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 435: KAT'S GOT KITTENS!

One of my friends says every jazz programme should include at least one bit of nonsense. And I know a couple of fans who constantly request The Cat's Got Kittens (often written as The Kat's Got Kittens).

It is not a tune that's easy to find on YouTube - or anywhere else. I don't know its origin. But the earliest recording of it seems to have been made in New Orleans on 15 May 1945, when the singer was Edward 'Noon' Johnson (1903-1969) and the supporting band included George Lewis, Lawrence Marrero, Baby Dodds, Bunk Johnson and Alcide Pavageau. Here's a picture of Noon Johnson in later years, playing an instrument he invented - the bazooka - along with Kid Sheik Colar (trumpet) and George Guesnon (banjo).

The Cat's Got Kittens could have been 'composed' by anybody (maybe Noon himself). All that was needed was to put some nonsense words and a slightly different melodic emphasis to You Can't Escape From Me (aka San Jacinto Stomp), (words by Charles French, music by Erskine Hawkins and Sammy Lowe). It was published and recorded in 1939.

Fifty years after the Edward 'Noon' Johnson recording, The Cat's Got Kittens was popularized by Cliff 'Kid' Bastien (1937-2003), when he played for years in Toronto.

Cliff 'Kid' Bastien

You can access his storming version - and purchase it, if you wish - BY CLICKING HERE. (Then click on the arrow to make it play.)

And Marla Dixon - herself from Toronto and inspired by Kid Bastien's band - can sometimes be persuaded to sing it at The Spotted Cat in New Orleans, with The Shotgun Jazz Band.

It's a merry and simple tune to play. It works well in Bb. Need the chords? Just think You Can't Escape From Me. I am deeply indebted to my friend John Whitehorn for supplying me with copies of the sheet music.

For a clear performance by a British group CLICK ON TO THIS VIDEO. It's the The Black Cat Jazz Band.
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Footnote:
Friend and Correspondent Carsten writes:
I, in turn, was doing a bit of research in relation to 1930s British dance bands and suddenly had my memory jogged about Henry Hall's recording of An Elephant Never Forgets (they famously recorded Bananas, too, of course).  In case it's capable of incorporation into your humorous repertoire, here's a YouTube clip - my favourite line in the lyrics is "You can soft-soap an antelope, but an elephant never forgets".   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rqC4gje5_c