[Dixielandjazz] Re: Turk and Mack the Knife

[Bill Haesler]

Dear all,
I was initially intrigued by Al Levy's earlier comment: >Who among you has
heard the recording of Louis Armstrong teaching Lotte Lenya how to sing the
words? It's a riot when he says things like "not Mackie" but "Mack' EEE".<
Then I realised that he was probably referring to the Lotte Lenya CD  'Lotte
Lenya Sings Kurt Weill' [Sony Classical MHK 60647] which is the sort of
thing listmate Anton Crouch probably has.
8>)
A review of this 1999 release (that I have never heard) says that the CD
finishes with "three versions of Lenya singing Mack the Knife, although the
word "version" doesn't do justice to the third, which is an eight-minute
transcription of the studio takes of Lenya's duet with Louis Armstrong. The
first of the three versions is sung by Lenya in German, accompanied by the
Turk Murphy jazz band. Notwithstanding its abrupt coda, this great recording
has, to my knowledge, never been released [previously]. The second Mack the
Knife version is the final take of the Lenya-Armstrong duet. And the third,
as noted, are the session takes, including Armstrong¹s attempts to instruct
Lenya how to get the rhythms right, especially on the final three eighth
notes, which she never quite manages. It's a delightful and fascinating look
at the great Lenya being instructed in how to sing American jazz by the
equally great Louis Armstrong, who is in complete and total control of the
session."
The original Armstrong All Stars recording of "A Theme From The Threepenny
Opera (Mack The Knife)" was recorded for Columbia in New York on 28 Sept
1955 in New York and was an instrumental. Early in 1956, after Louis and the
band had returned from a European tour,  two more versions were made,
including a vocal version and the one with Lotte Lenya.
The original we 'all know and love' is a splice from the two sessions. Which
is why the final issued disc has Louis playing trumpet behind his vocal.
Kind regards,
Bill.