Reviews of books that have held my interest. And things that happen along the way.
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Showing posts with label Louis Armstrong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Louis Armstrong. Show all posts
In these troubled times it's often helpful, and hopeful, to look on the brighter side and think of what could be. Back in 1967 Louis Armstrong recorded his version of this wonderful song. And now, when the leaves have all fallen, and the calendar is about to change once again, I always think of this song......
Wishing you all a Happy, and hopefully a safer, New Year in 2025! Withgood health to all!
Louis Armstrong loved kids. In the summertime he would come out of his modest home in Queens, near old Shea Stadium, and buy the neighborhood kids ice cream. At other times he would have "block parties". His own impoverished childhood was probably the impetus for this.
He was the reason I began coin collecting. His official bio at the time gave his birthday as July 4th, 1900. So, my first coin was a 1900 Indian Head Penny. I bought it at the Hobby House on Coney Island Avenue for 75 cents. I was 11 years old and used to fantasize that this coin may have passed through his hands at sometime. I still have it. (His birth date has since been disputed and is currently listed as August 4th, 1901)
On February 26th of 1971, the year he passed away, he was home in Queens, in the same house which is now his museum, and recorded "Twas the Night Before Christmas" on his reel to reel tape recorder. Whether he meant it to be released is not really known. He had thousands of these kind of tapes on his personal collection. You can hear some of them at the museum. Each one has a hand drawn cover which he did in pencil, ink and crayon.
On March 1st he began his last commercial appearance, playing for a few weeks at the Waldorf Astoria. 2 days after the last show he had the first of two heart attacks and by July 6th he passed away in the hospital, 1 floor away from his manager, Joe Glaser, who also passed away shortly after. The two had been together since 1935.
That Christmas his recording of the poem was distributed by the cigarette manufacturer Lorillard, which pressed it onto a million 45-rpm records as a free giveaway for anyone who bought a carton of cigarettes. Some candy store owners sold the records for about 75 cents to neighborhood kids. I was one of them. I had it for decades but lost track of it over the years. Luckily you can still hear it, and download it, from you tube.
This is the book which opened up the world of coin
collecting to me as a hobby. I was 11 years old at the time I first read it.
That was in 1965 and the book had been out since 1954, the year in which I was
born. From the very first page, when the reader is told that Mr. Armstrong was
born in 1900, I had to have an Indian Head penny with that date. Not a brand
new shiny one; that would never do. I wanted a used and slightly worn one, in
the hope that this may have been one of those which had been tossed at Louis
Armstrong when he played the streets and honky tonks in New Orleans.
The amazing thing to me is that the book is written so
vividly that my memories are pretty much in line with the book I just re-read. All of the color and noise of New Orleans at
the turn of the century ring from Mr. Armstrong’s unique prose and his keen
sense of observation.
Born the son a big hearted woman and a no count father he
never really knew; he was roaming the streets of the city, absorbing the sights
and sounds. When he was about 8 he fired a pistol on New Year’s Eve and was
sent to the Waifs Home for several years. It was there he first came in contact
with the coronet through the school’s band. In short time he was the leader of
that band.
Upon release he worked with a mule cart, delivering coal and
playing music at night. During the last days of Storyville and the vice
crackdown in World War One, he was playing with some of the original greats;
particularly Kid Orley and King Oliver; his boyhood idol.
By the early 1920’s he was playing with the King in Chicago;
never looking back. This book covers only the first years of Louis Armstrong’s
life. It was written in 1954. He wrote one more in the late 1960’s covering the
rest of his remarkable career. Both books are equally candid and informative,
and I recommend them both highly.
This book is an enigma. It begins as an examination of the
famous New Orleans Ax Man Murders of the early 20th Century and just
when you are settling in nicely with that gruesome crime, the book becomes a
history of jazz and after that morphs into a collective biography of some of
the greatest jazz musicians who ever lived.
So, just what is this book? Well, I’ll tell you; honestly
this is one of the most invigorating and engaging books on serial killers and
jazz musicians which I have ever read. The big difference in the two subjects
is that, of course, while the Jazzmen chronicled here may have slayed their audiences
night after night with the new sound called “jazz”, the Ax Man murderer was
slaying his audiences permanently in private performances all over New Orleans
for several years. His crimes are still listed as one of the most puzzling of
all serial killers, including the infamous Jack the Ripper.
Mr. Krist is an accomplished author, and it was his name
which drew me to the book, the complicated title notwithstanding. Just how he
wound up juxtaposing the history of what was happening in New Orleans at the
time of the murders with the history of jazz is somewhat of a mystery to me,
but the justification for doing so becomes apparent as you read the book.
