[Dixielandjazz] Davenport Blues

[Stephen G Barbone]

>  Bert Brandsma <mister_bertje at hotmail.com> wrote
>
> Last month I did a gig backing Scott Hamilton.
> One number turned up on youtube
> - Davenport Blues
> In a very nice sounding arrangement :
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIzcyplyuyw
> Hope you will enjoy it ,

Dear Bert and Listmates:

For me, the absolute best recording of Davenport Blues ever was a 7  
and a half minute cut made by a Gerry Mulligan quintet that included  
Zoot Sims on Tenor. I still have the LP, "Something Borrowed,  
Something Blue" (Limelight) circa 1966.

The tempo is, MUCH slower than Bix's original. One eyed traddies like  
our mate Bill Haesler will no doubt scorn this version, <grin>, by I  
hear it as a wonderful example of a jazz musician putting an original  
stamp on another jazz musician's composition.

My band plays this tune at Mulligan's tempo and the audiences we  
court, (regular folks) adore it. Perhaps because it is a belly rubbing  
dance tune at this tempo.

You can hear a short snip of it at: (click on the tune)

http://www.gerrymulligan.info/recordings/something.html

Pity that the entire song is not there because the solos and harmonies  
from these "modern" jazzers at this tempo are gorgeous. There is also  
a Gorgeous rendition of "New Orleans" on this album, with Mulligan  
playing alto rather than baritone.

Here is a quote of Gerry Mulligan in the liner notes.

"Actually I don't know of any kind of jazz I'm not fond of, including  
the 'New Thing' - and some of my best friends are Dixielanders. But  
every musician should be seen in his own perspective, not categorized.  
My favorite Dixielanders were melodists, Irving Fazola, for example.  
Would you call Bix Beiderbecke a Dixielander? Or Sidney DeParis?"

Perhaps someone can find the entire song on the internet, or has an  
mp3 of it?

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband