[Dixielandjazz] NIGHT TRAIN

[Harry Callaghan]

I recently saw Diana Krall perform "Night Train" and she made mention of the
fact that the manner in which she played the number was inspired by her late
friend Oscar Peterson.

Also, as Duke Ellington was a composer as well as orchestra leader, it is
not all that uncommon for a disc-jockey to mistakenly give credit to Duke
for composing something that was actually written by Billy Strayhorn.  I
doubt very much if it is intentional.

However, what has always been a complete puzzlement to me is why Ellington
allowed his former saxophonist Jimmy Forest rip off  a segment of his
"Happy-Go-Lucky-Local" and call it "Night Train"

I have Forest's original version on a 45 and a number of others, most
notably those of Buddy Morrow and a real upbeat version by Ernie Englund
which an old friend of mine named Lee Donahue used as his theme for a rock
deejay show in the late 50s bearing that name.

While I never inquired of Lee as to why he used that version, I suspect that
since it was recorded on the Cadence label, it might have been some form of
allegiance to Archie Bleyer, my boss at the time.

It has also often been used as background music in a movie scene or some TV
skit when strippers would come walking down the runway..........believe me,
with Ernie's version of it, they would have to come running down the runway.

Each one has Forest credited as the composer, and it would stand to reason
that he would therefore be the recipient of any royalties attributed to the
sales of the multitude of recorded versions.  I have never seen a piece of
sheet music.but would strongly suspect that the same might be true there as
well.

Don't know if there's an answer but I just considered it worth thinking
about, while waiting for the tea kettle to whistle again

Tides,
HC

-- 
Music you grew up listening to
Or when we're done you'll wish
you grew up listening to.

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