Jazz Hot
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Jazz Hot

Jazz Hot is a French quarterly jazz magazine published in Marseille. It was founded in March 1935 in Paris.

Jazz Hot is acclaimed for having innovated scholarly jazz criticism before and after World War II –jazz criticism that was also distinguished with literary merit, and in some articles before 1968, with leftist political views. Several of its early contributors are credited for helping to intellectualize jazz journalism and to draw attention to it from fine arts establishments and institutions. Jazz Hot has played an integral role integrating jazz into a French national identity.

From inception of the First and Second Series, until November 2007, Jazz Hot was published monthly but irregularly, typically combining months in the summers and sometimes the winters. Beginning with Issue No. 649, Fall 2009, Jazz Hot, has been published quarterly, regularly. The pre-World War II series — March 1935, Issue No. 1 to July–August 1939, Issue No. 32 — is referred to as the "First Series" or the "Original Series" or the "Pre-War Series." The First Series was bilingual, in French and selectively in English. The postwar series, beginning with Issue No. 1 in October 1945, was referred to as the "Second Series" or the "New Series" or the "Post-World War II Series." The Second Series was and still is in French only.

Although the American jazz magazine DownBeat was founded four months before Jazz Hot, it was not exclusively a jazz magazine at the time. Therefore, Jazz Hot is the oldest jazz magazine in the world, but the distinction has two caveats. Oldest does not mean longest running; publication of Jazz Hot was interrupted during World War II, giving way to jazz magazines that have been published without interruption. The issue sequence of the pre-war series, from March 1935 to July–August 1939, numbers 1 through 32, is independent from the issue sequence of the post-war series, which begins October 1945 with issue 1, which clouds the connection between the two series.

Jazz Hot was published in March 1935 in Paris on one page in the back of a program for a Coleman Hawkins concert at the Salle Pleyel on February 21, 1935. At its inception, Jazz Hot was the official magazine of the Hot Club of France, an organization founded in January 1934 by Panassié as president and Pierre Nourry as secretary general. In August 1938, the club was dissolved and reestablished with Panassié as president and Charles Delaunay as secretary general. The club was primarily interested in Dixieland recordings, revival of Dixieland — which had lost popularity due to the swing craze of the 1930s — record listening sessions, and camaraderie among like-mined enthusiasts. Panassié and Delaunay were the founders of the Jazz Hot.

Before World War II, Jazz Hot was instrumental in the club's efforts to curate, restore, and import live and recorded Dixieland. The magazine endured under the auspices of the Hot Club of France for 45 issues — the entire 32 issues before World War II and first 13 consecutive issues after World War II — until February 1947, when it became privately owned and headed by Delaunay.

Jazz Hot suspended publication — the last being July–August 1939, Issue No. 32 — for 6 years, 1 month. Panassié spent the war years at his chateau in the unoccupied zone of Southern France and Delaunay, using the Hot Club as cover, gathered intelligence that was transmitted to England. He also traveled around France, organizing concerts, and giving lectures on music — all sanctioned by the Propaganda-Staffel. Unable to publish Jazz Hot, Delaunay issued clandestine, one-page publications. Following the Decree of July 17, 1941, Delaunay began issuing a clandestine, one-page duplex sheet, Circulaire du Hot Club de France from September 1941 to June 1945 that was inserted in the programs of Hot Club concerts. The Hot Club of France resumed publishing Bulletin du Hot Club de France in December 1945 as Issue No. 1.

Panassié, editor-in-chief since the founding of Jazz Hot before the war, was adamant his entire life that "authentic jazz" was strictly Dixieland of the 1920s and Chicago-style jazz –or hot jazz similar to the style of Louis Armstrong and others. Panassié further insisted that "real jazz" was the music of African Americans and that non-African Americans could only aspire to be imitators or exploiters of African Americans.

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