POST 491: BELLAMINA - THE CARIBBEAN INFLUENCE ON TRADITIONAL JAZZ

A long time ago (in the 1920s) there was a white ship named Bellamina, based at Nassau in the Bahamas. It was used for smuggling spirits 200 miles across the sea to Florida. But the American Coast Guards intercepted it.

After the boat's release, it was taken to dry dock in Nassau - this time to be painted BLACK!

The Bahamians loved inventing songs about anything in the news; and so a great 16-bar simple rhythmic song soon appeared.

Bellamina, Bellamina!

Bellamina's in the harbour.

Bellamina, Bellamina!

Bellamina's in the harbour.

So put the Bellamina on the dock

And paint the Bellamina black, black!

Oh put the Bellamina on the dock

And paint the Bellamina black!

In fact, there were at least three more ships that had to be repainted in this way. They are all mentioned in the version of the song that you can listen to BY CLICKING HERE. At 2 minutes 47 seconds, Blind Blake (who was recording this in 1952) sings several verses, mentioning other ships too; and you can pick out the words very clearly.

That great benefactor of all jazz musicians - Lasse Collin - has provided us with the music. See:

http://cjam.lassecollin.se/

Put simply, the chord sequence is:

  I   |   I   |   I    |  V⁷

 V⁷ | V⁷ |  V⁷  |  I

  I   |  IV |  V⁷  |  I

  I   |  IV |  V⁷  |  I

Lasse was doubtless inspired to do this by Tuba Skinny, who in 2017 revived this fine old song, with Greg Sherman singing the vocal and the whole band showing what great jazz musicians can do with a simple theme: their performance of Bellamina lasts five and a half minutes.

As you can see, Lasse has put it in the key of Eb (as played by Tuba Skinny) and he has provided a lead-sheet in F for the benefit of Bb instrument players.

James Sterling kindly videoed the Tuba Skinny performance for us:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW.

James has pointed out to me that there is also a recording of this song by The Nassau String Band made on a field trip by John Lomax as long ago as 1935: CLICK TO HEAR IT.

There! With so much to help us we have no excuse for leaving this number out of our repertoire. It's a good one to play. It's catchy, extremely easy to improvise on; and it offers some rhythmic variety to our programme.

This is one of the many excellent 16-bar tunes available to traditional jazz bands. We should always have two or three of them in our programmes. Others include Up Jumped the Devil, Winin' Boy Blues, Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down and Rip 'Em Up Joe.

Let's hear more bands playing Bellamina!
=========================
FOOTNOTE
The books Enjoying Traditional Jazz and Tuba Skinny and Shaye Cohn, both by Pops Coffee, are available from Amazon.

Post 490: 'DOING A STRETCH' - TUBA SKINNY TURNING WATER INTO WINE

Blind Blake

My regular correspondent Phil Lynch in the USA, who knows a great deal about our music and its history, often sends me interesting and useful bits of information.

In his most recent email, he made a great point and expressed it very well. It was about the way Tuba Skinny can take a very ordinary tune from long ago and somehow recreate it as a great piece of jazz music. He is so right.

Here's what Phil wrote:

As you well know, part of T.S.'s genius is finding average string band songs and creating something unique...turning water into wine.

Doing a Stretch (slang for spending time in prison) is, I think, one of Blind Blake's more mediocre tunes, but T.S. turns it into something special.

CLICK HERE for the Blind Blake original.

And now CLICK HERE for Tuba Skinny's version.

Phil is right, isn't he?

Post 489: SWEET SHEIKS

A band that has caught my eye on YouTube recently is called Sweet Sheiks. It seems that it normally comprises just five musicians - two young ladies and three gents. From the internet, I discovered this band was formed as recently as March 2016 and is based in Milwaukee. For those of you whose geography is as hazy as mine, let me tell you Milwaukee is in the State of Wisconsin and on the west shore of Lake Michigan, almost 100 miles north of Chicago. To put it another way, it's just over 1000 miles north of New Orleans.

Sweet Sheiks do not exactly describe themselves as a traditional jazz band: they say they play 'antique pop'. But their music certainly comes within what I consider to be the traditional jazz category. They claim to be 'a toe-tapping five-some inspired by the popular music of the tens, twenties, and thirties'. They describe their music as 'refreshingly vintage' - and nobody could argue with that.

