Soul patch

Howie Mandel

The soul patch (also known as a mouche or a jazz dot)[1] is a small patch of facial hair just below the lower lip and above the chin. It came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was a style of facial hair common among African-American men, most notably jazzmen. It became popular with beatniks, artists, and those who frequented the jazz scene and moved in literary and artistic circles. Jazz trumpeters in particular preferred the goatee for the comfort it provided when using a trumpet mouthpiece.[2]. It was especially useful for catching the spittle that ran down the chin during prolonged performances of brass instruments.

Jazz flute players who disliked the feel of the flute mouthpiece on a freshly shaven lower lip also sported the look.

References

  1. ↑ "mouche, n." OED Online. June 2003. Oxford University Press. Retrieved October 11, 2010: "a small patch of beard shaped and allowed to grow under the lower lip".
  2. ↑ Maggin, Donald L.: Dizzy: The Life and Times of John Birks Gillespie. HarperCollins, 2005


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