A weblog in English and Dutch about jazz and related music, record collecting and other music projects originally created by Hans Koert.|Een webblog in het Engels en het Nederlands over jazz, jazz-verwante muziek, platen verzamelen en verrassende projecten, oorspronkelijk opgezet door Hans Koert.
Everybody seems to know a version of Zequinha de Abreu's Tico-Tico no Fubá, which may be the most performed choro ever. The tune was composed by Zequinha de Abreu in 1917, which means the tune has been around for 100 years. It was first recorded in 1931 by Orchestra Colbaz and later made famous trough Carmen Miranda's recordings and performance of the tune in movies and on stage in the USA. However, here we'll set focus on some instrumental versions of Tico-tico. - Here is first the original piano score version as played by the Brazilian pianist Lord Vinheteiro
Tico-Tico was soon adopted by all kind of musicians both in Brazil and elsewhere. My all time favorite instrumental version of the tune was recorded by Oscar Alemán y su Quinteto de Swing in 1943
Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra had a hit with the big band version of Tico Tico in the 1940s
Also be bop alto sax giant Charlie Parkerrecorded a version of the tune in 1951
Frank Vignola and Vinny Ranioloplay a guitar duet version of Tico-Tico in a live performance, an excellent example of a contemporary interpretation of the music
To end this, here is another piano version of Tico-Tico as played by New Orleans piano wizard James Booker
Night And Day is a popular song by Cole Porter. It was written for the 1932 musical play Gay Divorce. It is perhaps Porter's most popular contribution to the Great American Songbook and has been recorded by dozens of artists.
Original theatre poster (1932)
Fred Astaire introduced Night And Day on stage, and his recording of the song with the Leo Reisman orchestra was a no.1 hit, topping the charts of the day for ten weeks.
Original film poster (1934)
Fred Astaire performed Night And Day again in the 1934 film version of the show, renamed The Gay Divorcee, and it became one of his signature pieces.
Original film poster (1946)
Night And Day was so associated with Cole Porter, that when Hollywood first filmed his life story in 1946, the movie was entitled Night and Day.
The construction of Night and Day is unusual for a hit song of the 1930s. Most popular tunes then featured 32-bar choruses, divided into four 8-bar sections, usually with an AABA musical structure, the B section representing the bridge. Porter's song, on the other hand, has a chorus of 48 bars, divided into six sections of eight bars—ABABCB—with section C representing the bridge. (info above excerpted from Wikipedia, here )
Night And Day has been recorded by numerous artists, both as an instrumental and with Porter's lyrics by various vocalists. Below I'll insert some examples within a jazz context. - Here's first a recording by Ray Ventura and his Orchestra of Night And Day with vocal by an unidentified singer
In 1938, the singer Maxine Sullivan recorded her version of Night And Day
From the album Charlie Parker plays Cole Porter, here's his version of Night And Day recorded with big band March 25, 1952 in New York
Another great instrumental of Night And Day was recorded by Art Tatum (p), Roy Eldridge (tp), John Simmons (b), Alvin Stoller (d) in 1955
One of my all time favorite instrumental recordings of Night And Day was recorded by Oscar Alemán y su Orquesta de Jazz for Odeon (Odeon 74265, mx 20199) as Noche Y Día on May 30, 1955 inserted below to end this small entry on a famous song
A contemporary corrido song sheet of La Cucaracha issued during the Mexican Revolution. (source: wikipedia)
La Cucaracha, is one of Mexico's best-known folk songs, a corrido that became popular in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution (1910-20). The song consists of verse-and-refrain (strophe-antistrophe) pairs, with each half of each pair consisting of four lines featuring an ABCB rhyme sceme. The lyrics of the song have many different versions, a printed version from the time of the Mexican Revolution exists (here)
The refrain reads: La cucaracha, la cucaracha Ya no puede caminar Porque no tiene, porque le falta Marijuana que fumar.
(The cockroach, the cockroach
Now he can't go traveling
Because he doesn't have, because he lacks
Marijuana to smoke.)
And the verse continues: Ya la murio la cucaracha Ya la lleven a enterrar Entre cuatro zopilotes Y un raton de sacristan.
(The cockroach just died
And they carried him off to bury him
Among four buzzards
And the sexton's mouse.)
The origins of the song are obscure, some versions refer to the Moorish wars in Spain, which concluded with the conquest of the Moorish kingdom of Granada by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. Probably the song itself doesn't go back that far, but in an 1818 book, according to one source, the Mexican writer Jose Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi claimed the song was brought to Mexico from Spain by a captain of marines. Some lyrics of the song are commemorating 19th-century conflicts in both Spain and Mexico, but verse production didn't really increase until the Mexican revolution of 1910-1920. So many stanzas were added by partisans on all sides during this period that today, despite its Spanish origin, the song is associated mostly with Mexico. Some say the mentioning of marijuana was directed at the dictatorial Mexican president Victoriano Huerta (ruled 1913-1914), ridiculed by his many enemies as a drunk and dope fiend who lived only for his daily weed. Other claim that la cucaracha refers solely to Pancho Villa, a famous bandido/revolutionary general. Whatever the origins and meaning of the song, La Cucaracha is the Spanish equivalent of Yankee Doodle — a traditional satirical tune periodically fitted out with new lyrics to meet the needs of the moment. (excerpted from this source)
The song's verses fit a traditional melody separate from that of the refrain but sharing the refrain's meter (either 5/4 or 6/4). The melody and the refrain are instantly ear catching and the song has been performed successfully in various settings. Here's a traditional Mexican performance of La Cucaracha by a mariachi trio
Original film poster (1934)
In 1934, an American short musical film titled La Cucaracha directed by Lloyd Corrigan was released to show the new full-color Technicolor Process No. 4 ("three-strip" Technicolor) at its best. Process No. 4 had been used since 1932, mainly in Walt Disney cartoons. A synopsis of the screen play is available at the AllMovie web, here and you have the opportunity to watch the film in HD at YouTube, here. The song is a major part of the intrigue. - In 1935, a MGM movie, La Fiesta de Santa Barbera, has Judy Garland and her sisters performing the song, the sequence has been uploaded at YouTube and is available here.
