crackup

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Hi,

Big bands, relatively rare on the performance circuit, are still the focus of high school jazz education. This explains the continuing success of Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition. And it explains the unusual prominence of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, whose leader makes his original charts available to band directors.

''We're like rock stars to these kids,'' said Mr. Goodwin, who in the grown-up jazz world is known mainly as an accomplished studio professional. ''It's kind of a crackup.'' At the jazz education conference, he will be promoting the first Big Phat Summer Camp, which won't have enough openings to meet the demand.

(Jazz Is Alive and Well. In the Classroom, Anyway. The NY Times)

I looked it up in the dictionaries, but I still do not understand the meaning of "crackup" in the above. Can you help out?

[Barb_D]

I *think* he means that it's really funny - it's something that makes him crack up (laugh hard). He thinks it's ironically funny that he is a hero to high school kids when the professional musical world doesn't hold him in high esteem.

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Thank you, Barb-D.