My friends and I decided to learn Wa Wa Wa. This is the tune famously recorded by King Oliver in 1926. You can hear his recording BY CLICKING HERE.
We soon realized it was a great piece to learn - an archetypal 1920s number with a catchy melody based on a simple, intuitive chord structure, and having a good Verse - played AFTER the first Chorus - to provide some contrast.
The Chorus is one of those consisting of twenty bars (a fashionable length in the 1920s) and allowing 'breaks' over bars 13 - 16. These of course add to the excitement.
We went about learning it direct from the King Oliver recording, with frequent use of the pause button. King Oliver plays it in Bb - the easiest of keys for traditional jazz bands - so it was not too difficult.
I must mention that Wa Wa Wa was not actually composed by King Oliver. The composer was Mort Schaefer, who seems to have been famous for nothing else.
It's a terrific piece to play, and easier than it sounds. For your own satisfaction, though, it's a good idea to include King Oliver's excellent four-bar Introduction and neat, tricky Coda (ending with a syncopated bar played on percussion only). The Coda begins in Bar 19 the final time you play the Chorus. It lasts for eight bars. It's worth taking the trouble to get it right.
