Post 461: THE FRENCH MARKET IN NEW ORLEANS

Here's The French Market, New Orleans, in 1880:

And here it is in 1920:

And here it is - same year - from the other side:

Here are two recent photos showing the interior of The French Market:

Finally, to watch that excellent band Yes Ma'am busking in April 2016 outside the French Market: CLICK HERE.

Post 460: FRANK JOHNSON'S FABULOUS DIXIELANDERS - JAZZ IN AUSTRALIA

Looking randomly for traditional jazz on YouTube, you can make some surprising discoveries. For example, I recently came across an interesting band called Frank Johnson's Fabulous Dixielanders. This group flourished in Australia (Melbourne, specifically, I think) right in the middle of the Twentieth Century.

I have not been able to discover much about the band and I hope there may be a reader or two in Australia who will be able to supply me with more information or reminiscences. (See below for information gratefully received.)

Of course, I knew of the Graeme Bell Band from Australia that played such great music and had a big influence when it visited the U.K. in the 1950s. I recall buying Graeme Bell 78s at that time.

But Frank Johnson? No. He's new to me.

We have to be grateful to video-makers who give their names as gramophoneshane, Rodaroda, and BassetHoundTrio, and Nicholas Ribush, for it is they who have put up the recordings on YouTube. It seems that Nicholas Ribush himself was a pianist who played with the Melbourne University Jazz Band in 1960.

The members of Frank Johnson's Fabulous Dixielanders  (circa 1950) seem to have been Frank Johnson (cornet), Ken Evans (cornet), Warwick Dyer (trombone), Geoff Kitchen (clarinet), Geoff Bland (piano), Bill Tope (banjo), Jack Connelly (tuba) and Wes Brown (drums). On some recordings the pianist was Ian Burns.

The band played in a lusty, energetic, thoroughly competent manner, reminiscent of the great recordings made by King Oliver for Gennett in 1923. You can also hear strong echoes of the Lu Watters band from San Francisco.

But why not try it for yourself?

Have a listen to Royal Terminus Rag, recorded in Sydney on 6 December 1949. I wondered how I had never come across this very good rag before. The answer is that it was a new one, composed by Warwick Dyer, the band's very own trombone player, (who sadly was killed six years later). Could the tune have been named after a hotel where the band played? Built into it are 'ingredients' that we find in rags from Scott Joplin onwards:-

It starts with a bouncy 16-bar theme in Eb.

Then comes a 16-bar theme (played twice) allowing for 'breaks' (including two Snake Rag-type dual cornet breaks).

Then without a bridge, we go straight into a 32-bar theme, in the related key of Ab. It's a typical final theme (dating right back to the Trio of eighteenth-century classical music), structured 16 bars + 16 bars, and with a break on the chord of Eb7 on bars 15 and 16.

Finally, there is a perfect 1920s-style two-bar Coda to round the thing off.

Probably the sheet music was never published. One consequence is that - sadly - nobody plays Royal Terminus Rag these days.

Have a listen to the stirring recording: CLICK HERE.

It  appears that Frank Johnson's band recorded about 60 tunes between 1949 and 1963. Among them were Tiger Rag, Dill Pickles, Silver Bell, Sensation Rag, Wolverine Blues, Come Back Sweet Papa and I Got What It Takes But It Breaks My Heart To Give It Away. There is even a CD of a concert in Melbourne recorded in 1978 - possibly some sort of reunion event?

I would be very interested to hear from anyone who can tell me more. Already, David Withers in Christchurch, New Zealand, has sent me this information:-

I first heard this band a few years ago as a result of listening to a series of podcasts from Peter Cowden of Jazzology Australia. Peter Cowden is at www.jazzology.cam.au. Over a series of 100 plus podcasts Peter included the following numbers from a CD called 'Frank Johnson's Fabulous Dixielanders 1949 - 1962 BAC22'. I have discovered that BAC22 is a CD produced by a Bill Armstrong in Australia. His CD's are distributed by Eos Music in Australia: http://www.eosmusic.com.au/  There is a 6-page catalogue of his recordings.

