[Dixielandjazz] It's 1939 This Week on Riverwalk Jazz

[Donald Mopsick]

Denizens of the DJML:

I came up with the idea of producing compilation shows about specific
years (so blame me). 1939 seemed a natural because of all the great
movies that year (film historians consider it the greatest year ever).
In particular, the Wizard of Oz score was adapted by the JCJB and 2
tunes are included this week.

Here's the tune list:

MEDLEY: FLYIN HOME, IN THE MOOD w/Lionel Hampton, vibes; Cullen Offer,
Fred Salas, tenor saxophone; Mike Berglund, trumpet
Hamp was a guest in 1990 before I got there. Both Flyin' and In the
Mood were from 39.

WHAT'S NEW? w/Bob Barnard, cornet
Haggart wrote it in 38 for Billy Butterfield, Johnny Burke added the
lyric in 39. Hag said that when Linda Ronstadt recorded it in the 80s
he made so much money he had to buy a condo on Siesta Key.

THE LADY'S IN LOVE WITH YOU w/Rebecca Kilgore, vocal and John Sheridan, piano
written by Burton Lane, lyrics by Frank Loesser. Big hit for Glenn Miller.

EASY TO GET w/Brian Ogilvie, tenor sax
>From the 1939 Bud Freeman Summa Cum Laude band.

DON'T WORRY 'BOUT ME Dick Hyman piano solo
Hyman works his magic.

UNDECIDED w/Bob Barnard, cornet

WE'LL MEET AGAIN
Vera Lynne, became WWII anthem, later used in Dr. Strangelove.

AFTER A WHILE w/Ron Hockett, tenor sax; Bobby Gordon and Kim Cusack, clarinet
Another Summa chart.

WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD w/Don Mopsick, bass
Ackkk! Wish I had shown up that day.

IF I WERE KING OF THE FOREST w/Kenny Rupp, trombone
Kenny Rupp as the Cowardly Lion. Superb.

THE E-FLAT BLUES
Dean Kincade chart for Muggsy Spanier and His Ragtimers. I think
Rutgers gave it to us to use.

A lot was happening in '39: Billie Holiday brought out her biggest
million-selling record "Strange Fruit," Marian Anderson sang "America"
at the Lincoln Memorial after being refused permission to sing at
Constitution Hall by the (gag!) DAR, The NY World's Fair opened (GM's
Futurama was adapted for the '64 NY World's Fair and again at GM's
ride at Epcot Center in '81). The ’39 World’s Fair gave impetus to
“futurism,” the optimistic idea that the world of the future could be
transformed by technology, with giant corporations leading the way.
Cool, huh? Too bad they completely f*cked up on that one.

And...if you've never seen it, check out this astounding poster from
1935 courtesy of Adolph Hitler depicting an "Afro-Semitic" saxophone
player, with the legend "Entartete Musik" (degenerate music).

http://ow.ly/i/HXFk

Apparently racism was big in the world, but people were just starting
to get hip that it wasn't cool. Hitler helped a lot to give it a bad
name. In the Nazi fantasy world, Jews and Negroes were teaming up to
foist their degenerate, polluting swing music upon pure Aryan peoples.
As Marty Grosz tells us, he and his parents got out of Berlin way
early because "they weren't swinging over there." Of course his father
George Grosz was a brilliant satirical painter, cartoonist, etc. who
was not a big hit with Adolph. It must have been scary to live in
1939, and gloomy to live in 1940 when they started chewing up Europe.
Thanks, FDR!

mopo

-- 
http://about.me/donmopsick