New Orleans was a wide open Southern city; if you could call
it a truly Southern city at all. There was no real segregation and racial
intermarriage was quite common before the early part of the 20th
Century. Gambling and prostitution were openly practiced, if not celebrated.
And the Port of New Orleans brought together sailors from all over the
Caribbean, Europe and Africa; not to mention an influx of Asians and South
Americans. And in the days of Reconstruction all of these different people
lived together in relative harmony.
At the close of the 19th Century there was an
influx of European immigrants; notably Irish, Italian, German and Jewish. Each
group had their own customs; and music. The first race riots in the city were
not; as one would expect; between blacks and whites. Rather they were between
the whites and the Italians. The Italians had become known as a “mafia” like
organization. They were involved in kidnappings and extortion. They also strong
armed their own neighborhood grocery stores, and in some cases murdered the
owners. But when a group of these men kidnapped a young child and killed him,
the city exploded in the violence of revenge.
Against the backdrop of those events in 1890 the author
traces the history of crime in New Orleans through to the end of the 1920
election and the advent of Prohibition. As I said earlier, had he only
concentrated on this aspect of New Orleans at the time this would have been a
great book. However, by choosing to combine and compare the history of crime in
New Orleans with the creation of jazz, he has created a fantastic and lively portrait
of one of America’s most beloved and eclectic cities.
The book sparkles with the names of the musical legends that
gave birth to a new art form. The stories of these men; with names like Jelly
Roll Morton; Sidney Bechet; Freddie Keppard; Buddy Bolden; Louis Armstrong and George
Baquet; are the history of what became the modern day New Orleans of legend,
but also of Storyville itself; that quarter where these men first blew the
notes which would come to define an era, and a genre.
Here is a link to the Library of Congress recording of
Alabama Bound by Jelly Roll Morton. This is the type of music I was listening
to while reading this book. Listening to the music of the time while reading
the book enriched the whole experience and made for a delightful reading of
this wonderful book by Mr. Krist.
It was on this date in 2009 that I posted my first blog. I
celebrate it each year by either skipping a post that day or re-posting an old
post; sometimes the first one; which is what I did last year. Sometimes I tell
the story about how I started this thing to begin with. And each year it gets
harder to think of something special to mark the occasion.
So, this year I decided on fireworks and a big festival. It
was great. Wish you could have been there. The food was delicious, too! Seriously
though; and I hate to be like that; what I have actually decided to do is to do
nothing. It’s just another day.
Here is a clip of two of my favorite performers; Billie
Holiday and Louis Armstrong. Did I ever tell you how Louis Armstrong got me
involved in coin collecting? I was about 9 years old at the time. I had read
that Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans on July 4, 1900. That set my
imagination on fire! July 4th was the birthday of our nation and
1900 was a new century.
Man, I wanted a piece of that for myself! Something tangible
to hold in my hand that would make me feel as if I were holding a part of
history itself; something which had actually been there at the time; a penny.
So, I went to the Hobby Shop on Coney Island Avenue and
bought a 1900 Indian Head penny for about 50 cents. I was hooked. I wore that
penny out; turning it over and over in my hands; even sleeping with it. The
book I’d read said that Armstrong played for pennies in New Orleans as a kid. I
couldn’t help but feel; make that know; that this was one of those pennies.
Anyway, this is what I do here. I tell stories to myself in
the hope that someday my grandkids; and even great grandkids; will sort through
all of the flotsam and jetsam of these posts, and obtain a better picture of
the “old man” as a result.
Meantime, enjoy the video. It’s from the 1947 film “New
Orleans” and serves as the title song, performed here by Billie Holiday on
vocals and Louis on vocals and coronet. The song appears in the film several
times as background music, and also by Armstrong and Holiday in a big band
setting; but this is what I call the “performance” version. It’s also my
favorite one.
And, if you really would like to see the first post of
Rooftop Reviews from March 29, 2009 (which was also a Sunday) just hit this
link;
The Johnny Cash Show was just a blip on the radar screen of
one of country music’s all-time greatest stars. And just like with everything
else, his selection of entertainment was a fascinating variety of musical
genres from which his own brand of music had emerged.
One night he had Louis Armstrong on and they recreated the
original July 1925 session of what is considered to be the first country record
ever made. In the video he recounts the story of that recording and then plays
the song “Blue Yodel” with Johnny Cash accompanying him on guitar. It’s almost
as good as the original recording. Here’s a link to that one;
And when it came time to recognizing the revitalization the “English
Invasion” had brought to the American music scene, he was no less grand in his acknowledgment
to those artists. In the video above he hosts Derek and the Domino’s for a
great set.
Johnny Cash was kind of an enigma. He was anti- war during the Vietnam War at a time when “Stand By Your Man” and Okie from Moskogie” were
like national anthems in that part of the country. (Yes, he was ant-war; you
can read about in his autobiography, he tells it better than I do.) But at the same time he did the USO
shows to entertain the troops, paying his own way on several occasions.
The next thing you knew he was doing a film about Jesus
called “The Gospel Road”, and in his final years he was busy with producer Rick
Rubin, re-interpreting some of the music of the younger generation such as
Smashing Pumpkins and even U-2. His version of “One” is still my favorite.
If you have a favorite group, then chances are they were on the
Johnny Cash Show. Just hit you tube find out.
There's nothing like watching "Cabin in the Sky" to put things into perspective. The simplicity of the plot is designed so that everyone can identify with it. Unlike the symbolism of "Moby Dick", or "Heart of Darkness"; both of which explore the consequences of evil; this film lays it out in plain language.
The story, which centers around the character of Little Joe, is straightforward. Little Joe has been hurt in a fight while gambling and now the Devil has come for him. But an Archangel also shows up at his bedside to claim Little Joe's soul for Heaven.
What follows is an all out battle for Little Joe's soul, with the Devil giving it his all to make sure that Little Joe pays for his sins. But the Archangel has some tricks of his own which he is bound to try before he gives up.
In this scene Little Joe is being tempted; again; by Lena Horne's character. And he tries his best to resist her charms. One of the most remarkable things about this video is the contrast between Eddie Rochester's vocal and that of Ms. Horne's. It juxtaposes the rough and coarse nature of Little Joe's singing; and hence sinful ways; with that of Lena Horne's smooth and sultry performance, kind of seductive, like the Devil would be. In a way it is also emblematic of the difference between Little Joe and Petunia, played by Ethel Waters. Joe has to fight the Devil, while Petunia embraces the Lord. They are as different as night and day; save for one thing. They truly love one another.
And, in the end, the only thing which can save Little Joe from his fate is the love of his woman, Petunia, who who just loves Little Joe so much that she can't even bear the thought of Heaven without him there. Rather than follow her faith into the Heaven she has earned, she turns her back upon God, and her reward, choosing to go instead with Little Joe. Her love and commitment to him impress the Lord so much that he takes them both.
So, ultimately, Little Joe gets to Heaven on a pass from Petunia. And, she is being rewarded for her faith that everything would turn out okay. But, remember, it was really her love that saved Little Joe from "those old devil consequences".
She wrote “You Don’t Know Me” in 1955 with Eddy Arnold, but
most people don’t even recognize her name. At least not in the way that they do
Ray Charles, who had the smash hit with it in 1962; or Kitty Wells, who is
often named as the First Lady of Country Music; frequently alongside of Mother Maybelle
Carter. But, while Kitty Wells was a prominent country singer; and Maybelle was
the Mother of gospel/bluegrass; this particular lady wrote; and recorded; some
of country music’s most seminal works. Her name was Cindy Walker.
Born in Mart, Texas in 1918 she began pitching songs to the
likes of Bob Wills and other Western-Swing artists when she was about 22 years
old. And she never stopped, spanning 4 decades in the business, recording one hit
song after another.
From her blues like “I Hear You Talking”; which is
reminiscent of Bessie Smith; to the more country type ballads, Ms. Walker could
sing and swing with the best of them. Her material cut across all lines of
demarcation. Bob Wills recorded her songs, and so did Ray Charles, who had an abiding
love for Country Music in general.
Here are just a few of the hundreds of songs Ms. Walker
wrote over the tears; most recorded by her at first, before becoming monster
hits for other artists;
"Bubbles in My Beer"- George Jones and Willie
Nelson
"Take Me in Your Arms & Hold Me”- Eddy Arnold had
the hit with this song he co-wrote with Ms. Walker
"You Don't Know Me"- Ray Charles had a hit with it
in 1962. It has been covered by hundreds of other artists.
"Sugar Moon"- Bob Wills co-wrote this with Ms.
Walker and had a hit with it, as did k.d.lang and Willie Nelson.
"I Don't Care"- Webb Pierce co-wrote it and had a
hit with it; as did Ricky Skaggs in the 1980’s.
"Cherokee Maiden"- Bob Wills, Merle Haggard and
Asleep at the Wheel
“The Warm Red Wine"- George Jones and Willie Nelson
both had hits with this one.
