2, etc. If your play has only one act, then don't
worry about it. (that’s you; you won’t have to worry about it.)
Footers
Place the name of the play in the lower left of the footer. You can put your
name there too (put in your group
number) – just keep it all on one line. ACTS & SCENES
Acts and scene breaks –
Plays are often broken into acts, which are large chunks of the play often
containing multiple scenes. A full length play can have 1 to 5 acts. Act breaks
are dictated by plot.
Some other notes:
You do not need to use all
caps for character names when used in dialogue by the other characters, only in
the stage directions and character tags.
If a character is
interrupted, it's common to use a dash to represent where they were cut off. If
a character trails off in their dialogue, an ellipsis follows the last
intelligible bit of their dialogue.
If a character is only
heard and not seen, either V.O. for Voice Over or O.S. for Off Stage is used in
parenthesis after the character tag on the same line.
If a character is singing,
as in a musical, just put the lyrics of the song as dialogue in italics. You
can keep the line breaks (as in poetry) for the lyrics.
To denote a break in the
action, most writers use either "Pause" or "A beat" or
"Silence". They're used sparingly, as the actors and directors will
likely figure out where these go on their own, but it can be a clue to the
reader that something changed in that moment. They can appear as either Staging
Directions or Character Stage Directions.
For times when characters
may be speaking simultaneously, you can either stack the dialogue on top of
each other or create two columns to show that they are speaking over each
other. If they are saying the same thing at the same time, it's appropriate to
have them share the Character Tag line.
PUTTING THE SCRIPT TOGETHER
Once
you've completed your draft you'll need some other pages to go with it.
The index of pages for a
play go like this:
1. Cover Page (just the
title, your name and at the bottom right, your name & contact info unless
otherwise requested when you submit).
2. Characters - a list of
all the parts in the script, whether they have lines or not if they are
integral to the action.
Start with the word
CHARACTERS centered, about 2" down from the top (if you have a very long
list, start at 1" from the top).
Under
that list, the characters in ALL CAPS, followed by a colon or dash and then a
brief description. Some are very brief, giving only the
relationship between the characters and perhaps their age. It would go
something like this:
CHARACTERS
DANIEL WORKMAN: late
forties, missing his right leg below the knee.
NATASCHA WORKMAN: Daniel's
daughter. 14, also missing her right leg below the knee.
MRS. BERRY: Daniel's
housekeeper. Late fifties. Has a large tattoo of a rainbow across her forehead.
MR. BERRY: The butcher,
married to MRS. BERRY. Early sixties. Bald.
Formatting varies on this
page. If the cast is large, you can suggest casting suggestions for multiple
roles if you have ideas. Some people put more information on this page with
full descriptions of their appearance, relationships to the other characters
and disposition, but it's certainly not necessary. Most people will only refer
to this list for a breakdown of the roles, not as a glossary of characters.
3. Setting Page
This page starts with the
SETTING centered and below that a brief paragraph. This is an overarching
description of the setting of the play that includes a bit about the style as
well as the physical space depicted.
TIME will follow that,
again centered with a brief paragraph that explains the period when the play is
set and how much time elapses.
Here's an example:
SETTING
A compact and narrow
rowhouse in St. Louis, Missouri. Beautifully maintained antiques are mixed with
modern art and a few toddler's toys scattered around.
TIME
Summer. The present. Two
days before and after Independence Day.
4. Some writers also
include a SYNOPSIS OF SCENES or SCENE BREAKDOWN page. This simply lists the
scenes, where they are set and the time as it relates to the passage of time in
the script. This is only for reference or convenience, not really necessary.
SYNOPSIS OF SCENES
You
will have only your group’s scene. Do not worry about it.
Jazz Age slang
18 Karat --- All the way, full
out.
The Duke is a classy guy, his heart is “18 karat.”
Air-check --- A recording of a
radio or television performance.
Did you hear the “air-check” of Billie Holiday with Gerry Mulligan?
The Apple --- New York city.
This is now common usage.
We got a gig up in “The Apple” at Minton's with Diz and Bird.
Axe --- An instrument.
Hey, Jack, bring your “axe” over tomorrow and we'll jam.
Baby --- A term of
endearment.
Hey, “baby,” I got some bread, lets paint the town.
Bad --- Good.
Thar dude Wynton Marsalis does some “bad” ass playin'.
Bag --- A person's
particular interest.
I'd like to play with your combo, dude, but your sound just ain't my “bag.”.
Balloon
lungs
--- A brass man with plenty of wind.
