[Dixielandjazz] Another missed bet in the search for "1919"

[Dick Baker]

I've just made one more foray into Man's Eternal 
Quest for the composer of 1919/1919 March/1919 Rag.

Ten years ago here on DJML, it was pointed out 
that Turk played and discussed the tune with 
Ralph Gleason on a TV show called "Jazz Casual" 
in 1962.  On that show, he stated that 1919 was 
originally a French march with a (by him at 
least) unpronouncable name that got 
changed/simplified to 1919.  That soundtrack was 
later released on a Koch Jazz CD (in 1995), which 
showed credits of "Michel Jouve-Frank Terran  BMI Woodchuck Music Inc."

(FYI, the old suspicion that 1919 = Rifle Rangers 
by Karl King had been properly debunked long before this.  It ain't.)

So it occured to me to do a google search on

         march michel jouve frank terran

which led me into the Library of Congress's 
copyright book for 1976, which had this entry:

         1919 rag. Piano £ chant. Paroles de 
Prank Terran, pseud, of Andre clergeat, m: traditlonnel,
         arrangeur: M, Jouve, pseud, of nichel 
Vlllard, France, it p. French. Nn: arr. £ words,
         O Editions nusicales Vogue Irternational; 8Aug76; EPO-185263,

This entry is obviously rife with typos 
introduced in the unedited optical scan of an old 
book, but I think we can safely gather than 
Terran wrote lyrics, and Jouve did the 
arrangement, of a "traditional" tune called "1919 
Rag."  Elsewhere in the book, we learn that the 
two collaborated (Terran the lyrics, Jouve the 
music or arrangement) for "Captain Nartine's 
Stick," "Cockatoo Camp Meeting," "Goodbye Ponpano," and "Brazilian Twirling."

I think it's safe to say that Jouve and Terran 
had nothing to do with the 1919 that was first 
recorded by New Orleans bands in 1946; I'm sure 
that Koch went looking for a copyright in 1995 and found this 1976 entry.

But it's still curious that Turk identified it as 
a French march back in 1962.  So gentlemen, light 
up a Gallois or a Picayune and keep looking.  Vive la France!




--Dick Baker
Working on an updated version of the Stomp Off 
Records Tune Titles and Composers Index
See working draft at http://dickbaker.org/stompoff/index.pdf