Paul Whiteman "Song of India" Victor 18777-B (1921)

Paul Whiteman's first recorded version/jazz interpretation of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakow's "Song of the Indian Guest" from Scene IV of R-K's opera, "Sadko," first performed in Moscow on January 7, 1898. Rimsky-Korsakov's piece, and in fact his entire opera, is evocative, compelling, and frankly...beautiful. Whiteman has a lot of fun with it though.




The Victor Matrix # for those who like to geek out about such things was B-25322. This was the fourth take from the recording session in Camden, NJ on 5/31/1921. The jazzed up version was made much more famous later by Tommy Dorsey, but he had to be inspired somewhere!

P.S. Here are the original lyrics, even though not included on this record.

And still the snowy Himalayas rise
In ancient majesty before our eyes,
Beyond the plains, above the pines,
While through the ever, never changing land
As silently as any native band
That moves at night, the Ganges Shines

Then I hear the song that only India can sing,
Softer than the plumage on a black raven's wing;

High upon a minaret I stand
Upon an old enchanted land,

There's the Maharajah's caravan,
Unfolding like a painted fan,
How small the little race of Man!

See them all parade across the ages,
Armies, Kings and slave from hist'ry's pages,
Played on one of nature's vastest stages.
The turbaned Sikhs and fakirs line the streets,
While holy men in shadowed calm retreats
Pray through the night and watch the stars,
A lonely plane flies off to meet the dawn,
While down below the busy life goes on,
And women crowd the old bazaars;

All are in the song that only India can sing,
Softer than the plumage on a black raven's wing;
Tune the ageless moon and stars were strung by,
Timeless song that only could be sung by
India, the jewel of the East.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• 1921
• Jazz
• Paul
• Whiteman
• Victor
• Blues
• Record
• 78RPM
• Victrola
• Chicago

[TuberOnTheLoose]

Pretty darn cool. What is on the flip side of this?

[CHRISLIKESRECORDS]

@TuberOnTheLoose  Kind of an uninspired version of Cho-Cho-San. Thanks for watching.

[rordorica]

This one is moodier and slower than the later version from 1926, and in that record its also in the flip side CHO CHO SAN