[Dixielandjazz] Yama Yama Man

[George Thurmond]

        I'm the "someone" who posted that "Yama Yama Man" is an old New
Orleans lullabye - an assertion somewhat disputed by Mike No. 1 (Durham).
Then Mike No. 2 (Rev. Logsdon) says Don Kinch and the Murphy band's
rendition tops Howard Miyata and the High Sierra's version.  Let me answer
each Mike in turn.

        Kinch and Turk's recording in the Music for Losers album (Verve
1013) is beautiful, and played as intended - slowly and, yes, sweetly.  But
no lyrics are sung.  Miyata and High Sierra play it also in the same meter,
but Miyata's showmanship comes through on the lyrics, and that what, I
repeat, brings down the house.

        The album notes to Turk's Verve album refer to the song as "a New
Orleans lullabye (sic), written by Carl Hoschna and Collin Davis around
World War I".  The lyrics are scary, and get the kids to bed hiding under
the covers where they are safe from YYMan, a sort of New Orleans sandman.

George (standing on good authority) Thurmond