Before her death in 2006 she was inducted into the Country Music
Hall of Fame, and she accepted it in the unique and humble way in which she
lived her entire life.
Marion Cotillard gives a truly outstanding performance in
this film about the life of Edith Piaf, the legendary French “street singer”
who became one of the world’s most well-known peformers, and a symbol of France
itself. Edith Piaf was born to a life
on the edges of the society in which she lived. She was the child of a mother who
thought of herself as a great artist; but was a hopeless alcoholic; and a
father who struggled with demons of his own, though he did his best to raise her.
It was while performing in the street one day that he got
the idea of using his daughter as a means of increasing the meager “tips” he
was receiving for his street act, which consisted of his talents as a
contortionist and some other tricks. But when little Edith opened her mouth to
sing, it seemed as if the angels had given voice to his child. And so began one of the most fascinating, and sad, careers in show business history.
With great sensitivity the film manages to convey the
pain, hardships, addictions and love; all of which combined to make Edith Piaf the tragic star she
was destined to be. Her alcoholism and dependence
upon morphine are handled with gentleness instead of sensationalism. This was a
woman who was in both physical and emotional pain which even all the drugs and alcohol
could never erase. Yet, through it all, she
always kept that remarkable voice.
The film is basically told as a flashback from 1963, when
Ms. Piaf is recovering from illness and planning a comeback at age 48. She
never made it. The pain which caused her to fall from grace finally caught up
to “the Little Sparrow.”
Edith Piaf was actually named Édith Giovanna Gassion when
she was born in 1915, named for a British nurse, Edith Cavell, who was serving
in the First World War before the entry of the Americans in 1917. She was
executed for helping the French POW’s escape their German captors.
My own first recollection of Ms. Piaf is from about the age
of 3 or 4, while playing with my parent’s extensive record collection. There
was one record which I would play over and over again, and was probably the
first foreign language record I ever heard. It was “La Vie en Rose”, which is
still one of my favorite recordings today. Of all the recorded versions of that
song I am particularly drawn to the one by Louis Armstrong, with its plaintive
coronet and beautiful translation of the French lyrics. I have posted both
versions of the song here before. That post is at;
This is the cartoon which was released by Hugh Harman/Rudolf
Ising Productions following their earlier Oscar nominated cartoon “The Old Mill
Pond” in 1936. The big difference between that effort and this one is that this
cartoon has a story to it. Among the
African-American celebrities pictured here as frogs are Cab Calloway, Ethel
Waters, Stepin Fetchit, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Bill Robinson and the
Boswell Sisters. If there are any I have missed, let me know.
Some people nowadays will find this cartoon to be
politically incorrect. My only response to that is that at the time this
cartoon was released most African-Americans were simply glad to be portrayed in
cartoons at all, let alone as very talented characters. Imagine going to the
movies, week after week; and not only do you have to sit in the balcony; but
all the film’s stars were white actors and actresses, with African-Americans
playing servants. Followed up by white cartoon characters could leave a black
person feeling really left out.
There were some really great African-American films at the
time, I have reviewed several here. My favorites are “Cabin In the Sky” and “Stormy
Weather”, which showcase both the musical and dramatic talents of the black actors
and actresses of the era. I hope that you will enjoy this cartoon for what it
is and not for what you may perceive it to be. For me, it is 8 minutes of
musical, and visual, delight.
If you are African-American; and over 55 years old; I would
love to hear your take on this cartoon. The reason I have chosen this age group
is that these would be the people who were at least about 8 years old at the time of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As
such, this group would have lived under some form of segregation. In my mind,
this gives them a unique perspective on the subject.
This little 214 page book covers the greatest moments in musical history beginning in 1400 BC. That was when an unknown resident of Syria wrote a hymn in praise of the Moon God. It was recorded on a stone tablet. It is the oldest song known to man, but it wasn't until the 1970's that it was recognized for what it was. Anne Kilmer, a Professor at Berkeley University recognized some of the cuneiform writing as musical notation. From that she was able to reconstruct the tune, which had been written for a lyre. From there the stories continue, all the way to 2007's "Rocking the Cosmos", which talks about Brian May, a former college student in the 1970's, who finally completed his degree in Astrophysics. In the 30 odd years between he was the guitarist for the Rock Group "Queen." Along with lead singer Farrokh Bulsara, aka Freddie Mercury, they became known as the rock and roll band "Queen".
In between the author introduces us to the invention of leotards, which were brought on by a French trapeze artist who needed something more flexible to wear while performing his act. He became known as "The Daring Young man on the Flying Trapeze".
