The Utah Jazz originally began play in New Orleans in 1974. The name of the team came as a tribute to New Orleans’ rich tradition of jazz music. When the team moved to Utah in 1979, the owners did not have enough time for a new name to be approved before the start of the new season. Over the next 42 years, jazz music did not become popular in Utah, and the team owners never decided to change the name to something more suitable to Utah.

This week, owner Ryan Smith announced a new name for the team that will more accurately represent the area. Beginning immediately, the Utah Jazz will be known as the Utah Hymns.

The renaming process began soon after Ryan Smith’s purchase of the team last year. Smith, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, wanted the new name to come from a key piece of Utah culture. Focus groups from all over the state convened during the summer to narrow the options. “It was really down to this or the Utah Casserole,” says Smith

“This is a much better reflection of the region. People here don’t care about jazz. It’s all about that congregational worship,” says PR spokesperson, Janey Laneyson.

The new logo and uniforms will be modeled after the hymnbook of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, with the two parties reaching an agreement regarding licensing. The current agreement is set to last until the “opening of the seventh seal.”