Bebopper

/bɪˈbɒpə/ noun

Definition

A person who plays or enjoys bebop jazz music; a jazz musician.

Etymology

From 'bebop' (onomatopoetic jazz music style from 1940s) plus '-er' agent suffix. Bebop itself mimics the staccato sounds of the music: 'be-bop-a-loo-bop.'

Kelly Says

Beboppers in the 1940s were jazz rebels who rejected swing's commercialism—the word 'be-bopper' captures their wild, improvisational spirit, and the bouncy syllables sound exactly like their jittery, revolutionary music.

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