SwingDJs

I found a video clip* where Benny Goodman refer to Airmail Special as Good Enough To Keep, I suspect there is a story behind those names, does anyone know the background?

Is it maybe like C Jam Blues and Duke's Place (without and with lyrics)? Tell me.

* http://swingjazzblues.blogspot.com/2008 ... ising.html

IIRC - the earlier name was "Good...." and then they changed it to something 'snappier'. Benny seemed to forget stuff like that.

Cootie Growls became Fiesta In Blue.

Definitely not b/c of lyrics. God, putting lyrics to that would be awful.

You mean like those horrible lyrics they put to Opus One? Or Corner Pocket? Or Shiny Stockings?

I don't know if I find Opus One as offensive as the awful version of "A Smo-o-oth One" with lyric I heard. Now THAT was bad.

"An air mail special!
An air mail special!
An air mail special gets your letter to the Big Apple fast!
An air mail special!
An air mail special!
An air mail special makes a post card just a thing of the past!"

My understanding was that it was a way of having the "same" song on a different label without as many licensing/royalty issues.

Cherokee/Redskin Rhumba/Pow Wow may be another example.

Though I suspect in other instances such as;

Concerto for Cootie/Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me
Cootie Growls/Fiesta In Blue

the name changes were more to do with lineup changes (Cootie Williams' departure from the Ellington Orchestra).

trev wrote: Concerto for Cootie/Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me
Cootie Growls/Fiesta In Blue

the name changes were more to do with lineup changes (Cootie Williams' departure from the Ellington Orchestra).

C for C had a lyric added and became DNTYHfMe...with a slight melody alteration.

CGrowls to FiBlue was a BG side

Lots of Ellington tunes were originally instrumentals with lyrics added later. Some are good, some suck.

I hate the lyric to A train, Mood Indigo, Perdido.

I like the lyric to Don't Get Around (Jeep's Blues originally?), I let a Song go out of my heart, I'm beginning to see the light.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't.

And I agree with Jonathan- Smooth ONe is horrible. Plus, I hate Bop Vocalese with a passion- oy!

Albert System wrote:Lots of Ellington tunes were originally instrumentals with lyrics added later. Some are good, some suck.

I hate the lyric to A train, Mood Indigo, Perdido.

I like the lyric to Don't Get Around (Jeep's Blues originally?), I let a Song go out of my heart, I'm beginning to see the light.

Satin Doll is dreadful. Pseudo hipster crap

Never No Lament became Don't Get Around Much Anymore with a lyric by Bob Russell who did a few good Ellington numbers :

Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
Don't Get Around Much Any More
I Didn't Know About You

Don George, who wrote a lot of good lyrics did "...See the Light" at the time it was written, IIRC.

Same thing with Henry Nemo aka "The Neem" this wild hepster dude from NYC who wrote the lyric to I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart. Seemed to be written at the same time. He did a number of good tunes. I talked to him on the phone one time about 10 years ago. Very lively old hep dude with stories to tell. When I mentioned his tune for Krupa, "Bounce the Bounce", it sounded like he was falling out of his chair. He said he had not thought about that song in decades. He was also in a few movies, including the THIN MAN movie with all the Jazz musicians in the plot.

Check this out - I have not played it yet, but I read his book. *Playing it now - disappointing interview.

http://wiredforbooks.org/dongeorge/

You are correct on all counts- thanks for the info. For me, just about everything Ellington wrote seems like an instrumental that lyrics were added to- as opposed to say lots of Fats Waller's tunes where the lyric really seems more an integral part of the song.

And I totally agree- I think the lyrics to Satin Doll may be the absolute worst in the canon of American popular song. "Switcharoonie" ugh.

Nemo didnt need much 'revising' to get his lyric in on "...Let a Song...". He was a sharp guy. Who would ever think that the guy who penned "Pass the Bounce" also wrote the moving, beautiful "Don't Take Your Love from Me" and ""Tis Autumn". When I called him, I thanked him for those 2 tunes.

Satin Doll - what were they thinking? OTOH - Look how many times it has been recorded. It needs a new lyric still.

The Nat Cole recording of Tis Autumn will make you cry......