 The tracks I have MP3's of are:

 Over in Gloryland

Silver Bell

That's A Plenty

Bye and Bye

Darktown Strutters Ball

Sweet Patootie

Russian Lullaby

Weary Blues

 The Australian Jazz Museum seems to have some data on recordings by Frank Johnson - www.ajm.org.au

Post 459: JAZZ - BUSKING IN THE STREETS = 'STREET JAZZ'?

In 2016, I noticed the expression 'street jazz' being used with increasing frequency. Perhaps you have too? But what is this 'street jazz'? Some kind of new genre?

Photo : Guy Hardy

No. I think what has happened is that many good traditional jazz bands now play in the streets, with the result that more and more passers-by are amazed at what they hear and - not understanding that our music has a 120-year-old history - have given it the handy new name of 'street jazz'.

An email I received said: 'Can you help, please? We are trying to find a street jazz band to play at our wedding reception.' 

And the great Baby Soda Jazz Band in New York on its website introduces itself as follows: Baby Soda is on the forefront of a new movement loosely known as street jazz, with an eclectic set of influences ranging from 30s era swing, New Orleans jazz, and southern gospel. The ensemble doesn't desire to recreate the past; rather, they bring the concept and joy of the music to the present.

If you look up 'street jazz' on the Internet, you find the expression has caught on in dancing circles too. This is not surprising, even though it appears that the dancing classes use a variety of rhythmic 'funky' music - not exclusively traditional jazz.

But it really is pleasing that a younger generation is beginning to discover and enjoy our music on the streets. As regular readers will know, I strongly recommend that our bands should do some Outreach Work by playing at convenient places in their town centres. They can attract bookings that way too.

Post 458: MUSICAL TUNE 'GOING DOWN THE LADDER'

I'm going to be a bit technical today, so you will have to excuse me. I want to point out something about a particular chord sequence I find interesting. It's the sort of thing that for me makes our music a constantly fascinating study.

I have written before about the JaDa Chord Progression. You find it at the start of such tunes as these:

It Had To Be You

Ja Da

I'm Alone Because I Love You

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Nobody's Sweetheart Now

The JaDa Progression goes from the tonic to the 6th and then follows the Circle of Fifths. So, in the key of G, for example, the first few bars could be:

G

G

E7

E7

A7

A7

D7

Etc.

Now consider that 1931 classic song entitled Need a Little Sugar in my Bowl, composed by Dally Small, J. Tim Brymn, and Clarence Williams, and made famous by Bessie Smith.

Its Chorus consists of 18 bars (basically 16 bars plus a tag); and it could be said to use the JaDa Progression from Bars 1 to 8, and then again from Bar 9.

But there is a subtle difference from the standard JaDa Progression. Using the key of G again for my example, you will see that - to get from the opening tonic G chord down to the second chord of the progression (E7), it 'goes down the ladder' - passing in half-bars through the chords of F#7 and F7.

G:F#7

F7:E7

A7

A7

D7

D7

G

Etc.

That's what helps to give this song its special flavour. Can you think of any other similar tunes? I can offer Blue Turning Grey; but then I'm stumped.

By the way, if you listen to Bessie Smith performing the song by clicking on here, remember that the chord sequence does not occur immediately at the start (which is the Verse). It comes where the Chorus begins (with the words 'I need a little sugar....').

One other point I can add about this business of 'going down the ladder' concerns the tune I'm Beginning To See The Light. The Middle Eight begins on the chord of III7 and works its way through to the chord of V7. That is normal enough. But it gets there in a most unusual way, which also involves going down a ladder.

The sequence of chords in the eight bars is:
III7 - III7 - IIIb7 - IIIb7 -  II7  -  II7 -  VIb7 - V7.

It produces a very interesting and unusual effect. I think the technique going on here is what is known as Tritone Substitution - but now I am becoming so technical that I'm out of my depth!

Post 457: CHATTANOOGA - AND THE CHOO CHOO

Despite its close association with Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, the song Chattanooga Choo Choo was actually composed for a 1941 movie by the great Harry Warren. Mack Gordon provided the words.

Warren was prolific. His compositions included, for example, You'll Never Know, I Only Have Eyes for You, Jeepers Creepers, That's Amore, At Last, Lullaby of Broadway, You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby, Nagasaki, I Love My Baby; My Baby Loves Me, and September in the Rain - to name but a few.