Sports lovers will not be disappointed by this book, as there are a couple of great stories concerning music and sports. Take the Boston Red Sox as an example. Harry Frazee, the owner of the team, was more interested in show business than he was in baseball. So, in 1919 he sold his star player, Babe Ruth, to the New York Yankees for $100,000 and a $300,000 loan. This enraged the fans in Boston, but placed Mr. Frazee in a position to pay back all of his debts and open a small play in New York. That play, "My Lady Friends" became a huge success. He then used the profits from that play to turn it into a musical in 1925. The song "Tea for Two" came from that show. The show? "No, No, Nanette". Mr. Frazee went on to become a great producer, while the Red Sox would not win a pennant for the next 80 years.
Walter Boyd, the blues guitarist was doing a 30 year stretch for murder on a Texas prison farm when the Governor came to visit. Walter was known as the hardest working man on the farm, as well as being a genius on his guitar, which he often used to entertain his fellow prisoners. On the night the Governor came to visit, Boyd was asked to entertain him with a song. He sang the following words;
"If I had the Governor Where the Governor has me; Before daylight I'd set the Governor free.
I beg you Governor Upon my soul; If you won't give me a pardon Won't you give me my parole?"
The Governor was impressed, and amused. And Boyd got his pardon. Walter Boyd's real name? Leadbelly, aka Huddie Ledbetter. He would later go on to write "Good Night Irene."
During the Civil War, "drummer boys" marched into battle, playing their drums to communicate orders. They played for hours upon hours without a break. In the 1920's a drummer named Sanford Moeller went around to every nursing home, where there was an old Civil War drummer, in order to learn how they drummed so loudly for such long periods of time. He wrote a book about it called "The Art of Snare Drumming". Then he passed his knowledge along to his best student, who went on to become the drummer for Benny Goodman, inventing the modern drum solo in the 1937 hit "Sing, Sing, Sing". His name; Gene Krupa.
Isidore Hochberg was the owner of an electrical appliance business, until the Great Depression came along and wiped him out. He decided to write a poem about it. He called up an old childhood friend, who happened to be in the music business, and soon the two were working together. The friend's name? Ira Gershwin. The result of their collaboration? "Brother Can You Spare a Dime". Hochberg would go on to change his name to Yip Harburg, and also write the lyrics for every tune in "The Wizard of Oz".
Speaking of "Oz", there is one song which almost didn't make it into the film. Studio head Louis B. Mayer considered the song too slow for the film, and so he simply ordered that it be cut from the final version of the film, just prior to its release. Associate Producer Arthur Freed challenged this decision, and along with the song's composer, Yip Harburg, they were able to keep the song in the film. The song? "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
One night a man named Stuart Gorrell got to help write a song. This was unusual, as he was a retired banker. He had a roommate, a former fraternity buddy from Indiana University, who had come to New York to try and realize his musical ambitions. They sat up together that night and wrote a song called "Georgia on My Mind". The roommate? Hoagy Carmichael. And Georgia? Although the song is mostly associated with the State of Georgia, it was written for Carmichael's sister, who was named Georgia. Ray Charles would go on to record the signature version of this song in 1960. It is often attributed to him, as well as to another singer, Willie Nelson.
The FBI comes into play around 1964 with their intense investigation of some song lyrics. The words on the record were virtually unintelligible. With rumors spreading that the lyrics were somewhat bawdy, the FBI sprang into action, in order to ascertain whether or not the public was being offended. They slowed the song down, and sped it up. Still no clear lyrics emerged. The song became #1 on the charts and J. Edgar Hoover was blazing mad. Thousands of man hours, and hundreds of agents, were involved in trying to decode the lyrics. The truth behind it all? The song was recorded by Jack Ely, along with his group "The Kingsmen". Ely was wearing braces on his teeth and standing on tip toe in order for the overhead mike to pick up his voice. The result was unintelligible. The record was "Louie, Louie", a song about a Jamaican fisherman who wonders if his woman is really in love with him.
The history of ukuleles, long thought to be a Hawaiian instrument, is also explored here. Prior to 1879 there were no ukuleles in Hawaii. As a matter of fact, no one in Hawaii had ever heard of one. In August of that year, a Portuguese ship named the Ravenscraig came to the islands. Within a few days the island was abuzz with news of the sailors serenading the natives with their ukuleles. By 1915, after the ukulele was featured in the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, it was forever more associated with Hawaii.
