Alabama Musical Tribute

I dedicated this edition of the DuPlex Mystery jazz hour to the good people of Alabama who, in the election of 12.12.17 pulled us back from the brink of a moral and political catastrophe (Roy Moore). An unusually eclectic show.

LISTEN HERE

PLAYLIST

The Black Birds Of Paradise-"Bugahoma Blues"-1927. Gennett

Lotte Lenya und "The three Admirals", Theo Mackeben & Jazz-Orchester-Alabama-Song. 1930-Ultraphon

Johnny Smith-"Stars Fell on Alabama"-1956. Roost

Etta James - "I'd Rather Go Blind" Muscle shoals-1967. Cadet

Alabama Jug Band - "Jazz it Blues" Its a studio band lead by Willie the Lion Smith designed to cash in on the "jug bang" craze. 1934. Decca

Blind Boys of Alabama-"People Get Ready"-2002. Real World Records

Alabama Shakes "Don't Wanna Fight" Live on KCRW 2015

W.C. Handy's Memphis Blues Band-"St Louis Blues" -1922. Victor

Sun Ra-"Days of Happiness". Sun Ra-p Richard Williams-b Luqman Ali-d Recorded 1979. El Saturn records

Ella and Louis "Stars Fell on Alabama"- 1956. Verve

John Coltrane-"Alabama"-Live at Birdland 1963. Impulse

Duke Ellington - "Concerto For Cootie"-Cootie Williams, Mobile Alabama-1940. Victor

Nat Cole -"Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me"- 1944. Capital

Jazz Re-Shaping Standards

Without jazz, would "standards" be standards? Fact is, jazz musicians took-and continue to take-a body of music rooted in late 19th and early 20th century musical conventions and re-conceive, rejuvenate and adapt them to changing aesthetics. 

I originally took this up in this post, showing how jazz made All The Things You Are a standard. I ran across an interesting website, www.jazzstandards.com, and I'm going to use the vast amount of data they've compiled about jazz standards to expand the concept.

According to that site, these are the top ten most recorded tunes in the jazz canon, along with the year of their composition. [Notice these are all 30's and 40's tunes. In fact, in the top 300, there are only a handful that were written after 1950-but that's another story]. To keep the length of the post down, I'll take the first five of these tunes and post the earliest recordings I can find in the original context and compare them with the earliest versions I can find in the jazz context. 

1. 1930 Body and Soul
2. 1939 All the Things You Are
3. 1935 Summertime
4. 1944 Round Midnight
5. 1935 I Can't Get Started

6. 1937 My FunnyValentine
7. 1942 Lover Man
8. 1930 What Is This Thing Called Love
9. 1933 Yesterdays
10.1946 Stella By Starlight


Body and Soul, written by Johnny Green for Gertrude Lawrence, was recorded by Helen Morgan in the same year it was written. The vocal has a rubato, recitatif quality to it, with plenty of vibrato. It fits comfortably in the stylistic parameters of the era; post-parlor music, with a bit of art song harmony and the heightened emotion of European cabaret. Morgan does the verse (the first section of the song before the chorus), which most jazz versions don't include; unfortunate, from my perspective. 


Louis Armstrong also recorded Body and Soul in 1930. Right away we have the parallel universe of jazz made manifest. The Armstrong version is clearly a dance record, with a steady swing rhythm section. He approaches the tune with some measure of emotional commitment, but he completely displaces the melody rhythmically and his rendition, both vocally and on his horn, opens onto a different world than that represented by Morgan's version.

Taking The Plunge

The Duplex Mystery Jazz Hour of 12/31/2015 featured some of the great plunger mute players in jazz.

LISTEN HERE

PLAYLIST

Johnny Dunn's Original Jazz Hounds "Hawaiian Blues" 1922 on Vocalion 

Johnny Dunn and His Band "What's the Use of Being Alone" 1928 on Vocalion 

King Oliver & His Dixie Syncopators "Wa Wa Wa" 1926 on Brunswick 

King Oliver & His Dixie Syncopators "Sugar Foot Stomp" 1926 on Brunswick 

Charles Johnson's Paradise Ten "The Boy in the Boat" 1928 on Victor 

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra "The Mooche" 1928 

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra "Black and Tan Fantasy" on Brunswick 1927

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra "Concerto for Cootie" on Victor 1940 

Hank Jones - Tyree Glenn Sextet "Lonely Moments" 195) 

Clark Terry, Quentin Jackson "Ol'zulu" from  Paris 1960 on Swing 

Al Grey "Nothing but the Truth" from "Snap Your Fingers"  1962 on ARGO 

Clark Terry & His Jolly Giants "Never" from "Clark Terry & His Jolly Giants" 1975) on Vanguard Records 

Rex and Cootie "I'm Beginning to See the Light" from "The Big Challenge" 1957) on Jazztone 

Duke Ellington "It Don't Mean A Thing" 1943 Film