GRGR(3): Jamf

[s~Z]

Nudeants at aol.com wrote:
> 
> I'm sure this territory is oft-tread, but my jazz playinbg friends and I have
> known the term Jamf for years to stand for 'jive ass mother fucker'
> 
> matt mitchell

from http://www.hyperarts.com/pynchon/gravity/gravity-f.html

[[[In May 1995, Alan Westrope posted the following to the Pynchon List
regarding the etymology of "Jamf":

As a result of my delightfully dissipated saxophone-playing youth, I
have long been aware of the origin of the term "jamf." [...]
Earlier today I found this book:


AUTHOR(s): Gold, Robert S., 1924-
TITLE(s): Jazz talk
New York : Da Capo Press, 1982, c1975.
xii, 322 p. ; 22 cm. --
Unabridged republication of the 1st ed. published by
Bobbs-Merrill Co., Indianapolis, 1975.

While examining the entry for "jive" I found this on page 148:

4. jive, jiver, jive mother-fucker, jive-ass mother-fucker, jamf (oral
evidence only for the last three)...jamf is an abbreviation of
jive-ass mother-fucker and is said to have originated with Charlie
Parker;

This is precisely how I've heard "jamf" used, of course! It's always
nice to have it confirmed, though, and I was pleasantly surprised by the
level of scholarship in Gold's book -- it's far better than most similar
endeavors.]]]