Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne


FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 21, 2013


DEAR JERRY: I am perplexed by a word in "Mildred, Won't You Behave," by the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra, from their "Calling All Jitterbugs" CD.

At the 2:28 mark, their female sings "She took the gators on two by two, she even danced with an ??" The mystery word ends with "roo," but is not kang-a-roo. It sounds like ek-ta-roo, or ig-a-roo.

Before writing, I searched the Internet, but to no avail. Now it's up to you.
—Jennifer Tyskiewicz, New Berlin, Wis.




DEAR JENNIFER:
You're right, Millie is not dancing with a kangaroo. If that were the case, far fewer people would flummoxed by the word, and it would still rhyme with "two."

Dare I also point out how appropriate it would be for a kangaroo to be doing the Lindy HOP, a dance for which music like this is perfect.

Okay, enough with the marsupial musing.

I realize you wrote many months ago, but it took this long to track down Bill Elliott, the person whose opinion I trust most when it comes to Mildred's dancing partners.

Bill told me he has been asked many times about this line, which is "she even danced with an ick-a-roo."

He discovered the jive usage of both "ickaroo" and "gator" in Cab Calloway's "(Hep-Hep!) The Jumpin' Jive" (Vocalion 5005), a million-seller in 1939. Only "Minnie the Moocher," Calloway's signature song, is better known.

In "(Hep-Hep!) The Jumpin' Jive," Cab suggests "Now don't you be that ickaroo, get hip c'mon and let me follow through … jumpin' like the gators do."

In Harlemese, an ickaroo is someone who is icky, and not hep to the jive. In the 1950s, this person would have been called a square, or more recently a dufus or dweeb. Ickaroos were never the life of the party.

On the other hand, a gator was a cool hep cat, and usually popular.

Seems Mildred didn't deny anyone the pleasure of her company. She took the gators on two by two, and EVEN danced with an ickaroo (but only one).

Elliott's retro style is so convincing that most folks think "Mildred," and his other swing tunes, came out in the 1940s. Not so! "Calling All Jitterbugs" (Wayland 00229) was recorded and issued in 1998.

Bill explains a bit about how they get that sound:

"First, these tracks were all recorded in Hollywood at Capitol's Studio B, essentially unchanged from when it opened in 1956, then modeled after the studio they used since the early '40s.

"Keeping with our retro theme, our quartet, known as Bill's Lucky Stars, sing together into one mike, just as the Pied Pipers with Jo Stafford.

"The Lucky Stars each sang with separate mikes at first, like most contemporary groups. But we found when they huddle close together they hear each other in a very physical way and can control their own blend.

"Even more important, the three guys, standing further away from the mike than Cassie, can belt it out with gusto. That turned out to be essential to recreating the old-time magic vocal sound.

"We created "Mildred, Won't You Behave" because of one comment by Michael Geiger, one of the Lucky Stars. He said: "It would be fun if we had a simple tune that really jumps." Soon we did."

In 2004, Bill moved from Los Angeles to Boston to teach arranging and orchestration at Berklee College of Music. For awhile, he commuted coast-to-coast, working in L.A. with the band, as well as doing assorted music projects for films and television.



IZ ZAT SO? More recently, Bill Elliott has arranged and orchestrated Broadway shows as well as producing and conducting for recording sessions.

In 2012, Bill enjoyed a most unusual trifecta — the distinction of being nominated for a Tony (orchestrator of "Nice Work if You Can Get It"); an Emmy (music director of the PBS special "The Sinatra Legacy"); and a GRAMMY (producer of "Nice Work if You Can Get It" cast album).

Busy as ever, Bill admitted "At this very moment, as we're talking, I'm doing some orchestration on an upcoming Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella."

I do know when it's time to say adieu.

 

Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column. Write Jerry at: Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368 E-mail: jpo@olympus.net   Visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com

All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2013 Osborne Enterprises - Reprinted By Exclusive Permission

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes


this from our new friends at www.audiofidelity.net

Marianne Faithfull - Broken English

Mastered by Kevin Gray

New Release - 180+ Virgin Vinyl

"This is Marianne Faithfull at her most naked and emotional - her definitive recording."

For Marianne Faithfull, 1979's Broken English was a radical departure, featuring a contemporary fusion of rock, punk, New Wave and dance, with liberal use of synthesizers. No one was prepared for the transformation of Marianne Faithfull's innocent flower child image, her immediately preceding albums had been in a relatively gentle folk or country and western style. Those who listened were in for a surprise, especially those who first heard her in the '60s as the virginal voice of her boyfriend, Mick Jagger's, "As Tears Go By."

When seemingly she had disappeared entirely, she emerged with this dark but definitely musically modern work. And her voice! After years of drug abuse, her voice was in a lower register, far raspier, and had a more world-weary quality than in the past that matched the often raw emotions expressed in the newer songs.

Broken English was widely hailed by critics and audiences alike on its release, a successful album without the aid of a huge hit single. The album reached # 57 on the UK album charts and # 82 in the US. The album contains some of her most famous songs, including the title track and "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan," and was notable for the controversy surrounding the final number "Why D'Ya Do It." Although the boundaries have shifted in the decades since this album's release, the language is still shocking, the album is still as potent as ever and remains Marianne's masterpiece, and one of the best albums by a female vocalist ever.

TRACKS:

Broken English
Witches' Song
Brain Drain
Guilt
The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan
What's The Hurry
Working Class Hero
Why D'Ya Do It

Buy your copy at AudioFidelity.net

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album covers being celebrated in film!

Film puts lively spin on album cover art





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neat vinyl story out of the great state of texas:


Old-school record shops trendy in Heights







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and, yet another story about vinyls virtues in the USA Today!!


Vinyl's sonic perfection finds new fans in digital age








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Queen Releasing ‘Live at Wembley Stadium’ 25th Anniversary DVD











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Hollies Ready 50th Anniversary Tour











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Inside the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Controversial New Album Cover


















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Otis Redding's 'Lonely & Blue' On Stax To Be Released March 5th











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Eagles Documentaries Set to Debut on Showtime in February







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Rolling Stone's 50 Best Songs of 2012











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Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2012










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this from www.grimeys.com
 








GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 1/14 - 1/20, 2013


Vinyl Top 25:

1. Yo La Tengo - Fade
2. D. Watusi - Dark Party
3. Delta Saints - Death Letter Jubilee
4. The Lumineers - The Lumineers
5. Christopher Owens - Lysandre
6. Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold
7. The National - Virginia EP
8. Tame Impala - Lonerism
9. Mumford & Sons - Babel
10. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
11. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
12. Crystal Castles - III
13. Trampled By Turtles/Lucero - Daytrotter Vinyl Series
14. Castle Face & Friends (Various) - The Velvet Underground & Nico
15. Marcos Valle - Garra
16. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
17. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
18. The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
19. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
20. The Avett Brothers - Four Thieves Gone
21. Melody's Echo Chamber - Melody's Echo Chamber
22. Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
23. John Mayer - Complete 2012 Performances
24. The Avett Brothers - The Carpenter
25. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues