[Dixielandjazz] Re: Armstrong "imitators"

[D and R Hardie]

Hi Bill. Anton and all,
Surely someone sang Funky Butt in the Bolden band before 1900, perhaps 
Frankie Dusen, and guitarist Lorenzo Staulz is believed to have sung 
Bucket Got a Hole in It in that band. Louis wasn't even in short pants.
best wishes
Dan Hardie
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~darnhard/EarlyJazzHistory.html

On Monday, August 2, 2004, at 08:15  PM, Bill Haesler wrote:

>>
>> Hello all
>>
>> "Imitation" is a broad topic and I think we may have drifted away 
>> from the
>> point originally made by Bill Haesler - the awfulness of the singing 
>> of so
>> many players when they try to emulate the style of Louis. Also, let's
>> remember that impersonation is different to imitation. I gather that 
>> Elvis
>> impersonation is a notifiable disease in the USA but I don't know of 
>> any
>> attempts at Louis impersonation. Hardly surprising, seeing that most 
>> Louis
>> wannabes are middle-aged to elderly Anglo-Europeans   :-)
>>
>> Louis' style (both instrumental and vocal) has been fair game for 
>> imitators
>> for almost 80 years and the imitation reflects both the admiration 
>> for, and
>> economic sense of copying, a great artist.
>>
>> When it comes to trumpet playing, many have done it well and some 
>> have done
>> it very well - Jabbo Smith, Henry Allen and Jack Purvis come to mind. 
>> With
>> the singing, though, it's a different matter - Louis had the gift of a
>> distinctive voice and an impeccable rhythmic sense. Most imitators of 
>> the
>> singing get only the voice (partly) right and miss-out completely on 
>> the
>> rhythm. When Louis sang, the performance kept swinging; with the 
>> imitators
>> it drags. Louis was indeed a great jazz singer, even though he wasn't 
>> the
>> first.
>>
>> He most certainly did play (and sing) "that thing".
>>
>> All the best
>> Anton
> Hello Anton,
> How can you be so provocative and not elicit one DJML reply in 3 days?
> Your comment : >Louis was indeed a great jazz singer, even though he 
> wasn't
> the first.< must not go unchallenged.
> If not Louis, who then did you have in mind?
> I have a feeling that you are including the vaudeville/blues singers.
> Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and perhaps Alberta Hunter, Ethel Waters and, 
> maybe,
> Trixie Smith.
> Mmmmmmmmmmm.
> Unfortunately we do not know when Louis started singing publicly as, 
> from
> memory, no one seems to have recalled it. Clowning with the 1922-24 
> Oliver
> perhaps.
> But his first vocal notes did not appear on record until late Nov 
> 1924, a
> short scat on Fletcher Henderson's "Everybody Loves My Baby", then 
> nothing
> until Feb 1926 and "Georgia Grind/Heebie Jeebies".
> By which time we had lots of people singing 'jazz'.
> But Louis was certainly unique from that period, in that he sang like 
> he
> played. Hot!
> I believe that Louis put the rhythm into jazz singing. The rest 
> followed.
> Which is maybe why we still have jazz trumpet players who think it is 
> their
> God-given gift. Just kidding (I think).
> Or am I being one-eyed? Again!
> Very kind regards,
> Bill.
>
>
>
>
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