The fellows at the Loop blew (OTR session)
what does 'blow' mean? I guess the Loop refers to a music venue or a Jazz club. and blow means they are good.

context:
At this time, 1947, bop was going like mad all over America. The fellows at the Loop blew, but with a tired air, because bop was somewhere between its Charlie Parker Ornithology period and another period that began with Miles Davis.

Question

The fellows at the Loop blew (OTR session)
what does 'blow' mean? I guess the Loop refers to a music venue or a Jazz club. and blow means they are good.

context:
At this time, 1947, bop was going like mad all over America. The fellows at the Loop blew, but with a tired air, because bop was somewhere between its Charlie Parker Ornithology period and another period that began with Miles Davis.

Answer

Here, "to blow" means to blow a horn (e.g., a trumpet, saxophone, trombone, etc.).  It is usually a compliment, meaning to play a horn WELL.  Brass horn instruments are common in jazz music.

The Loop is an area of Chicago, Illinois that has many jazz clubs.

The term "to blow", however, can ALSO mean "to perform poorly" in modern usage, so be careful:

Ex.: "The Red Sox blow this season."

This means that the baseball team is not playing well.

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