I'm thinking of Chattanooga because my wife and I stayed there in October 2016. Here's a picture of Chattanooga that I took from the top of the nearby Lookout Mountain.

You can get up the mountain on the amazing Incline Railway, opened in 1895. It runs for a whole mile and is one of the steepest passenger railways in the world.

This was an important site in the history of the Civil War. Amazing to think this picture exists of a Union Army Band on the top of Lookout Mountain more than 150 years before I stood there.

Chattanooga itself is a pretty place, especially around the River.

But the Big Feature of Chattanooga is indeed The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. That is where we stayed.

This former railway terminus fell into disuse and might well have been bulldozed had it not been for businessmen who, starting in 1973, began redeveloping it as a hotel complex. The Booking Hall has now become a restaurant.

And where the platforms used to be, gardens and fountains have been neatly laid out.

Several trains have been kept as relics of the bygone age. Some of the carriages are furnished as hotel rooms; but there are also plenty of apartments in a block at the far end.

The Chattanooga Choo Choo itself (built in the 1890s and last used in the 1940s) is a favourite for photographs.

And there are other museum pieces in the grounds, such as this streetcar.

My wife and I greatly enjoyed our visit to Chattanooga. It was particularly peaceful sitting in those gardens. I would have liked to play Chattanooga Choo Choo while I was next to the train in question, but - with lots of people looking on - I was too nervous to play more than half a dozen notes of the tune. CLICK HERE TO WITNESS MY FEEBLE EFFORT!

Post 456: PICTURE PUZZLE - THE SOLUTION

A couple of days ago, I set this picture puzzle for you. Who could name the two traditional jazz musicians?

The answer is (don't scroll down yet, if you want more time to think about it):
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Westen Borghesi (left)
Max Bien-Kahn (right)

Congratulations to all of you (too numerous to mention individually) who sent me correct answers. The first correct answer came from Henry Kiel. Well done, Henry.

Post 455: PICTURE PUZZLE

Another picture puzzle for you today. Who will be the first to name these two traditional jazz musicians?

Answers to ivantrad (@) outlook (dot) com

I shall publish the answer in a day or two from now.

Post 454: 'TING-A-LING' - STARTING THE CONCERT

I was talking to one of England's best traditional jazz trombonists, a musician of great experience.

We got on to the subject of choosing tunes for a concert. He had a strong and persuasive opinion about how a concert should start. He said the first tune should be cheerful and up-tempo, but not too fast. It should be fairly simple. It should be in the key of Bb, as this was the most commonly used key and the one in which the melody instruments feel comfortable.

His reasons were these. At the start of a concert, the band needs to feel its way into the acoustics of the venue, so it is best to play something simple, giving all the musicians a chance to listen carefully to the sound and the balance. The audience also needs to adjust to the band - preferably while listening to something cheerful and unpretentious.

That all makes a lot of sense to me.

So would he please give me an example of a suitable first tune?

Ting-a-Ling, he said.

In case you don't know, this tune started life as a waltz - The Waltz of the Bells. It was composed in 1926 with words by Addy Britt (1891 - 1938) and music by Jack Little (1900 - 1956). If you would like to hear how it originally sounded when gently played as a waltz (on a Wurlitzer!), CLICK HERE.

Later, musicians found its chorus would work really well in 4/4 time as a traditional jazz number.

You will hear it pleasantly played by a small traditional jazz group that includes Cuff Billett on trumpet if you CLICK HERE. Or you may care to watch a six-piece band giving a lively performance BY CLICKING HERE.

Post 453: AMPLIFICATION

I have written before about the amplification of music by electronic methods. My opinion has always been that - whenever and wherever possible - musicians should play without artificial amplification. Nothing is better than hearing the tones of all the instruments (and of the 'conversations' between them) in their natural glory. It's the same with chamber music: who would want to hear the sweet notes of a string quartet distorted through an amplification system?

In the street, and in smaller indoor venues, it is usually possible for traditional jazz bands to play very effectively without a microphone or P.A. system in sight.