That cat must have “balloon lungs,” Stix said he held that note for three
and half minutes!”
Barn
Burner
--- Originally in Sinatra slang this was a stylish, classy woman, but today, it
can even be applied to a good football game.
Hey, Quincy, did you see Stella over at the diner? Man, she is one amazing
“barn burner.”
Barrelhouse --- Barrelhouse was
the colloquial term for a cabaret in New Orleans where liquor was served.
Barrelhouse music is the type of music played in one of these cabarets.
Hey, Man, I dig this “barrelhouse” music. It flows free.
Beat --- Exhausted or
tired.
Man, we been blowin' all night. I'm really “beat.”
Birdbrain --- A Charlie Parker
imitator.
It's 1957 already. We need something new. I'm gettin' tired of all of the
“Birdbrains” around these days..
Blow --- A jazzman's term
for playing any instrument.
That European guy, Django Reinhardt, can really “blow.”
Blow your
top
--- A phrase which expresses enthusiasm or exasperation.
Hey man, I know it's tough, but don't “blow your top.”
The Bomb --- Very cool.
The Crusader's new CD, “Louisiana Hot Sauce” is “the bomb.”
Boogie Man --- In the jazz
slanguage of 1935, this was a critic.
Roscoe just waxed a great disc and the “boogie man” gave it a bad review.
Boogie
Woogie
--- An early piano blues form that was popularized in Chicago. The term has
sexual overtones.
Hey, Lester, dig that “boogie woogie” that Yancy is layin' down.
Bose
Bouncing
--- To play notes so low as to bounce a Bose speaker from its foundation.
I'm sorry, my bass player was just “Bose bouncing.
Bread --- A jazzman's word
for money.
Alright, Jack, if ya want me to play, ya gotta come up with some “bread.”
Break it
down
--- Get hot!! Go to town.
Bring Down
or Bringdown
--- As a verb - to depress. As a noun - one who depresses.
Hey, man, don't “bring me down” with all of this crazy talk.
Hey, let's get out of here, that guy is a real “bringdown.”
Bug --- To annoy or
bewilder.
Man, don't “bug” me with that jive about cleanin' up my act.
Burnin --- Used to describe
a particularly emotional or technically excellent solo.
Hey, man, did you hear that solo by Lee? It was “burnin.”
Cans --- Headphones.
That last take was really kickin', put on the “cans” and lets record the
final take.
Cats --- Folks who play
jazz music.
I used to partake in late-night jam sessions with the “cats” over at Sid's.
Changes --- Chord
progression.
Hey, Pops, dig those “changes” that the Hawk is playin'.
Character --- An interesting,
out of the ordinary person.
Sonny is certainly a “character.”
Chick --- A young and
pretty girl.
Hey, Buster, leave it alone. That “chick” is outta your league.
Chill 'ya --- When an unusual
“hot” passion gives you goose pimples.
Gee, Jody, doesn't it “chill 'ya” the way Benny plays the clarinet?
Chops --- The ability to
play an instrument, a highly refined technique. Also refers to a brass players
facial muscles.
“He played the hell out of that Gershwin; he's sure got chops.” and “My
chops are still achin' from last nights gig.”
Clams --- Mistakes while
playing music.
Charlie is really layin' down some “clams” tonight.
Clinker --- A bad note or one
that is fluffed.
Hey, Charlie, that was some “clinker” that you just hit.
Combo --- Combination of
musicians that varies in size from 3 to 10.
Here me talkin' to ya Lester. Did you see that supreme “combo” that the Hawk
put together?
Cool --- A restrained
approach to music. A superlative which has gained wide acceptance outside of
jazz.
That cat Miles Davis plays some “cool” jazz. That cat Miles, is “cool.”
Corny,
Cornball
--- A jazz man's term for trite, sweet or stale.
Man, Guy Lombardo is one “corny” cat. Man, Guy Lombardo plays some
“cornball” music.
Crazy --- Another jazz
superlative.
Count Basie's band sure lays down a “crazy” beat.
Crib --- Same as pad.
Hey, baby, come on up to my crib awhile and relax.
Crumb --- Someone for whom
it is impossible to show respect.
Sleazy Eddie is a real “crumb.”
Cut --- To leave or
depart. Also to completely outdo another person or group in a battle of the
bands.
Hey, man, did you see the way that two-bit band “cut” when Basie “cut” them
last night.
Dad,
Daddy-o
--- A hipster's way of addressing another guy.
Hey, “daddy-o”, what's cookin'.
