hot lick

American  

noun

Jazz.

1. lick.

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Etymology

Origin of hot lick

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Clayton hoped to hear funny stories about his grandfather as a kid, or as a young musician during his “Mr. Louisiana Hot Lick” days, or of his days at sea in the navy.

From Literature

What it was, as it happened, was a sonata of loneliness and regret, two elements previously not alloyed in a Redding oeuvre, in which even the self-denoted “sad songs” had the cool breeze or hot lick of uplift and optimism that everything was going to be all right.

From Salon

The atmosphere in the theater was charged, as students paid rapt attention to other bands, cheering after every hot lick, as if they were at a sports event.

From Seattle Times

Down there, music lovers can easily tell whether a hot lick comes from 50 miles east of the river or 50 miles west; whether, in other words, it is East Texas blues, Delta blues or Georgia hill blues.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is still a must in every Dixieland and New Orleans jazz group, but is rare as a hot lick in modern combos.

From Time Magazine Archive