Songwriter Leslie Bricusse suggested that “Pure Imagination” was written in a single day, however its enduring legacy can be attributed to the song’s adoption by the city of New Orleans - where “anything you want to, do it” is the way of life.
Read MoreIn 1944, New Orleans trombonist Jim Robinson recorded a version of “Ice Cream” with clarinetist George Lewis, featuring the trombone as the lead melodic voice and a rhythmic performance that established the song as his signature tune.
Read MoreIt was church musician Harry Dixon Loes’ version that helped to illuminate the struggle for Civil Rights in the States and also provided positive affirmations on developing minds as a children’s song - re-contextualizing the sacred practice for secular work.
Read MoreAmong the popular compositions by Louisiana-native songwriter Spencer Williams, which include “Royal Garden Blues” and “When Lights Are Low,” the most-widely adapted song has been “Basin Street Blues.”
Read MoreIt was a group of white musicians from New Orleans who had relocated to Chicago and recorded “That’s a Plenty” as the New Orleans Rhythm Kings in 1932, presenting a more authentic feel to the standard rags that defined Chicago-style jazz.
Read MoreIt is only fitting for “I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate” - a song about hearsay, reputation, and second-hand accounts - to have a questionably curious backstory.
Read MoreProlific Mexican composer María Grever’s blend of regional Hispanic melodies and indigenous rhythms, along with first-hand training from European Impressionists, captured the attention of American jazz musicians while her lyricism inspired productions for the stage and screen.
Read MoreFor over a century, many singers have asked where “Corrina” has been however few seem to know exactly where “Corrina” originated.
Read MoreOne of the earliest jazz recordings, “Tiger Rag” is credited to the members of The Original Dixieland Jazz Band however its origin and musical themes have been disputed long before its 1917 publishing.
Read MoreArthur Hammerstein’s legacy as a songwriter pales in comparison to his prolific nephew, Oscar Hammerstein II, but his greatest songwriting credit, “Because of You” - a ballad co-written in 1941 with Dudley Wilkinson - was featured in the 1951 wartime film I Was an American Spy but eventually found wider audiences off-screen.
Read MoreWhile the melodic phrasing of “That Gentilly Swing” shares commonalities with other tunes, its performance among multiple voices in musical conversation is the tune’s true melodic quality: rhythm as melody, or that Gentilly swing.
Read More“Pallet on the Floor” is remembered as one of trumpeter Buddy Bolden’s signature tunes that would inspire the popularity of early jazz in the twentieth century.
Read MoreLil Hardin Armstrong gave her life to “The World’s Greatest Trumpet Player.”
Read More