But my all-time favorite piece in this book concerns the man who would turn music on its head. He is often credited as the first jazz musician, and was directly responsible for Louis Armstrong picking up the cornet, and later the trumpet. Although no recordings of the man were ever made; he was committed to an asylum in 1907, where he would die in 1932; he influenced every jazz player of his era, and many in ours. His name was Buddy Bolden, and to quote Louis Armstrong, "He blew so hard, that I used to wonder if I would ever have enough lung power to fill one of those cornets." Mr. Armstrong, at the age of 5, used to listen to Buddy Bolden as he played at The Funky Butt Hall in New Orleans. From such humble beginnings, legends are born.
A quick and informative read, this book is entertaining, and in many cases will have you running to You Tube to see, or hear, the musical history described within its pages.
I last saw this film when I was about 10. I remembered the music, especially Louis Armstrong doing the best version of "When the Saints Go Marching In." I had forgotten most of the plot, and was kind of unaware that this was a true story - what they call a "biopic", about "Red" Loring Nichols. Danny Kaye plays him with irrepressible charm in this film, opposite Louis Armstrong, who plays himself. Barbara Bel Geddes plays "Reds" wife, along with a very young Tuesday Weld as his delightful daughter.
When Loring Nichols arrives in New York City in 1922, he is clearly unprepared for the "big city." He is a cornet player with stars in his eyes, and music in his heart. Landing a coveted spot in Will Paradise's band should put him off to a great start, except for one thing; he wants to play jazz, and the bands all want ordinary dance music. So what does "Red" do? He goes to Harlem, sees the vibrant jazz scene happening there and forms his own band, "The Five Pennies." His wife, Bobbie, is the vocalist. Life is perfect. Almost.
At the apex of his career, with such future luminaries as Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, and Tommy Dorsey in his band, he's the "top of the pops." They ride the wave of Dixieland Jazz, until his daughter, Dorothy, develops polio.
When "Red" quits the music business for a move to Los Angeles, where the climate might be better for Dorothy, he takes a job in a shipyard, making ships for the Second World War. His spirit is broken, and he has seemingly hit bottom. When his daughter realizes who her father was, and the influence he had on the very music she has come to love, he is persuaded to open a small nightclub. He does very poorly, until his old bandmates, who have gone on to become some of the greatest names in the music business, find him working there, and come to help him out of his dilemma.
This is a very uplifting film, with Danny Kaye at his best during his vocal "skat" duets with Louis Armstrong. Mr. Kaye, long a master of fast talking diatribe, meshes perfectly with Mr. Armstrong, who clearly enjoys the collaboration.
My favorite scene in the entire movie takes place on the bus, when "Red's" daughter is an infant. She can't sleep with the band rehearsing, and so "Red" leads the band, doing "Lullaby in Ragtime" for her. At first, the band performs the number in a muted tone, and then, with the help of "Red's" wife, Bobbie, they bring the whole number back to a rousing finish, which finally puts little Dorothy to sleep. Interesting intersection here between real life and a movie. The Song, "Lullaby In Ragtime", was written by Danny Kaye's real life wife, Sylvia Fine, who grew up within blocks of her future husband in Brooklyn. They never met until 1939, and were married for the rest of their lives. She was a composer, lyricist and producer in her own right, as well as a major force behind Danny Kaye's career.
Here is the scene, in which Danny Kaye performs the song written by his real wife, with Barbara Bel Geddes, his on screen wife. As always, the video is courtesy of You Tube;
There is so much I want to write about this recording by Billie Holiday. The documentary video above will answer most questions about the song. About the only thing missing here is that Commodore Records was owned by Billy Crystal's Uncle, and that Billie Holiday was a frequent dinner guest in their home while Mr. Crystal was growing up.
It was only through Commodore Records that this song saw the light of day when it did. For a more insightful view of that story read Billy Crystal's "700 Sundays", which is the story of his relationship with his father, and also encompasses the story of Commodore Records and Abe Meeropol, the New York City school teacher who wrote the song in 1937 after seeing a photograph of the lynching of two black men, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith. The photograph haunted Mr. Meeropol for days. He wrote a poem about it under the pen name of Lewis Allan. It ranks alongside Louis Armstrong's "Black and Blue" for sheer poignancy and painful lyrics.
Both songs represent an era in American history in which there can be no pride, as there are no real winners in a struggle that should never have happened in the first place.
Interesting note; Abe Meeropol and his wife, adopted the children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg after they were electrocuted for espionage in 1953. Whether or not the Rosenberg's were guilty of the crime made no difference to this extraordinary couple.