The members are:

Jen Müttin-Schrank: vocals, guitar, saw (played with violin bow), washboard

Ousia Lydian: violin and vocals (and whistling)

Garrett Burton: banjo

Andrew Spadafora: clarinet

Aaron Johnson: tuba

You will notice they do not normally have drums or a trombone or trumpet. But that's just fine with me. I am not at all sure that the addition of any of these instruments would improve their performance. It would take an exceptional musician to fit in with their house style and to contribute anything more that might be welcome.

As with so many of the young bands in America, it is such a joy to be able to hear all of the instruments clearly and to note what a great creative contribution each player is making to the overall sound.

Andrew Spadafora's clarinet improvisations are as good as the best you will hear in New Orleans, and the solid tuba-based rhythm, with guitar and banjo, is reminiscent of what Todd Burdick and his team produce in the engine room of Tuba Skinny. But I must say all five of these young musicians play extremely well, both as individuals and as team members. I am looking forward very much to watching how Sweet Sheiks develops.

Catch a pleasant performance of The Curse of an Aching Heart BY CLICKING HERE.

And for something unusual - Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen played extraordinarily well on the musical saw, CLICK HERE.

For a very spirited version of Who Walked in When I Walked Out, CLICK HERE.

By the way, as so often, I must express deepest gratitude to the video-maker codenamed jazzbo43 for bringing so many of their performances to our computer screens.

If those have whetted your appetite, you will be able to find several more performances by the band on YouTube.

As for me, if I ever make it to the USA again, I shall be looking for ways of fitting in a stop-over in Milwaukee on my way to New Orleans!

Post 488: 'BLAME IT ON THE BLUES'

Recently I recommended the storming version by Ken Colyer's band of Blame It On The Blues. You can listen to it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A79yvcDRzIw

This is such a good number that it is worth a closer look.

Fortunately, Lasse Collin ( http://cjam.lassecollin.se ) - that great benefactor of jazz musicians the world over - produced a lead-sheet of this piece on his website. So we have a good clear version of the music to work from.

Here, with thanks to Lasse, is his lead-sheet.

This piece was composed as a Rag for Piano in 1914 by Charles L. Cooke.

It is typical of its time, comprising two 16-bar themes in one key followed by a more leisurely 32-bar theme in which we modulate into the key a fifth below. This final theme was called the 'Trio' - a term whose usage dates at least from the classical music of the 18th Century.

Think of At a Georgia Camp Meeting, Climax Rag, Hiawatha Rag and Buddy's Habit. They are constructed in a similar way.

Our jazz band version of Blame It On The Blues is remarkably faithful to the original sheet music, (using Lasse's labels) in Themes A and B. But what we play as Theme C (the Trio) is a simplification and reinterpretation of the notes Cooke wrote for the piano. Here's his original Theme C (The Trio). Note that it also had a 4-bar Bridge which our bands do not play:

Theme A, in Eb Concert, is very lively, with much swooping down the octave. B is simple but exciting, because it clambers up through the arpeggio of the Chord of C diminished. This is a very effective device (also found in Memphis Shake and Dusty Rag).

Normally, bands play A - A - B - B - A - before relaxing into C. This final Theme has a good though more leisurely melody, but in the related key of Ab.

Note that, throughout this piece, the chord progressions are basic and memorable. This is a reason why it is a good number to play - and not too difficult.

Playing ends with as many improvisations as desired on Theme C. The chord pattern here is straightforward, familiar, and a joy for clarinet players to work on.  Note what Ian Wheeler manages to make of it in the Ken Colyer recording.

Conclusion? It's a very good tune, a joy to play and hear and - dating from over a hundred years ago - historically interesting and important. Let's play it.

POST 487: EIGHT DICE CLOTH

During my brief visit to New Orleans in February 2017, I had the pleasure of coming across a young band called Eight Dice Cloth playing in Royal Street.

They were very good and gave an entertaining programme. There were seven musicians, including a violinist; and percussion was provided by a washboard.

This band was new to me, but I gather it was started in 2014 and took its name from a game that originated in Nineteenth-Century England and was quickly imported into America, where the dice game soon became known as 'Bunco'. Its popularity has waxed and waned; and in the 21st Century there have been 'Bunco World Championships' held in Las Vegas.

I took the opportunity of making a video of Eight Dice Cloth playing My Blue Heaven. May I invite you to watch it by clicking on here?

