Post 306: 'MESSIN' AROUND' BY CHARLES L. 'DOC' COOKE

'Messin' Around' is a super number, with an interesting structure. It was composed in 1926 by Charles L. 'Doc' Cooke, with Johnny St. Cyr adding the words.

You can hear what is probably the first recording of it - made by Doc Cooke's own band - Cookie's Gingersnaps: CLICK HERE.

After a vamping Introduction, it starts properly at 20 seconds with THE CHORUS rather than the Verse. This has a 32-bar (16 + 16) structure. This is followed by the VERSE (16 bars) which leads neatly via the dominant seventh chord back into the Chorus.

It is a bright, catchy tune. I think the Gingersnaps played it in the key of C, though - because of the pitch of instruments at the time and also because of early recording techniques - it sounds to the modern ear more like B.

For an energetic and exciting version played by a Twenty-First Century band, try Tuba Skinny. They follow the original quite closely:

CLICK HERE.

I had a go at working it out. It was a struggle and the result is probably inaccurate and a bit messy. I also put it into D, which is fine for my cornet.

Post 305: 'MICHIGANDER BLUES'

Jabbo Smith

Michigander Blues was apparently written in about 1929 by Jabbo Smith and the word 'Michigander' simply means 'a person from Michigan'.

Having enjoyed very much listening (on YouTube) to the great young New Orleans band Tuba Skinny playing this tune, I wanted to play it myself. It's good to have a few minor key tunes in your repertoire. To hear Tuba Skinny perform Michigander Blues: CLICK HERE.

I spent a couple of hours writing it out. Like Tuba Skinny, I put it in D minor. Here's what I came up with. It doesn't sound too bad to me as a basis to work on. I tried it with some friends, playing pub lunch jazz at The Dog and Gun, in Syston, Leicester, and it sounded reasonably good. The first four bars are the Introduction; the next 16 bars are the Verse; and the rest (final 32 bars) are the CHORUS, which has an a-a-b-a structure.

Post 304: 'MY SWEET LOVIN' MAN'

Lil Hardin

While roaming around YouTube videos of jazz bands in New Orleans, I chanced upon one put up by Thomas Balzac. It showed Sarah Peterson singing My Sweet Lovin' Man with the famous Smoking Time Jazz Club Band at The Spotted Cat Music Club in Frenchmen Street:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCTXmjXIleA

I remembered that I have the tune on one of my King Oliver CDs. It turned out that it was written by Lil Hardin in 1923.

I also noticed that - after its 12-bar Verse - it has a Chorus based on The Hot Nuts Chord Progression - popular in the 1920s. This is basically a 16-bar progression, with breaks possible on Bars 9 to 12 inclusive. The final two bars of the sixteen are in many songs repeated as a tag. That is what happens in My Sweet Lovin' Man, making 18 bars in all.

I like it; so I decided to add this tune to my mini-filofax collection. I wrote it out, and it sounds quite good on my keyboard.