If you have never heard this dark and foreboding song in its entirety, here it is - sung live by Ms. Holiday;
I've got a bit of flu, so I'm taking a day off. Meantime, enjoy this wonderful piece of music with Jack Teagarden and Louis Armstrong doing Hoagy Carmichael's "Rocking Chair." It's from sometime around the late 1950's. These two were great friends and admirers, and it really shows.
I'm just taking it easy for a day or so. But I ran across this gem on You Tube. I was going to post something more about the universal appeal of music, and the perceived threat that it poses to organized governments. Really, I have it all laid out in my head, but am too lazy to do it today.
But basically, you take a song like "What Wonderful World", which has been done by so many artists over the years, and explore the general societal circumstances under which is was written, and the different cultures, in which it turns up. And you begin to see the universality of music.
Louis Armstrong recorded the song first. It was recorded in New York City, where Mr. Armstrong lived, in 1967, at the height of the Vietnam War. The song itself was written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss that same year. George Douglas is also sometimes listed as a co-writer. It didn't get a lot of mainstream airplay at the time, though it did "chart".
The song was about just what the title said - "What Wonderful World" it could be. Not a great record for the radio to be playing while the listeners were viewing the daily "Body Count" of the war on the evening news. The song was recorded on August 16, 1967,and went to number one in Europe. It did moderately well among the jazz set of the time in America, but didn't really hit it's stride until it was featured in the film "Good Morning Vietnam".
The composers, Bob Thiele and George David Weiss were both long known in the jazz circle as writers and producers. Bob Thiele was with Impulse Records, and had worked with many of the legends of his time, including John Coltrane, Charlie Mingus, and Charlie Haden.
David Weiss, was strictly a songwriter, having penned some great songs in his time. If he had only written Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love", that song alone would've cemented his place in music history forever.
George Douglas is somewhat of a mystery, so I have nothing to say about him.
Then ukelele atrist Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, known simply as IZ, took it to a whole new level when he re-recorded the song as a medley with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in Hawaii on the album "Ka 'Ano'i" in 1993. I have posted that video here before, it is truly a moving portrait of a very unusual artist. In a way, he has made that song his own epitah, as it was recorded shortly before he passed away in 1997.
Watch the video through to the end. It really is a stunning piece of work. By coupling "What a Wonderful World" with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" he has completed the circle of thought. His message is that, although it "could" be a wonderful world down here, there is someplace waiting where that dream has already been achieved. In short, there is always hope.
And I think that's why music is such a threat to certain groups. Whether you believe that or not, it's still a very comforting thought. The scenes after 2 minutes and 40 seconds are of IZ's funeral, in the blue waters of his beloved Hawaii.
There will always be people who can't stand hope. It makes them feel threatened. Sometimes they have used music for propaganda, but it doesn't work for long. Real hope is hard to fake. So, this one's for them!
This is a song that I first heard in the early 1960's, once again on WOR-TV in New York. It was in a musical called "Sing, Baby, Sing" from 1936, written by Richard Whiting and Walter Bullock. The song has been recorded by scores of artists over the years, including Big Bill Broonzy, Louis Armstrong, Pat Boone, Bob Dylan and even Jools Holland from Squeeze. My favorite is the unreleased version by Eric Clapton.
Here is a video link, courtesy of you tube, with Eric Clapton singing these lyrics on a train in 1978, while crossing America on tour. The embedding was disabled so I can only post the link;
There are 2 versions of this song "La Vie en Rose" which will live forever. Louis Armstrong's version is my favorite- the plaintive sound of his coronet and the abbreviated lyrics make this a tight and soulful version of Edith Piaf's original recording of the song. These are the lyrics, as translated for Mr. Armstrong;
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you kiss me heaven sighs
And tho I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak...angels sing from above
Everyday words seem...to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose
This is the original version by Edith Piaf, the noted French chauntuse. The lyrics are a bit more complicated, but it was originally intended as a woman's song, which is why the lyrics of Mr. Armstrong's version were simplified.
Et dès que je l’aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon coeur qui bat
English
(intro)
Eyes that gaze into mine,
A smile that is lost on his lips—
That is the unretouched portrait
Of the man to whom I belong.
When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.
In endless nights of love,
A great delight that comes about,
The pains and bothers are banished,
Happy, happy to die of love.
When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.
I read this book a couple of years ago and I would've sworn that I had reviewed it here, but looking back through the archives I find that I am mistaken. The book was turned into an award winning Broadway show, which I have not seen. But the book was superb.
Mr. Crystal's father died when Billy was about 14 years old. This amounts to about 700 Sundays, which he recalls spending with his Dad, Jack, who owned Commodore Records in Times Square along with his brother, Milt. They specialized in jazz records that were hard to find. His Unle is credited with the jazz revival that swept Manhattan in the late 1940's.