Dark --- Angry or upset
(used in the Midwest).
Joe was in a real “dark” mood after Jaco showed up 30 minutes late for the
gig.
Dig --- To know or
understand completely.
Hey, dad, I been listenin' to what you been doin' and I “dig” that crazy
music.
DeeJay,
Disk Jockey
--- An announcer of records on radio.
Man, he is one crazy “deejay”. He spins some cool disks.
Down by
law
--- is to have paid dues; that is, to have earned respect for your talent or
ability to “get down.”
Charlie Parker spent years on the road working a lot of dives to fine-tune
his craft. He earned every bit of success and recognition he later received. He
was “down by law.”
Drag --- As a verb - to
depress or bring down a person's spirits or, as a noun - a person or thing
which depresses.
Let's get outta here, that guy is a real “drag.”
The End --- Superlative that
is used interchangeably with “too much” or “crazy.”
The way Benny blows the clarinet is “the end.”
Finger
Zinger
--- Someone who plays very fast.
Ignasio the new guitarist is a finger zinger on the guitar. Damn, that boy
is incredible!
Flip --- A verb meaning to
go crazy or a noun meaning an eccentric.
That dude is really cooking, I think he's going to “flip.”
Flip your
lid
--- Same as “Blow your top.”
That cat looks crazy. I think he's gonna “flip his lid.”
Fly --- Smooth or slick.
Hey, Eddie, did you see the hat-check girl Bernice? Man, she is “fly.”.
Fracture --- To inspire or
move someone.
You are the funniest guy I know. When you start to tell a joke, it
“fractures” me.
Freak Lip --- A pair of kissers
that wear like leather; one who can hit high C's all night and play a concert
the next day.
Ol' Satchmo, ...now he had a pair of “freak lips!”
Funky --- Earthy or
down-to-earth.
That George Clinton is one “funky” cat.
Gas --- As a noun -
something that moves you. As a verb - to stir up feelings.
The way that guy beats the skins is a real “gas.”
Gate --- Early term for a
Jazz musician.
Armstrong is the original Swing Jazz player that's why they call used to
call him “Gate.”
Get Down --- To play or dance
superlatively with abandon.
Jaco can really “get down” on the 4-string.
Gig --- A paying job.
I'm playing a gig in the city tonight.
Gone --- Yet another Jazz
superlative.
Lester is a real “gone” cat.
Goof --- Fail to carry out
a responsibility or wander in attention.
Hey, Leroy, stop “goofin'” when I'm talkin' to ya.
Got your
glasses on
--- you are ritzy or snooty, you fail to recognize your friends, you are
up-stage.
Groovy --- Used in the
fifties to denote music that swings or is funky. For a short while in the
sixties, groovy was synonymous with cool. The word has been used little since
the seventies.
Hey, Jack, dig that “groovy” beat.
Gutbucket ---Gutbucket refers
to something to store liquor in and to the type of music associated with heavy
drinking. An early term for lowdown or earthy music.
That cat Satchmo started out playing some real “gutbucket” in the houses
down in New Orleans.
Hand me
that skin
(later modified to Hand me some skin) --- A big expression for “shake, pal.”
Hey, whaddya say Rufus, “hand me some skin.”
Head or
Head Arrangement
--- An arrangement of a song that is not written, but remembered by the band
members (the tune and progression to improvise on).
Man, Basie's band uses a lot of “heads”, not those written arrangements.
That's why his band really cooks.
Heat --- Solo space.
Yo, man, I want some “heat” on 'Giant Steps'!
Hep --- A term once used
to describe someone who knows or understands. Replaced by “hip” about the same
time that cool replaced hot. Some sources believe that “Hep” was the surname of
a Chicago gangster of the 1890's.
Dipper Mouth Armstrong is a “hep” cat.
Hide
hitter
- drummer.
The hide hitter didn't show, so we had to make it a duo.
Hip --- A term used to
describe someone who knows or understands. Originally “hep” until the 40's or
50's.
Yardbird Parker is really “hip”.
Hipster --- A follower of the
various genres of bop jazz in the 50's. These were the precursors of hippies in
the 60's.
Those “hipsters” that hang out at Shelly's Manne-Hole are really diggin' the
West Coast sound.
Horn --- Any instrument
(not necessarily a brass or reed instrument).
That dude can sure blow his “horn.”.
Hot --- A term once used
to describe “real” jazz. Replaced as a superlative by “cool” in the late 40's
or early 50's.
Satchel Mouth Armstrong played some really “hot” jazz in the 20's.
