barrelhouse

[ bar-uhl-hous ]

noun

, plural bar·rel·hous·es [bar, -, uh, l-hou-ziz]

1. a cheap saloon, especially one in New Orleans in the early part of the 20th century: so called from the racks of liquor barrels originally placed along the walls.
2. a vigorous style of jazz originating in the barrelhouses of New Orleans in the early part of the 20th century.

barrelhouse

/ ˈbærəlˌhaʊs /

noun

1. a cheap and disreputable drinking establishment
2. 1. a vigorous and unpolished style of jazz for piano, originating in the barrelhouses of New Orleans
   2. ( as modifier )

      barrelhouse blues

Word History and Origins

Origin of barrelhouse¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; barrel + house

Example Sentences

She snagged a piano and pounded out barrelhouse runs in quirky time as I carried the main thread of the movement on a cello.

From Project Gutenberg