A year later I filmed them in an interesting performance of Avalon. Watch it by clicking on here.

I have since found that the band plays in the clubs and bars of New Orleans as well as in Royal Street. It has also made at least one CD. So, if you would like more information, seek them on YouTube and also click here for a link to their recordings.

And for more information about Eight Dice Cloth, including details of the personnel, CLICK HERE.

POST 486: 'BALLIN' THE JACK' AND TUBA SKINNY

Ballin' The Jack is one of the oldest tunes in our repertoire and it is a really good one because its melody has a distinctive appeal and because the Chorus follows The Salty Dog Progression, enabling good improvising musicians to be freely creative. The Salty Dog Progression is also found in such tunes as Shine On Harvest Moon, Since My Best Girl Turned Me Down, Sweet Georgia Brown, Seems Like Old Times, Up a Lazy River and Jazz Me Blues. It involves starting on the chord of the VI7 and then following the Circle of Fifths, thus:

VI7  -  II7   -  V7   -   I

Chris Smith wrote the music for Ballin' The Jack in 1913; and words were contributed by Jim Burris. These words give listeners instructions for performing the Ballin' The Jack Dance associated with the tune:

First you put your two knees close up tight;

Then you sway 'em to the left; then you sway 'em to the right.
Step around the floor kind of nice and light...etc.

Why am I concerned with this tune today? Because I heard Tuba Skinny playing it in Royal Street, New Orleans, on 20 February, when I was there for a brief visit. And I was reminded that it is a powerful tune and well worth inclusion in every band's repertoire. I made a video of the Tuba Skinny performance and you can watch it BY CLICKING HERE.

Whenever possible, I enjoy comparing the way tunes are played today with the form in which they appeared when first published. Fortunately, the original sheet music of Ballin' The Jack is available and my conclusion is that modern performances (including Tuba Skinny's) tend to be very faithful to it.

It begins in the key of G. Today's bands normally omit the Introduction and Vamping and begin directly on what appears as the seventh bar in the original sheet music (though you will notice that Tuba Skinny creates its own Introduction by playing the final four bars of the Chorus):

...and so we are into the 16-bar verse with its emphatic chords, ending with a strong D7 and transitional F7 that lead perfectly into the change of key to Bb and the G7 chord that opens the Chorus: 

So here is the Chorus, also 16 bars, using The Salty Dog Progression, in Bb:

Bands usually stick on the Chorus, though some go back to the Verse for a final run through of the complete song to finish (as Tuba Skinny do at 2 minutes 54 seconds in the video).

Bands also stay faithful to the keys of the original. I don't think I have ever heard this tune played other than in G →  Bb.

Post 485: 'DROPPIN' SHUCKS' BY LIL HARDIN ARMSTRONG

Good friend and regular correspondent Jim Sterling of Florida told me he had been very pleased to discover the YouTube video of Tuba Skinny playing Droppin' Shucks in Royal Street as long ago as 2012, when the band still had Ryan Baer on banjo and when there was no reed player. I'm talking of this video - click on here to view.

The message from Jim reminded me that I enjoyed the video when I first saw it in 2012. At the time, I remember listening also (for comparison) to the original 1926 version composed by Lil Hardin Armstrong and recorded by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five (also available on YouTube).

But on that occasion, apart from feeling that it was a very good but quite complicated piece of music, I thought no more about it.

Jim enjoyed the performance and particularly praised Shaye's muted cornet work. Throughout the three minutes, Shaye uses her Humes and Berg 102 stonelined cup mute and has it fully wedged inside the bell of her cornet. We know that on other occasions, she prefers to hold it half in and half out of the bell. Barnabus also, using his Humes and Berg stonelined straight mute, plays some lovely stuff complementing Shaye's melodic lines. Jim also specially liked the final Chorus, in which Shaye and Barnabus play so well together, alternating the 'breaks'.

We must all be grateful to the video-maker codenamed jazzbo43 for recording this fine performance.

It's interesting to observe how Ryan (at 2 mins 08 secs) warns Max that the band is about to go to the 12-bar 'breaks interlude' rather than the start of the Chorus; and then (at 2 mins 24 secs) that this time they are returning to the start of the Chorus. (The 'Breaks Interlude' is copied from the original Armstrong recording.)