A Hot
Plate
--- A hot recording.
Boys, I think we got ourselves a “hot plate.”
I'm Booted --- I'm hip or I
understand.
It's cool, man, I know just what you mean, “I'm booted.”
In the Mix --- Put it together,
make it happen.
Put that cat “in the mix,” we need a drummer for our upcoming tour.
In the
Pocket
--- Refers to the rhythm section being really together as in...
Those guys are really in the pocket, tonight.
Jack --- Jazz man's term
for another person. Often used in a negative manner.
Please don't dominate the rap, “Jack.” Hit the road, “Jack.”
Jake --- Okay.
Even though nobody seems to like him, that guy is “jake” with me.
Jam --- To improvise.
The band is “jammin'” inside right now.
Jam
Session
--- A group of jazz players improvising.
You might want go downstairs, Duke's boys are having a “jam session.”
Jazz --- The music which
is discussed here. May have come from the French jaser - to chatter. May
have come from Jasbo Brown - a dancer.
The 1920's was declared the Age of “Jazz.”
Jazz Box --- a jazz guitar.
The Ibanez PM model was developed in conjunction with Pat Metheny to meet
his demand for a true “jazz box”
Jitterbug --- A jumpy, jittery
energetic dance or one who danced this dance during the swing period.
Artie Shaw is a hot clarinet player. He sure has all of the “jitterbugs”
jumpin'.
Jive --- A versatile word
which can be used as a noun, verb or adjective. Noun - an odd form of speech.
Verb - to fool someone. Adjective - phoney or fake.
Old Satchmo can lay down some crazy “jive.” Don't “jive”me man, I wasn't
born yesterday. That cat is one “jive” dude.
JAMF - Jive A— Mother
F----R. Someone who is not thought highly of.
Joe Below --- A musician who
plays under-scale.
How can you expect to make a buck when “Joe Below” almost plays for free?
Jump --- To swing.
Let's check out that bar over there. It sounds like the joint is “jumpin'.”
Junk --- Heroin.
“Junk” and booze have laid a heavy toll on Jazz.
Kill --- To fracture or
delight.
You “kill” me, man, the way you're always clowning around.
Lame --- Something that
doesn't quite cut it.
Some of the cats that claim to be playin' Jazz these days are layin' down
some “lame” music.
Licks, hot
licks
--- An early term for phrase or solo.
Louie can really lay down some “hot licks.”
Licorice
Stick
--- Clarinet
Gee, Jody, doesn't it “chill 'ya” the way Benny plays that “licorice stick”?
Lid --- Hat.
Hey man, nice lid.
”Lid” has also entered the world of hip-hop slang via a company called Ultimate
Lids that makes hats.
Moldy Fig --- During the Bop
era, fans and players of the new music used this term to discribe fans and
players of the earlier New Orleans Jazz.
What do you expect, Eddie is a “moldy fig” and he'll never dig the new
sounds.
Muggles --- One nickname for
marijuana used by early Jazzmen (Armstrong has a song by this title).
Hey, Louis, I need to calm down. You got any “muggles?”
My Chops
is beat
--- When a brass man's lips give out.
Too many high C's tonight, man, “my chops is beat!!”
Noodlin' — To just play notes
that have no particular meaning to a tune or solo.
Quit “noodlin” cat, let's start working the tune.
Out of
this world
--- A superlative which is no longer in common use.
I'm tellin' ya, man, the way Benny Goodman blows is “out of this world.”
Out to
Lunch
--- Same as lame.
That guy is “out to lunch,” I can't stand the way he plays.
Pad --- House, home,
apartment or bed.
Hey, Lester, c'mon up to my “pad” you look like you need to cool down.
Popsicle
Stick
--- A sax player's reed.
I'm playing a great popsicle stick.
Rock --- To swing or jump
(as in Jump bands - the fore-runners of Rock and Roll bands).
Louis Jordan's band really “rocks.”
Rock and
Roll
--- Of course the new music of the 50's, but originally slang for sex.
Hey, baby, you're drivin' me crazy, let's “rock and roll.”
Rusty Gate --- Someone who can't
play.
That cat swings like a rusty gate.
Sackbut --- The Sackbut was a
16th century instrument, similar to the trombone.
The History of the Sackbut
Scat --- Improvise lyrics
as nonsense syllables. Said to have originated on the “Hot Five” song “Heebie
Jeebies” when Louis Armstrong dropped his lyrics.
I can really dig Dizzy's new way of singing “scat.”
