Way Down Yonder in New Orleans

1922 sheet music cover with a photo of singer Blossom Seeley

Way Down Yonder in New Orleans is a popular song with music by John Turner Layton, Jr. and lyrics by Henry Creamer. First published in 1922, it was advertised by Creamer and Layton as "A Southern Song, without A Mammy, A Mule, Or A Moon", a dig at some of the Tin Pan Alley clichés of the era.- It was performed at The Winter Garden Theater in New York in Act 2 of the Broadway musical production Spice of 1922.The original 1922 sheet music featured a drawing of a girl on a spice bottle on the front cover, referring to the musical in which the song eventually made its public debut. [excerpt of Wikipedia article]

The Peerless Quartet, c.1923
L-R: John H. Meyer, Henry Burr, Frank Croxton, Albert Campbell

The song has been recorded numerous times from the early 1920s up till now. One of the first recordings of the song was made by Henry Burr and the Peerless Quartet in 1922

Layton & Johnstone — 1927

The composer Turner Layton recorded the song as part of the duo Layton & Johnstone in 1927

Frankie Trumbauer & His Orch, OKeh, 40843

Way Down Yonder in New Orleans was soon recorded by various jazz groups, one of the most famous recordings from the 1920s was made by Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra featuring Bix Beiderbecke (co), in 1927

As said, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans has been recorded by numerous artists and the song may be considered a part of the jazz standard repertoire, but it has also been treated by r&b, rock'n'roll and pop artists. I found a wonderful example of the fact that the song still inspires a new generation of jazz musicians to show off their best. - From a live performance at the Kids in Jazz, Norway 2013 Polina Tarasenko (Ukraine) is featured on trombone accompanied by Risa Takahashi (Japan), bass guitar, Trym Karlsen (Norway), drums, Odd Andre Elveland (Norway), piano - enjoy!

---

Jo 

keepswinging@live.nl

The popular song Way Down Yonder In New Orleans was composed in 1922 by John Turner Layton, Jr. with lyrics by Henry Creamer. The song had its debut in the Broadway musical production Spice of 1922 and was soon recorded by numerous artists. Both popular and jazz artist have made the song a part of the standard American repertoire. Way Down Yonder In New Orleans keeps inspiring - even young people - to show off their talents

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Big Easy Big Bands - Eddy Determeyer

Dawn and Rise of the Jazz Orchestra in New Orleans.
This is virgin territory ( Quote: Dr. Bruce B. Raeburn )
Hans Koert


Roaming the Tremé District, the book of Eddy Determeyer opens its preface, there's a fair chance you run into a blaring brass band, surrounded by joyously strutting Second Liners ....

Eddy Determeyer - Big Easy Big Bands ( Nederlands) - Big Easy Big Bands - Eddy Determeyer (English)

•  A few months ago I saw the moving documentary film The sound after the storm, featuring vocalist Lillian Boutté, clarinet player and jazz historian Dr. Michael White and photographer Armand Sheik Richardson; a film which describes the situation of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina had caused damage to the city .....

The city of New Orleans, once the cradle of jazz and ragtime and its related music styles, like rhythm and blues was hit hard .... When the levees broke and her dwellings were inundated, hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes. Like everybody else, musicians had to leave behind all of their belongings, including instruments, recordings, music, pictures, and other memorabilia. Though nightlife in the French Quartet, which had suffered only minor damage, was restored in a matter of days, the music community had taken a severe beating. The glorious days of the big bands now seemed dimmer than ever. In some cases literally so: the horrors of Katrina reverberated in a lot of the elder citizen's minds. ( source: Big Easy Big Bands - Eddy Determeyer)

The music of New Orleans has been investigated extensively since its birth around 1900, but what about the development of the early orchestras - the Big Easy Big Bands?

 Eddy Determeyer defines the word orchestra or big band as every combination of any group of jazz musicians larger than combo size, i.e. over five or six piece, and therefore relies on written (and occasionally "head") arrangements. During the 1920s the bands were growing and one of the reasons was, that the dance halls had become larger - Dances like the Charleston, the Suzie-Q and the Linda Hop were hypes in those days. Because of the fact that most bands played acoustically because sound amplification was still in its infancy, the bands had to enlarge.  One of the largest bands was the orchestra of Paul Whiteman, which contained more ten 27 men.

 Fate Marable Society Syncopators at one of the Mississippi steamers.

A lot is known about the history of music, played by big bands in New Orleans, but the music is silent e.g. can't be heard, as the pre-war bands were not recorded at all. Dr. Bruce B. Raeburn, curator of the New Orleans Tulane University says at the book's cover. This is a fascinating text on a topic that has been a blind spot within the literature of jazz studies... This is virgin territory ....

  Fate Marable Society Syncopators

Eddy Determeyer, who previous published a research about the Jimmy Lunceford band, didn't want to make an encyclopedia which contained lists of all known New Orleans big bands and musicians from the 1900 - 1960, but, in spite of this the index is impressive. Eddy Determeyer did select its items consciously  - so you won't find much info about, let's say, the New Orleans born piano player, entertainer and personality Jelly Roll Morton.

