Learn English – Why did jazz musicians start referring to an engagement as a “gig”

etymologynouns

Why did jazz musicians start referring to an engagement as a "gig"?

If any, could anyone provide a couple of quotations from eminent authors to show where a word was first used in this sense?

gig | noun, a live performance by a musician or group
playing popular or jazz music. | verb, perform a gig or gigs.

Best Answer

The OED says the origin of gig is unknown.

Here's the full entry in A Jazz Lexicon (1964) by Robert S. Gold, which offers a possible etymology and some early quotations (with extra formatting for readability).

gig, n. [poss. from gigue, a lively dance form of Italian origin commonly used as the last movement of a suite (cf. English counterpart jig): from Old French giguer; according to jazzman Eubie Blake, bandleader James Reese Europe used the term in its jazz sense as early as c. 1905; widely current since c. 1920] Initially, see 1955 quot.; since c. 1955, see 1959 quot. (though, it should be noted, for the non-jazz job, the term is applied only to a non-jazzman; for the jazzman, the non-jazz job is a hame or a day gig, q.v. ).

— 1926 Melody Maker, Sep., p. 7. One popular "gig" band makes use of a nicely printed booklet.

—1931 Melody Maker, May, p. 369. Bill Henry and his orchestra were responsible for the undoubted success of half the local gigs.

—1946 Really the Blues, p. 370. gig: single engagement, club date.

—1955 The Encyclopedia of Jazz, p. 346. gig: job (esp. one-night stand).

—1959 The Holy Barbarians, p. 89. He returned to the bass fiddle and started making night club gigs again.

—1959 Newport Jazz Festival: 1959, p. 45. gig: a job of any kind, musical or non-.