[Dixielandjazz] Ice Cream-- background info needed.

[Bert]

Hello Bill,
Ice Cream was composed by Robert King, Howard Johnson & Billy Moll in 1927.   The first recordings were by the Six Jelly Beans (1928)   
The original is more a novelty song than a jazz record.    
It has a 32 bar verse, that is not too well known. (Alas I might ad)    The refrain is 32 bar, AABA form   
In 1944 it was recorded by George Lewis, as an instrumental.    
When Chris Barber's band recorded it in 1954 (While on tour in Denmark), they only knew the George Lewis recording, since the 1920's recording was not, or maybe hardly issued in Europe.So the Barber outfit first cut 2 instrumental takes, when the recording ingineer asked why they didn't sing it.   The answer was of course easy: They didn't know the lyrics.  
Then Pat Halcox, for 54 years Barber's trumpet player, made up some fantasy lyrics in the studio and take 3 was cut.  It became a minor hit in Europe and Pat Halcox' lyrics (and variations upon them) are now much better known than the original ones. They are even used on the Wynton Marsalis recording with Eric Clapton.

There also exists a great life version by the Barber band from 1959, when they were at the height of their fame (They just had a worldwide hit recording with Petite Fleur, #3 in the charts in the UK, #2 in Germany, #5 in the USA and #1 in Holland) when they played Ice Cream in the Deutschland Halle in Berlin. It was only the second time that place sold out for a Jazz concert. (The other was Benny Goodman.) It was attended by 15.000 people. Interestingly enough, people from both West and East Germany were allowed to buy tickets for the concert.
The audience went totally wild, which is very clear on the record.
Kind regards,
Bert Brandsma





These 1920's recordings were 
> 
>  In preparation for a concert series at a library, our group would  like to get some background information on just one tune that we can’t dig up any information on. We have a fellow who loves doing research, and has found information on all the songs but one - - - “ Ice Cream”.  
> 
> Can anyone help. Please, with a cherry on top.
> 
> Bill#
> 
> 
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