•  A few months ago I got access to he so-called 1938 Jelly Roll Morton Library of Congress Recordings-  a unique document about the early history of jazz music. Of course, Eddy knows this source, recorded by Jelly Roll Morton, who had pitch forked himself as the Originator of Jazz, but omitted his name from the book, because when Morton recorded his audio testament he wasn't active active in New Orleans anymore and left the city more then twenty years earlier.

 The TV-series Treme sketches a fascinating picture of the people living in post-Katrina New Orleans. 

In 16 chapters Eddy discusses the history of the New Orleans big bands starting with the melting pot, New Orleans was at the turn of the century (1900) in a chapter entitled as The Brass Age - A never ending ball and
 the story of bands, active at the Mississippi steamers, like Fate Marable's Society Serenaders, ( in Rocking the boat). Eddy clears up the myth that the closing of Storyville caused the exodus of musicians who left New Orleans in the 1920s, hoping for the best (like King Oliver, Luis Russell and Louis Armstrong). He tells about Oscar Papa Celestin's Original Tuxedo Orchestra, which was the last of the traditional New Orleans jazzbands ( 1910-1954); About Cap'n John Handy (in Nobody Messes with Handy), but also about, for me lesser known names like Sidney Desvigne, Valmore Victor, Clyde Kerr up to Wardell Quezergue and his drummer Joe Johnson, who introduced the modern jazz styles to New Orleans influenced by bebop and funk.

• The book Big Easy Big Bands - Dawn and Rise of the Jazz Orchestra will be labeled as a standard in New Orleans music history and it feels great ( and a bit chauvinistic - I know),  that a Dutchman did the research. Eddy says about it: The role of New Orleans bigband as originator and mirror of new developments in dance Music, so evident during last century’s first seventy years, was ( after Katrina) over anyway. May this book serve as a testament to these wonderful days ………….

The book Big Easy Big Bands – Dawn and Rise of the Jazz Orchestra, can be ordered at Eddy Determeyer website.

Hans Koert
keepswinging@live.nl
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The dawn and rise of the jazz orchestra is the subtitle of Eddy Determeyer's latest book Big Easy Big Bands. The history of the numerous bands that were active in New Orleans between 1900 and 1960 has been researched by Dutch jazz historian Eddy Determeyer.  A fascinating text on a topic that has been a blind-spot within the literature of jazz studies ..... This is virgin territory. These New Orleans bands, which haven't been recorded at all, finally have been put into the spotlights ... A must-have for all serious lover of tis untold part in jazz history ... Big Easy Big Bands - Eddy Determeyer.

  

Retrospect
Keep Swinging (old) Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Friends of the Keep Swinging blog Keep Swinging Contributions

Eddy Determeyer - Big Easy Big Bands

 De geboorte en opkomst van het jazzorkest in New Orleans
Dit is een fascinerend boek over een onderwerp dat lange tijd een blindevlek was in de jazzliteratuur ( uitspraak (in vertaling) Dr. Bruce B. Raeburn )
Hans Koert

Wie door de Tremé-wijk van New Orleans ronddoolt, begint het voorwoord van het nieuwste boek van Eddy Determeyer, heeft een grote kans, dat hij zo'n luid schallende brassband tegenkomt, omgeven door een opgewonden vrolijk uitgedoste groep volgers …… (  Roaming the Tremé District, there's a fair chance you run into a blaring brass band, surrounded by joyously strutting Second Liners )

Eddy Determeyer - Big Easy Big Bands ( Nederlands) - Big Easy Big Bands - Eddy Determeyer (English)

• Een paar maanden geleden zag ik de ontroerende documentaire The Sound After the Storm, waarin zangeres Lilian Boutté, klarinettist Dr. Michael White en fotograaf Armand Sheik Richardson, de verwoeste volkswijken van New Orleans binnentrekken en hulp geven aan de radeloze bevolking ….  Een beschrijving van de situatie waarin de stad New Orleans zich bevindt, in de jaren na de verwoestende orkaan Katrina.

New Orleans – de bakermat van ragtime en jazz en gerelateerde muziekstijlen als de rhythm and blues - was hard getroffen .... When the levees broke and her dwellings were inundated, hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes. ( = Toen de dijken braken en woningen onderliepen, moesten honderdduizenden hun huizen ontvluchten.). schrijft Eddy Determeyer in het geheel in het Engels geschreven boek …… 

Zoals iedereen, lieten ook de musici al hun bezittingen achter, hun instrumenten, hun platen, hun muziek, foto’s en andere aandenken. Hoewel het nachtleven in het French Quarter, dat maar weinig geleden had door de overstromingen, na een paar dagen weer draaide alsof er niet gebeurd was, had de muziekscene zware klappen gekregen. De hoogtijdagen van de grote orkesten lijken langer geleden dan ooit …. In sommige gevallen zelf letterlijk vergeten ….. de herinneringen hebben in de hoofden van de ouderen plaats gemaakt voor de verschrikkingen van Katrina. 

De muziek, die zich rond de eeuwwisseling (1900) in New Orleans ontwikkelde  is uitgebreid beschreven, maar hoe zit het met de ontwikkeling van de big bands, de orkesten? 

