[Dixielandjazz] Whiffenpoofs Revisited.

[JimDBB at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/19/2003 5:52:15 AM Central Standard Time, 
KenASlater at aol.com writes:

> Some time ago I posted a message asking for some info about the words and 
> place names mentioned in the Whiffenpoof Song. The answers came back 
> immediately - many thanks -and I now know far more than I did. 
> 
> At the time I had a Louis Armstrong 78 of this piece and now that I've 
> cleaned it up and listened to it I've found that the words aren't the usual 
> 
> ones. It's a light-hearted (I think) dig at the bop fraternity which starts 
> 
> with something like:
> 
> 'From the tables up at Birdland to the place where Dizzy dwells
> In the beards and funny hats they love so well
> All the boppers are assembled  and when they're really high
> They constitute a weird personnel'.
> 
> The Louis Armstrong discography gives it a recording date of 19 March 1954. 
> 
> Were any of you older guys around then? Does anyone know if Louis himself 
> wrote the words, and incidentally how Diz and the rest felt about it?

  This is a good question . who wrote the words' to Louis Armstrong's sendoff 
on the 'whiffenpoof Song."  It is very funny and I'm sure that Dizzy loved it 
as he had a great sense of humor and he and Louis were friends.  The better 
recording of it, I believe, is on the Louis Live at the Crescendo...now part 
of the California Concerts CD collection.  Louis and the All Stars play it 
simply and beautifully followed by Louis's charming vocal.

I don't believe that Louis wrote the words but you can be sure that he added 
his own variations.

Jim Beebe