Raised in a household of laughter and music, the book gives us a clear view of just where Mr. Crystal's talent and wit come from. Guests in his parents home often included Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong.
It was Mr. Crystal's Uncle who convinced Ms. Holiday to record "Bitter Fruit" which was written by a white, Jewish schoolteacher named Abel Meeropol, who lived in the Bronx. He wrote the song after seeing this photograph of a lynching. At the time she was under contract to the Columbia label, which refused to release the song. They did grant her a one recording leave of absence in order to record it. There are actually two recorded versions of the record, which eventually became, after her death, one of her most popular numbers. If you have never heard the record you have missed one of the most haunting and poignant songs ever written or recorded.
Strange Fruit
Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black body swinging in the Southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant South, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh!
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, Here is a strange and bitter crop.
The book is, however, not all doom and gloom. The Sunday outings to Yankee Stadium with his father, which made Mr. Crystal a life long fan of the New York Yankees, is but one aspect of the book, which is filled with hysterical family stories and the observations of a sharp and talented young man.
The book is a wonderful snapshot into the daily life of New York in the 1950's as well as a wonderful portrait of the special bond which existed between Mr. Crystal and his father. I have read reviews of the show which state "The eponymous play met with considerable success on Broadway. The book is an adequate substitute for it."
I suppose it all depends upon which you experience first, but since I have not seen the play I can only judge it as a book. And that judgement is a very high one. This is one of the best books I have ever read concerning a young man's love for his father. With Fathers Day fast approaching, this just may be the gift you are looking for to give to that special Dad in your life.
This little 214 page book covers the greatest moments in musical history beginning in 1400 BC. That was when an unknown resident of Syria wrote a hymn in praise of the Moon God. It was recorded on a stone tablet. It is the oldest song known to man, but it wasn't until the 1970's that it was recognized for what it was. Anne Kilmer, a Professor at Berkeley University recognized some of the cuneiform writing as musical notation. From that she was able to reconstruct the tune, which had been written for a lyre. From there the stories continue, all the way to 2007's "Rocking the Cosmos", which talks about Brian May, a former college student in the 1970's, who finally completed his degree in Astrophysics. In the 30 odd years between he was the guitarist for the Rock Group "Queen." Along with lead singer Farrokh Bulsara, aka Freddie Mercury, they became known as the rock and roll band "Queen". 
I last saw this film when I was about 10. I remembered the music, especially Louis Armstrong doing the best version of "When the Saints Go Marching In." I had forgotten most of the plot, and was kind of unaware that this was a true story - what they call a "biopic", about "Red" Loring Nichols. Danny Kaye plays him with irrepressible charm in this film, opposite Louis Armstrong, who plays himself. Barbara Bel Geddes plays "Reds" wife, along with a very young Tuesday Weld as his delightful daughter.
My favorite scene in the entire movie takes place on the bus, when "Red's" daughter is an infant. She can't sleep with the band rehearsing, and so "Red" leads the band, doing "Lullaby in Ragtime" for her. At first, the band performs the number in a muted tone, and then, with the help of "Red's" wife, Bobbie, they bring the whole number back to a rousing finish, which finally puts little Dorothy to sleep. Interesting intersection here between real life and a movie. The Song, "Lullaby In Ragtime", was written by Danny Kaye's real life wife, Sylvia Fine, who grew up within blocks of her future husband in Brooklyn. They never met until 1939, and were married for the rest of their lives. She was a composer, lyricist and producer in her own right, as well as a major force behind Danny Kaye's career.
This is a song that I first heard in the early 1960's, once again on WOR-TV in New York. It was in a musical called "Sing, Baby, Sing" from 1936, written by Richard Whiting and Walter Bullock. The song has been recorded by scores of artists over the years, including Big Bill Broonzy, Louis Armstrong, Pat Boone, Bob Dylan and even Jools Holland from Squeeze. My favorite is the unreleased version by Eric Clapton. 
It was Mr. Crystal's Uncle who convinced Ms. Holiday to record "Bitter Fruit" which was written by a white, Jewish schoolteacher named Abel Meeropol, who lived in the Bronx. He wrote the song after seeing this photograph of a lynching. At the time she was under contract to the Columbia label, which refused to release the song. They did grant her a one recording leave of absence in order to record it. There are actually two recorded versions of the record, which eventually became, after her death, one of her most popular numbers. If you have never heard the record you have missed one of the most haunting and poignant songs ever written or recorded.