Scene --- A place or
atmosphere.
In the late twenties, Armstrong was the man on the New York “scene.”
Schmaltz
it
--- Play it “long-haired.”
Schmaltz
or Schmalz
--- It's the Yiddish word for chicken fat, and has been a slang term in the
U.S. since the '20s for anything sickeningly sweet or “greasy”, especially
music or poetry.
That Lombardo guy is popular, but he sure plays a lot of “schmaltz.”
Scratch --- (see Bread)
I need to get my axe fixed, but I got no “scratch.”
Screwin'
the Pooch
--- Really bad mistakes while playing music.
Roscoe must've had a bad day, cause he's really “screwin' the pooch.”
Send --- to move or to
stimulate.
Roscoe, you really “send” me.
Sharp --- Fashionable.
Hey, Rufus, that's one “sharp” looking suit of clothes you're sportin'
there.
Sides --- Records.
We sat around and dug “sides.” Or, as George Crater (or was it Ira
Gitler?) once put it, “I sat around with another musician and Doug Sides.”
~ Bob Blumenthal
Skins
player
--- The drummer. (Skins comes from the days when cowhide or other dried animal
skin was used to make drum heads.)
Man, we were all ready to have a little improv jam session but our “skins
player” skipped out on us. There's one cat that I'm gonna skin!
Smokin' --- Playing your ass
off.
I can already tell from outside that Jimmy is “smokin'” tonight.
Snap your
cap
--- Same as “Blow your top.”
Hey, Buddy, calm down. Don't “snap your cap.”
Solid --- A swing-era
superlative which is little used today.
Little Jazz can blow up a storm, he's really “solid.”
Split --- To leave.
Sorry I can't stick around Slick, I gotta “split.”
Square --- A somewhat
outmoded term meaning unknowing which can be a noun or a verb.
That cat is a real “square”
Sugar band --- A sweet band;
lots of vibrato and glissando.
Supermurgitroid --- really cool.
That club was supermurgitroid!
Swing --- to get a rocking
or swaying beat.
Ellington's band “swings” like no other. It's elegant.
Sraw Boss --- From Dan Nicora:
The term was explained to me by Richard Davis, bass player with Thad & Mel,
and many NY groups. It refers to the lead alto player in a big band, being the
dude who leads all the other saxophones, knows all of the answers and takes
care of the crew.
Tag --- Used to end the
tune, repeating the last phrase three times.
Take five --- A way of telling
someone to take a five minute break or to take a five minute break.
Hey, Cleanhead, this is a cool tune and we're blowin' too hot. We oughta
“take five.”
Too much --- Just one more
jazz superlative. Originally something so good, that it is hard to take.
Art Blakey is a fantastic drummer. His playing is “too much.”
Torch --- Used occasionally
as a description of a song that expresses unrequited love.
Nobody could sing “torch” songs like Peggy Lee.
Train
Wreck
--- Event during the playing of a tune when the musicians “disagree” on where
they are in the form (i.e. someone gets lost), so the chord changes and the
melody may get confused for several bars, but depending on the abilities of the
musicians (it happens to the best of them), there are usually no fatalities and
the journey continues.
Tubs --- Set of drums.
Jo is really hot tonight. Listen to him pound those “tubs.”.
Two beat --- Four-four time
with a steady two beat ground beat on the bass drum. New Orleans Jazz.
I can't dig this “two beat” jazz. My boys got to have four even beats to the
measure.
Wail --- To play a tune
extremely well.
Count Basie did a tune called “Prince of Wails” — a clever play on words.
Damn, Basie's band can really “wail.”
Walking
bass or walking rhythm --- an energetic four-beat rhythm pattern.
I really dig the way Earl plays the 88's. He plays the tune with his left
hand and a “walking bass” with his right.
Wax a disc --- Cut a record.
I just “waxed a disc” up at Rudy Van Gelder's studio with Jimmy Smith.
Wig, Wig
out
--- To flip out. Also to think precisely.
I don't know what happened, man, we were just sittin' there and Louie just
“wigged out.”
Wild --- Astonishing or
amazing.
It's really “wild” the way Lee plays the trumpet.
Witch
Doctor
--- A member of the clergy.
Have you heard, Margie's brother is a “witch doctor.”
Woodshed
(or Shed)
--- To practice.
Duke was up all night shedin' that untouchable lick.
Zoot --- Used in the
thirties and forties to describe exaggerated clothes, especially a zoot suit.
Look at that cat's “zoot” suit. It's crazy, man.