Perhaps Max hadn't played this number with the band before. (In fact it is a song they seem to have played very rarely over the years.)

After Jim encouraged me to listen more carefully to it again, I realised Droppin' Shucks is not really as complicated as I had thought. Basically it has a simple and pretty 16-bar minor-key Verse played once (Tuba Skinny play it in C minor); and then the Chorus - played several times (in the key of Ab) - is simply one of those 16-bar standards (with 'breaks' on Bars 9 - 12), very similar to How Come You Do Me Like You Do Do Do? or If It Don't Fit, Don't Force It or Don't Care Blues or Don't Go Away, Nobody, or Forget Me Not Blues.

The only little extra ingredient is that 12-bar 'Breaks Interlude' I mentioned - which may be regarded as optional.

But what makes Droppin' Shucks special - perhaps unique among sixteen-bar tunes - is that the whole of Bar 12 is based on a diminished chord. That certainly adds a bit of excitement.

So it's easy to pick up. Let's have more bands playing it!

As for what the title Droppin' Shucks means, I think you may be able to find out. But I shall say nothing on the subject. Regular readers will know that I limit the contents of my pages to the decorous, the refined, and the tasteful.

Post 484: NEW ORLEANS - JAZZ AT BACCHANAL

This is BACCHANAL. It doesn't look much from the outside. But it has become in recent years a very important jazz venue.

Where is it? At 600 Poland Avenue, New Orleans. This is in the Bywater district of the City. The building is situated close to the Mississippi, about 1¾ miles east of the French Quarter. So it is some distance from the famous jazz venues and clubs of Frenchmen Street.

Essentially it is a very well stocked wine shop. But behind the shop (which is just inside those green doors on the corner) there is an extensive 'backyard'. It is open seven days a week from 11a.m. until midnight and excellent meals are available.

Jazz bands are regularly booked and at the far end of the courtyard there is a stage on which they perform.

How did I get to know about this? Robin Rapuzzi e-mailed to tell me Tuba Skinny would be playing there on the evening of February 14, 2017, a few hours after my wife and I were due to land at the aerodrome in New Orleans. He thought we would like the venue if we could make it in time. We thought it would be a good way to celebrate our 57th wedding anniversary.

Well, we caught the second set and I tried to video the band. It was not easy because the courtyard was crowded with noisy, happy people. However, I hope the results (Tuba Skinny playing two tunes (1) a new composition by the band's Tomas Majcherski - it is called 'The Tag Along Blues' and (2) Piron's 'Bouncing Around') will give you some idea of the atmosphere at Bacchanal; and perhaps you may be interested in visiting the place for yourself one of these days. Watch the videos  BY CLICKING HERE and BY CLICKING ON HERE.

A few moments later, the skies opened and rain fell heavily. The band and some of the audience adjourned via the outside staircase to the attic that is visible at the very end of the 'Bouncing Around' video. The band squeezed into a corner and played a few more tunes:

Post 483: ST. CINDER - THE STREET BAND

One of the pleasures of a brief visit to New Orleans in February 2017 was discovering this very fine and hard-working string band playing on the streets. They call themselves St. Cinder.

It seems they have been in existence since meeting in Oregon around 2014 and have made at least a couple of CDs. They travel throughout America in an old school bus, and live in it too.

I made a video of them performing 'Blue Moon of Kentucky'. You can watch it by clicking here. On another day I filmed them playing 'Careless Love'. You may see that video HERE.

And I recorded them performing Jabbo Smith's 'Lina Blues': CLICK HERE. You may care also to listen to Jabbo Smith's original version from the 1920s HERE.

You can even watch Jabbo - still wonderful in old age - singing the song HERE.

By the way, I note that there are plenty more videos of St. Cinder to be found on YouTube.

You can learn more about St. Cinder by clicking here. 

Post 482: NAME THAT TUNE - ANSWERS

Three days ago, I set this puzzle, inviting you to identify the two tunes from which these are extracts.

Some of you sent answers that fitted the chord sequence but not the melody. Please note that tunes fitting the MELODY as well as the chord sequence were required.

1. 

Answer: Clarinet Marmalade.

2. (It is in the key of Eb)

Answer: Mahogany Hall Stomp.

Plenty of correspondents got one right out of the two, but only seven readers sent me the two correct answers. Congratulations to them, especially Ann Cuthbertson of Australia, who was the first.