However, I accept there are occasions when the use of some amplification is unavoidable. Maybe the singer needs to use a microphone in order to be clearly heard. Maybe, in large venues, most of the instruments have to be amplified over a P.A. system, with several microphones in use.

I mention the subject again because a recent conversation gave me further food for thought. A clarinet-player friend of mine, who has been playing traditional jazz for decades, told me the following story about a concert he attended many years ago.

He said Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen were giving a performance and for some reason (maybe a technical problem) they had to play the entire first set without any amplification. My friend said they sounded like a good but ordinary 'amateur' band. But for the second set the powerful P.A. system was working and suddenly they sounded like a different band - very professional - the Kenny Ball Band people knew and loved.

I wonder why that was. My theory is that the audience was familiar with the tunes as recorded through microphones in the studios (Kenny had a number of 'hits' - think of So Do I, Midnight in Moscow, Samantha, The Green Leaves of Summer) and - over the P.A. system they suddenly sounded more like the records fans had been hearing on the radio and buying in the shops. That is to say, the music was complete with the effects produced when electricity was allowed to process it a little. This would be helped by the fact that in public performances the Band virtually always played exactly the same arrangements as it had used on the records.

But maybe I am wrong.

Post 452: 'I CAN'T ESCAPE' - 'YOU CAN'T ESCAPE' ?

Here's something we need to sort out.

In 1936, Leo Robin and Richard Whiting composed a song called I Can't Escape From You. You can watch Bing Crosby singing it in the 1936 movie 'Rhythm on the Range' BY CLICKING HERE.  

Then in 1939, a song called You Can't Escape From Me was composed by Charles French (words) and Sammy Lowe and Erskine Hawkins (music). You can hear the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra recording of it BY CLICKING HERE.

And in 1944 George Lewis recorded (in the San Jacinto Hall) a tune he called San Jacinto Stomp, though it is clearly the Erskine Hawkins tune You Can't Escape From Me. You can check this: listen to George Lewis BY CLICKING HERE. Many traditional jazz bands since then have played it under the title San Jacinto Stomp.

But, adding to the confusion, I Can't Escape From You and You Can't Escape From Me are very similar in structure. They use virtually the same chord progression. So it's not surprising that bandleaders often (incorrectly) tell you that I Can't Escape is also known as San Jacinto Stomp.

The words of You Can't Escape From Me are nothing special. On the other hand, the words of I Can't Escape From You (you heard them in the Bing Crosby film clip) are fun to sing.

So, it's possible today to play a song you call I Can't Escape, actually using the tune of You Can't Escape, even though your words are those of I Can't Escape! Confusing, isn't it?

The result can be exhilarating. It's what happens when Marla Dixon performs with The Shotgun Jazz Band. I made a video of them playing this tune. Sample it BY CLICKING HERE.

Marla's husband, John, has added further enlightenment (or confusion!) by telling me the song is also Not to be confused with 'I Can't Escape From You' by Hank Williams, the lyrics of which also work on top of that familiar 32-bar pattern! You can find the Hank Williams performance on YouTube.

Finally, with deepest gratitude to my friend John Whitehorn, here is the sheet music for You Can't Escape:

Post 451: BLOGGING ABOUT TRADITIONAL JAZZ

New Orleans, April 2015
Mrs. Pops Coffee met one of our favourite musicians:
Todd Burdick
('Mr. Tuba Skinny' himself)

I mentioned to Mrs. Pops Coffee yesterday that I sometimes feel guilty spending so much time at my computer when I ought to be doing something of practical use to my family. I am typically six hours a day in front of the screen, mostly answering jazz-related correspondence, but also planning, researching, and writing articles, striving to achieve a balance of observation, opinion and scholarship.

I took up blogging as a hobby, to share what I was learning about traditional jazz. But now - though totally without pay - it feels like a full-time job! There have been almost half a million 'visits' to this Blog. My sitemeter tells me most of my readers are in the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, France, Sweden, Russia, The Netherlands and Canada - in that order. Many of you have let me know you appreciate what I am trying to do. That is very rewarding.

My wife, by the way, replied that writing a blog was the ideal hobby for a very old guy like me because it has slowed down the progress of dementia.

Maybe; but it hasn't helped me remember what I was looking for when I came into the room.