The Big Easy Big Bands? Eddy Determeyer definieert het begrip orkest of big band als elke band groter dan een combo – een vier- of vijf-mans formatie en die gebruik maakt van geschreven arrangementen. In de jaren twintig van de vorige eeuw groeiden de orkesten in omvang en dat had alles te maken met de populariteit rond danshypes als de charleston, de Suzie-Q en de Linda Hop, waardoor de danszalen groter werden.  Aangezien orkesten toen hun geluid nog niet konden versterken betekende dat letterlijk, dat ze meer body moesten krijgen ………. meer volume.  Een bekend voorbeeld is het extreem grote en populaire orkest van Paul Whiteman, dat meer dan 27 musici bevatte.

 Fate Marable Society Syncopators op één van de radarboten, die over de Mississippi voeren.

We weten al veel van de geschiedenis van de orkesten, die speelden in New Orleans, maar de muziek van geen enkele vooroorlogse band is ooit in een groef vastgelegd ….  Dr. Bruce B. Raeburn, curator van de New Orleans Tulane Universiteit zegt hierover op de kaft:  This is a fascinating text on a topic that has been a blind spot within the literature of jazz studies... This is virgin territory ....

  Fate Marable Society Syncopators

Eddy Determeyer, die eerder een mooi boek over de band van Jimmy Lunceford maakte, heeft er geen naslagwerk van gemaakt, ( wel is er een uitgebreide index) waarin alle big bands die tussen 1900 en 1960 in New Orleans speelden, opgesomd worden. Eddy Determeyer heeft bewuste keuzes gemaakt - zo zul je de rol van pianist en bandleider ( en nog veel meer) Jelly Roll Morton niet uitgebreid beschreven vinden.

• Een paar maanden geleden kreeg ik de beschikking over de zogenaamde Library of Congress Recordings opgenomen in 1938 met Jelly Roll Morton, die zichzelf de Originator of Jazz ( = de uitvinder van de jazz) noemde – een uniek document waarin hij in gesproken tekst, aangevuld met muzikale fragmenten zijn herinneringen deelt.  Natuurlijk kent ook Eddy dit document, maar toch zul je tevergeefs zoeken naar de naam van Jelly Roll Morton, die, toen hij zijn herinneringen opnam al een paar decennia weg was uit New Orleans – geen erg betrouwbare actuele bron dus …. volgens Eddy.

 De TV-serie Treme geeft een fascinerend beeld van het New Orleans na Katrina

In 16 hoofdstukken, beschrijft Eddy uitgebreid de geschiedenis van de orkesten, die in New Orléans speelden tussen 1900 en 1960: van de smeltpot van volkeren en muziekstijlen begin 1900 ( The Brass Age - A never ending ball);

het verhaal van de band van Fate Marable, die op de radarschepen op de Mississippi speelde (in Rocking the boat); de uittocht van musici, die New Orleans verlieten in de jaren twintig toen Storyville gesloten werd, heeft, meldt Eddy, in feite nooit plaatsgevonden ...... De boorden van de Pontchartrain en de straten en danszalen van Tremé zijn altijd de bakermatten geweeest van alle ontwikkelingen; over Oscar Papa Celestin's Original Tuxedo Orchestra, één van de laatste traditionele New Orleans jazzbands ( 1910-1954); over Cap'n John Handy (in Nobody Messes with Handy), maar ook de voor mij minder bekende namen als  Sidney Desvigne, Valmore Victor, Clyde Kerr tot en met Wardell Quezergue en zijn slagwerker Joe Johnson die de modern jazzinvloeden, zoals bebop en funk, New Orleans binnen bracht. 

• Het boek,  Big Easy Big Bands - Dawn and Rise of the Jazz Orchestra zal ongetwijfeld zijn plek veroveren tussen de handboeken in mijn boekenkast, een referentiepunt voor een ieder die meer wil weten over deze periode in de muziekgeschiedenis van New Orleans en het is natuurlijk een beetje chauvinistisch te wijzen op het feit, dat een Nederlander dit beschreven heeft. Zelf is Eddy over zijn boek veel meer bescheiden.  The role of New Orleans bigband as originator and mirror of new developments in dance Music, so evident during last century’s first seventy years, was ( after Katrina) over anyway. May this book serve as a testament to these wonderful days ………….

Het boek Big Easy Big Bands – Dawn and Rise of the Jazz Orchestra, geheel in de Engelse taal geschreven, is te bestellen bij Eddy Determeyer.

Hans Koert
keepswinging@live.nl
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De geboorte en opkomst van de jazz in New Orleans in de eerste decennia van de twintigste eeuw is uitgebreid beschreven, maar de ontwikkeling van de grotere bands, die in New Orlans bleven optreden, zijn tot nu toe schromelijk onderbelicht.  Deze bands, die nooit opnamen heben achtergelaten, worden eindelijk in de schijnwerper gezet door Eddy Determeyer, die deze untold story eindelijk verteld ... Big Easy Big Bands - Eddy Determeyer.

  

Retrospect
Keep Swinging (old) Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Friends of the Keep Swinging blog Keep Swinging Contributions