SwingDJs

I just happened to notice that the melody of 'Callin' Your Bluff' by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band is almost identical to that of 'A Swingy Little Rhythm' by Erskine Hawkins. They were both recorded in the fall of 1936, Hawkins's version two months before MBRB's. 'A Swingy Little Rhythm' is credited to Erskine Hawkins and William Johnson, but I unfortunately don't have the songwriting credits for 'Callin' Your Bluff'. Could someone who owns the CD enlighten me? (If it in fact was a theft - I wonder who stole the song from whom...?)

This is most unhelpful (I got the MBRB CD off emusic, so I don't have the credits, either), but my discography does give the arranger as Billy Kyle. Also, I don't have the Hawkins track, but I did run across the Robicheaux one from '33 "Swingy Little Thingy". Now that one sounds eerily similar, too...

All this damn' swing music is just all the same. Next time I'm DJ'ing, I'm just hitting repeat on any one track for the entire night and seeing if anyone notices.

Allmusic.com lists the composer of MBRB's Callin' Your Bluff as "Kyle".
BTW, The John Kirby Orchestra's song "Andiology" (find it on jazz-on-line.com) is also identical to Callin' Your Bluff. THAT one is credited to John Kirby and Charlie Shavers.
Hmmmm.

lipi wrote:All this damn' swing music is just all the same. Next time I'm DJ'ing, I'm just hitting repeat on any one track for the entire night and seeing if anyone notices.

Awesome.

Hahaha the copycatting gets worse!

Barrelhouse (on the same 36-37 Classics CD as Bluff) uses the same riff as Jive At Five, recorded in '39. (Who's copying who - I'm getting muddled up myself here).

Billy Kyle had just come in and replaced Edgar Hayes. He's credited as the arranger on the New York recording of November 20, 1936 of Callin' Your Bluff for the MBRB.

anton wrote:(If it in fact was a theft - I wonder who stole the song from whom...?)

Can't give a conclusive answer to this, but the liner notes for the Hawkins 36-38 Classics CD says "Another speciality of the Hawkins Orchestra, accurate imitations of famous hits by other bands...."

dancin_hanson wrote: BTW, The John Kirby Orchestra's song "Andiology" (find it on jazz-on-line.com) is also identical to Callin' Your Bluff. THAT one is credited to John Kirby and Charlie Shavers.

Cool!

CountBasi wrote: Barrelhouse (on the same 36-37 Classics CD as Bluff) uses the same riff as Jive At Five, recorded in '39. (Who's copying who - I'm getting muddled up myself here).

Cool! Barrelhouse was arranged by Tab Smith, who later joined Count Basie (but not until 1940). Jive at Five was arranged by Harry "Sweets" Edison, who also played with the MBRB (but not before 1937). Muddled up is the word here!

CountBasi wrote:

anton wrote:(If it in fact was a theft - I wonder who stole the song from whom...?)

Can't give a conclusive answer to this, but the liner notes for the Hawkins 36-38 Classics CD says "Another speciality of the Hawkins Orchestra, accurate imitations of famous hits by other bands...."

Maybe the title 'Callin' Your Bluff' was intended as a message to Erskine Hawkins??