Favourite recording of Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho?

Message

Eyeball · #16 Post by **Eyeball** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 6:09 am

Corny old song. Parodied so often it's like cartoon music. Strictly for the squares. Does Danny Kaye do it in one of his films?

Surreal · #17 Post by **Surreal** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:10 pm

Anyone ever heard the Elvis version? It sounds like a kid's tune.

dogpossum · #18 Post by **dogpossum** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:51 pm

Eyeball wrote:Corny old song. Parodied so often it's like cartoon music. Strictly for the squares. Does Danny Kaye do it in one of his films?

And yet, dancers love it (even after it's been overplayed.... which I must confess I have done

). Perhaps, if you find a version you like, you might test it on your local dancers?

Someone mentioned a Mahalia Jackson version a little earlier, but didn't give specific details. I have one version from Mahalia Jackson Live at Newport which is really only very short - lots of talking and crowd interaction takes up most of a pretty short song.
I really like this version, and have played it for blues dancers where it went down really well (in fact, there were some frustrated faces when it ended precipitously). It's just Mahalia and limited instrumentation + lots of crowd interaction.

[completely off-topic gush]
I really like Mahalia - I also have a CD called Live in Antibes where she sings with Count Basie (I think someone recommended it here on SwingDJs for a version of 'Blues in Hoss's Flat'). I've found I have to be careful when/where I play from that CD, mostly because it feels like Mahalia has a different rhythmic/aesthetic sensibility to Basie. Kind of feels like soul mixing with swing... or even gospel mixing with swing

But I love it a lot, it's a great bridge from soul to swing (I've done a few general public gigs where that's been very useful) and have found that CD's version of 'Wee Baby Blues' goes down a treat with blues dancers. I'd love more Mahalia doing blues/swing.
[/]

But back to Joshua. Does anyone have another version of Mahalia singing it? I'd love it. Mahalia is one of my not-for-dancing indulgences - I love thinking of gospel as the Sunday morning after a dirty blues Saturday night.

straycat · #19 Post by **straycat** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:01 am

dogpossum wrote: And yet, dancers love it (even after it's been overplayed.... which I must confess I have done ). Perhaps, if you find a version you like, you might test it on your local dancers?

I absolutely love it. I think the Sidney Bechet one's been overplayed to death in a lot of places, but there's a few other great ones, very much different from each other..

dogpossum wrote: But back to Joshua. Does anyone have another version of Mahalia singing it? I'd love it. Mahalia is one of my not-for-dancing indulgences - I love thinking of gospel as the Sunday morning after a dirty blues Saturday night.

She's done a great version, somewhat faster (around 185) on an album called 7th Heaven, available on eMusic
It's very similar to this one on YouTube.
A slower version, more akin to your link, can be found on Gospel Favorites.

Other favourite versions... there's a superb one from Dick Wellstood & Kenny Davern (also on eMusic)

And there's a truly fun one from Ralph Flannagan on one of the Swingin' Swanee compilations (although it has a near-unbearable fanfare on it at intervals throughout, which I felt compelled to ... ahem ... edit out before I dared unleash it on any dancers)

Cyrano de Maniac · #20 Post by **Cyrano de Maniac** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:16 pm

Not really a swingin' version, but on iTunes I found a recording by "Peg Leg Sam" (album Early In The Morning) that I haven't yet tired of listening to. It might work for a blues dance or other low-key situation.

Eyeball · #21 Post by **Eyeball** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 10:56 pm

straycat wrote: Ralph Flannagan on one of the Swingin' Swanee compilations

What is "Swingin' Swanee"?

#22 Post by **JesseMiner** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:13 pm

Eyeball wrote:
straycat wrote: Ralph Flannagan on one of the Swingin' Swanee compilations
What is "Swingin' Swanee"?

Who, not what: Swingin' Swanee.

Jesse

Eyeball · #23 Post by **Eyeball** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:32 pm

Thx.

Why does she call herself that?

Haydn · #24 Post by **Haydn** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:55 am

Eyeball wrote:Thx.

Why does she call herself that?

Swingin' Swanee

Eyeball · #25 Post by **Eyeball** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:53 am

Haydn wrote:
Eyeball wrote:Thx.

Why does she call herself that?
Swingin' Swanee

Thanks.

I don't think she even knows why she calls herself that.

Lost in translation or mis-comprehension of idiomatic English.

Is she related to the mind-reading DJ - "Swingin' Swami"?