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“Considered racy
at the time, Andy Razaf’s lyrics
are actually quite sweet.”
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- JW
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“Honeysuckle Rose” was introduced
as a dance number in the 1929 revue,
Load of Coal, at Connie’s
Inn in Harlem by its composer, Thomas
“Fats” Waller. “Honeysuckle Rose”
and “Ain’t
Misbehavin’,” also written that
year for the musical revue Hot
Chocolates, would become the
two most enduring compositions born
of the longtime collaboration of
Waller and lyricist Andy Razaf.
Other songs in Waller and Razaf’s
Load of Coal score included
the wistful “My Fate Is in Your
Hands” and “Zonky.” The oddly titled
“Zonky” was a song about a dance
written in the spirit of “Walking
the Dog” or “Balling the Jack.”
The song warns the listener “Other
dances, they may come and go but
when you learn the Zonky you will
want it to stay.”
According to the Kennedy Center’s
website page, “A Place Called Harlem,”
Connie’s Inn was a Harlem speakeasy
that featured song and dance revues.
Found at the intersection of 131st
Street and 7th Avenue it was second
in popularity only to the Cotton
Club. The owners eventually opened
the originally segregated club to
blacks who were allowed to patronize
the club after the whites had gone
home. Fats Waller was in good company
at Connie’s Inn, at least with regard
to other performers which included
the likes of
Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson,
and Ethel Waters.
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Shortly after the opening of
Load of Coal, “Honeysuckle
Rose,” sung by Mildred Bailey, debuted
on the air on
Paul Whiteman’s Old Gold
Show. Her double-tempo rendition
is said to have been a setback for
the song; subsequent recordings
by Dave Wilborn with McKinney’s
Cotton Pickers (1930) and Frankie
Trumbauer and His Orchestra (1931)
did not become hits. Finally, in
1933, the public took notice with
a Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra
recording, which climbed the pop
charts to number eighteen.
Recordings that made the pop
charts include:
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Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra
(1933, #18)
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Red Norvo and His Orchestra
(1935, Mildred Bailey, Vocal,
#9)
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Fats Waller (1935, #17)
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The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra
(1935, Don Mattison, Skeets
Herfurt and Roc Hillman, vocals,
#17)
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Fats Waller, Tommy Dorsey, Bunny
Berigan, and Dick McDonough
playing on A Jam Session
at Victor (1937, #4)
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Considered racy at the time, Andy Razaf’s lyrics
are actually quite sweet. The verse is rarely sung,
beginning with
Have no use for sweets of
any kind, since the day you came around…
although it is included on Mildred Bailey’s
The Rockin’ Chair Lady (1931-1950) Verve
644. The slangy chorus is a succession of praises
for “My Honeysuckle Rose,” the one who makes the
honeybee jealous and the flowers droop and sigh.
-JW
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Musical analysis of
“Honeysuckle Rose”
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| Original
Key |
F major |
| Form |
A – A – B
– A |
| Tonality |
Major throughout |
| Movement |
The downward
movement of “A” is step followed by a leap;
then it arpeggiates up in “B, scalewise. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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This is a bouncy tune requiring some dexterity.
Harmonic progression is neither unusual
nor difficult, going from ii – V7 or ii
– V7 –I most of the time. The harmonic progression
of “B” is a variation on the one also found
in the “B” sections of “Yes Sir, That’s
My Baby,” “Cloudburst,” and “On
the Sunny Side of the Street.” Since
the melody ascends step-wise at this point,
it is IMPERATIVE that the bass line move
in contrary motion, i.e. downwards. Otherwise,
the identical line appears in both the melody
and the bass line, creating parallel octaves
and a great deal of boredom. |
K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com
Check out K. J. McElrath's book of Jazz Standards Guide Tone Lines at his web site (www.bardicle.com). |
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The Fats Waller composition, “Honeysuckle Rose,”
seems to be one of the most played standards ever.
Charlie Parker used the harmony of the A section
(first eight measures) on his “Scrapple from the
Apple.” The syncopated melody has a great deal to
do with its popularity as does the comfort of playing
a two-five-one progression. The bridge is a series
of major chords in the cycle of fourths and lends
itself to motifs, which can be recycled in a key
a fourth away.
Rick
Leppanen, jazz bassist
www.pearldjango.com
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Instrumentalist?
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“Honeysuckle Rose”
was included in these films:
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Tin Pan Alley (1940, sung and
danced by Betty Grable)
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As Thousands Cheer (1943, Lena
Horne with Benny Carter and His Band)
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Walking My Baby Back Home (1953,
Janet Leigh dubbed by Paula Kelly)
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New York, New York (1977, Diahnne
Abbott)
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Honeysuckle Rose (1980, Willie
Nelson)
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The Marrying Man (1991)
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Human Stain (2003) (Jess Stacy)
And on Broadway:
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Bubbling Brown Sugar (1976, Josephine
Premise/Avon Long)
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Ain't Misbehavin': The Story of Fats Waller
(1978, Ken Page/Nell Carter)
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Slow Drag (1997, Christopher Colquhon)
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Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Django Reinhardt
All Star Sessions
Compilation, 2001, Blue Note
Original recordings, 1935-1939
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| An interesting track on an interesting
album. The All Star sessions, compiled between
1935-39, highlight the guitarist’s work
with American jazz greats touring Europe.
The result is a highly entertaining romp
where gypsy swing meets stride roll. |
Pearl Django
Avalon
2000, Modern Hot Records
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| This quintet of violin, bass, and
three guitarists (sometimes playing unusual
models) has brought the lively sound of
the Quintet of the Hot Club of France into
the 21st century. They insert some amusing
quotes into their improvisational playfulness. |
Joe Williams/Count Basie Orchestra
Live At Orchestra Hall, Detroit
1993, Telarc 83329
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| The smooth-voiced vocalist reunites
with the Count Basie band after 40 years.
Williams is buoyant and exciting as always,
singing the song as it was supposed to be
sung. |
Erroll Garner
Body and Soul
1991, Sony 47035
Original recording, 1951, Legacy
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| This is an interesting take on the
Waller tune as pianist Garner works through
it with a trio. Though Garner was self-taught
and could not read music, his stride playing
is reminiscent of Waller yet distinct in
its own style. |
Ray Brown/Monty Alexander/Russell Malone
Ray Brown/Monty Alexander/Russell Malone
2002, Telarc
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| This bass/piano/guitar trio digs
into a very rhythmic reading of “Honeysuckle
Rose” updating it with modern improvisations
and clever quotes. |
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On the evening of January 23, 1938, jazz music
became “legitimate.” On the stage of Carnegie Hall,
Benny Goodman’s Orchestra and guests brought
jazz to the hallowed bastion of classical music.
For two hours the Hall resounded with great, swinging
music.
There were a number of firsts that night. Aside
from the fact that it was the first jazz concert
at Carnegie, part of the evening’s program included
a jam session: a 16-minute excursion on “Honeysuckle
Rose,” which featured both black and white jazz
musicians (members of the bands of Goodman, Count
Basie and
Duke Ellington). The first time a jam session
had been recorded, and it lay in
Benny Goodman’s closet until its release in
1955, proving that it was, indeed, a very special
evening.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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| This section shows the jazz standards
written by the same writing team. Click on a name
to see all of a writer's jazz standards.
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Additional information on “Honeysuckle Rose” may be found in:
1 paragraph including the following types of information: anecdotal, history and performers.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history and performers.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: film productions, history and performers.
1 page including the following types of information: anecdotal and history.
Includes the following types of information: song lyrics.
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