Maybe the exposing of the song on screen helped La Cucaracha to gain popularity with an American public. Fact is that many American popular bands and performers included the song in their repertoire from about the same time as the mentioned films were released. One of the first performers to include La Cucaracha and record the tune with lyrics in English (- different from the Mexican versions) was Louis Armstrong, who recorded the song for Decca in October 1935 (De 580)
Other popular performers also included La Cucarachain the repertoire, among them was Benny Goodman, who performed the song with his orchestra in a "Camel Caravan" broadcast August 31, 1937. Also Glenn Miller and his orchestra performed the song in two CBS "Chesterfield Show" broadcasts, January 22 and March 25, 1941. Woody Herman and his orchestra recorded a mambo version of the tune for Capitol in 1954 (CAP EAP2-560), and on January 23, 1952 Charlie Parkerand his quintet used La Cucaracha as a vehicle for a stunning bop improvisation, recorded by Mercury (Mercury/Clef 11093)
In Europe,La Cucarachaalso became popular during the 1930s. An early example is the recording by Lud Gluskin and his Continental Orchestra for French Columbia (Co 2952-D) (1934)
There was also made recordings of the song by accordionists in France with lyrics in French, an example of a musette inspired version was recorded by accordionist Adolphe Deprince mid-30s, available at YouTube, here - However, my favorite version of La Cucaracha recorded in France is by Mexican female vocalist and actress Lina D'Acosta featuring Oscar Alemán for the Pathé label, Paris March 5, 1935.
La Cucaracha_ Pathé (PA 531)
I have not found much info on Lina D'Acosta. She was apparently in Europe promoting Agustín Lara`s songs in France and starring of the films: Maria de la nuit (Willy Rozier - France 1936) and Il grande appello (Mario Camerini - Italy 1936).
Lina D'Acosta
She recorded six sides for Pathé 1935-36 as a singer and is accompanied by Oscar Alemán(g) and César Ríos(p). My favorite of her recordings is as mentioned La Cucarachafeaturing great accompaniement and solo by Alemán, one of his best non-jazz recordings from the Paris stay, I think.
Cockroach cartoon
La Cucarachahas had several interpretations in contemporary music, nursery rhymes have been added, cartoons have been released and even Lady Gaga performed a version of the tune. To end this small presentation of the song, I'll insert another notable performance of the tune. Have fun!
Cherokee (1938) is a jazz standard - also known as Cherokee (Indian Love Song) - written by Ray Noble and originally intended as the first of five movements for an Indian Suite (Cherokee, Comanche War Dance, Iroquois, Seminole, and Sioux Sue).
Ray Noble (1903-1978)
Cherokee has been recorded over the years by many jazz musicians and singers, including Charlie Parker, Charlie Barnetand His Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan,Art Tatum a.o.
Charlie Parker
Charlie Parkerused Cherokee for the basis of his 1945 composition Ko-Ko. The song has also been covered as an instrumental by Bud Powell, Clifford Brown, Don Byas, Stan Getz, Lionel Hampton, Harry James, Johnny Smith a.o.
Below is inserted some examples of different versions of Cherokee. The original version by Ray Noble and his Orchestrawas recorded in October 1938 for Brunswick
Charlie Barnet (ts) and his orchestra
Billy May arranged Noble's Cherokee for Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra, which had a hit in 1939 with the probably best known version of the tune. Here's Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra in a filmed presentation of Cherokee
Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker recorded his first version of Cherokee in September 1942 featuring Efferge Ware (g) and Little Phil Phillips (d)
In 1946 Charlie Parker took part in a live recording session in Los Angeles featuring Nat King Cole Trio extended with Benny Carter and Willie Smith(as) besides Parker; one of the recorded tunes was Cherokee
As mentioned above, Charlie Parker used Cherokee as the basis for his own composition Ko-Ko, first recorded by Parker's Reboppers featuring Dizzy Gillespie (tp,p), Curley Russel (b) and Max Roach (d) in November 1945
Another version of Cherokee explored by be bop giant of the piano Bud Powell was recorded in 1950
Harry James (tp) and Buddy Rich (dm) together in a TV presentation of Harry James and his Orchestra from 1964 end this small review of a famous jazz standard used as a vehichle for improvisation by both swing and be bop musicians
Retrospect
Keep Swinging (old)
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