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Pianist James P. Johnson’s tune was very popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s. One version from 1929 by the Mound City Blue Blowers, a popular group led by vocalist and comb (like a kazoo) player Red McKenzie, was an integrated session that featured the great tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins along with trombonist Glenn Miller, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, and drummer Gene Krupa. Although recorded as “One Hour” (with composer credit going to Miller and Krupa), the record is an early example of a group improvising on the chord changes and not alluding to the melody. Trombonist Jack Teagarden recorded a superb vocal version of the tune when he was a member of Ben Pollack’s Orchestra in 1930, and it became a staple in his repertoire for many years.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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