Jive Talk! Bells, Man! Let's Jim jam!

"Ballin' the Jack" is derived from slang used by railroad workers in the beginning of this century in America. The "jack" is the locomotive and "ballin'" means to work fast or get rollin'. The words to the song/dance go like this:

First you put your two knees close up tight,

then you sway 'em to the left,

Then you sway 'em to the right.

Step around the floor kind of nice and light,

Then you twist around and twist around with all your might,

Stretch your lovin' arms straight out into space,

Then you do the Eagle Rock with style and grace.

Swing your foot way 'round then bring it back.

Now that's what I call Ballin' the Jack.

The term Eagle Rock referred to in the song, was a popular black dance, performed with the arms outstretched with wings and the body rocking from side to side.

The next jive term had a whole different meaning when I was in highschool and used it in reference to my math teacher. :-) "Battle-axe" was slang for a musical instrument, generally referring to wind instruments. Now the term has been shortened to "ax" or "axe" and can mean any instrument in which a player uses in making music.

"Bells, Man!" This was a way to greet another jazzman. It was said to have been instigated by Lester Young, a great inventor of jive. This greeting was used in a friendly way meaning that everything was all right.

Chops means literally the lips, or the embouchure of the player of any wind instrument. More frequently now, though, it means how well the player executes their music. Good chops means of course that the playing is accurate.

To improvise or play something that suffices when composed notes have been forgotten is to "fake". Being able to "fake" generally means that the player has a good sense of harmonics and a good "ear", that is, if it's done with finesse.

Hides is another word for drum sets. Skins and Traps are also used in reference to the drums.

Jim-jam, means to jazz something up, to play in a lively manner.

Jive's earliest meaning as a verb was to deceive or fool someone. But as time went on, "Jive", meant to dance to music in an uninhibited way.