Alabama Jubilee (1916) PRINCE BAND in ragtime

This is the most Jazzy Rag I ever heard! Any disscusion
about the tune is welcome!

It comes with, many thanks to Merle for allowing the use
of this tune from the wonderful side
about the Little Wonder Records:
http://www.littlewonderrecords.com/

Alabama Jubilee
One Step (Cobb/Yellen)

Band (Maybe Prince´s Band)

Little Wonder Records 237
N.Y. very early 1916

The Music: Of course this record doesn´t predated the first side by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band from 1917! But it is one of the best examples for the change from ragtime to the more and free early Jazz! Here in this short time of the record you will find almost everything that marks early Jazz:
When the Band played the first chorus at about 0:30 it is pure musical polyhony. The cornets are playing out the melody. The clarinet(´s) and piccolo(´s) are decorating and noodling around the melody with glissandis. They play with the melody and are setting counterpoints to the melody. The trombone(´s) set also counterpoints to the melody, filling in with runs and smears between the tp and cl.
The brass bass is lying an ground, often with accents to the 1 and 3 bar. What is missing is a drum accenting the 2 and 4 bar for a steady swing. But, also without drums: it swings!
Richard Sudhalter wrote in his fine book Lost chords page 103:
A few moments spent listening to the brass and woodwind parts of any Sousa (march) tells much about early jazz band ensemble playing He was right! An here we haven´t an old sousa march, but a lively ragtime piece played by an brass band. And you can hear it:

Jass is just around the corner.....

About the Band: Little Wonder´s are recorded anonymosly made by
Columbia records. Often Columbia artists are used. It is known
that Charles Prince´s Band recorded for Little Wonder. (He was the musical
Director of Columbia in the first two decades of the century. Not seldom he recorded fine ragtime tunes.)
He may be the Orchestra on Alabama Jubilee, compared to his other records made in late 1915/ early 1916.
On this tune is no drumset used. On other records by Prince of this time is also no drumset audible. Listen to Hesitating Blues and St. Louis Blues made by Prince 1915/16 at:
http://redhotjazz.com/firstbluesrecords.html

The Band of this time consists of: 2 cornets/ 1 or 2 clarinets/1 Piccolo/ 1 or two vln/ altohorn/ tenorhorn/ brass bass Violins are inaudible on this record.
Because of the lack of any recording sheets, the band on this record stayed unknown.

The Tune: Writen in 1915 by George Cobb with words by Jack Yellen comes out of the raggy Tin Pan Alley. The words of the song are describing a Musical party Down South:

Chorus:
You ought to see deacon Jones
When he rattles the bones,
Old parson Brown foolin' 'roun like a clown,
Aunt Jemima who is past eighty three,
Shoutin' "I'm full o' pep!
Watch yo' step!, watch yo' step!
One legged Joe danced aroun' on his toe,
Threw away his crutch and hollered, "let 'er go!"
Oh, honey, hail! hail! the gang's all here
For an Alabama jubilee

Mandolins, violins,
Hear the darkies tunin' up, the fun begins,
Come this way, don't delay,
Better hurry, honey dear, or you'll be missin'
Music sweet, rag-time treat,
Goes right to your head and trickles to your feet,
It's a reminder, a memory finder
Of nights down in old Alabam'.

Hear that flute, it's a beaut,
And the tunes it's tootin', tootsie, ain't they cute?
Let's begin, it's a sin,
To be missin' all this syncopated music!
Oh, you Jane, once again
Give your legs some exercise to that refrain,
Boy, that's what makes me so dreamy and takes me
Back home to my old Alabam'.

Later the song became more an country hit, but in the first sense it belongs to the new ragtime and syncopated music!
Describing of an very early Jass Band??

I´ve checked a lot of discographys, no other Band recordings by any jazzband till the 1940´s. Collins & Harlan recorded this for Columbia and Victor in late 1915 as an much more stiff raggy pop-tune. Red Foley recorded also an famous hillbilly version of this song with a little bit of jazz. But one exclusion: an 1919 record in Spain!! The mysterious Orquestrina Tzigan Americana Nic Fusly (see an earlier post of mine) recorded this c.1919 in Barcelona. Perhaps I will post this early attempt of jazz in europe some later.
By the way Collins & Harlan made a record of That funny jas Band from Dixieland in Dec.1916 for Edison. This really predates the ODJB 1917 recording. Listen to it at:
http://redhotjazz.com/jazz1917.html

Category:

Music

Tags:

• early
• jazz
• jass
• 20´s
• rag
• ragtime
• phonograph
• record
• 1916
• alabama
• jubilee
• WWI
• schellackplatten
• tanzmusik
• hotdance
• little
• wonders
• wonder
• Prince
• Band
• Orchestra
• dance
• band

[elremolino]

Wow. I heard this tune almost all of my life and thought it was either of Tejano or Norteño music from Mexico. I was wrong. The Accordion version is called "El Circo" or "the circus". It sounds good in its tejano version too.

[vertxxgg]

In Spain there s a version by Orquestina Verdura 1917.Odeon...and Nic Fusly Orquesta Americana ..both recorded in Barcelona- hear in my web a big Victor record of George M.Cohan both sides...and the song' KuKux Clan' of 1921 writed by an Spanish author in Madrid

[ThePeaceableKingdom]

Isn't Jack Yellen a great name for a tin pan alley wordsmith?

[Mannock]

In memory of a truly wonderful comedian.

[Mannock]

The jazziest? You bet! Certainly the jassiest. Prince's Band is one of the best. Good luck in doing research on them, though. It's like they never existed.

[JCJasion]

A 'honky-tonk' piano recording of this tune, speeded up, was used as the theme for the Soupy Sales Show

In memory of Soupy Sales - 1926-2009

[JCJasion]

Uncommonly good bass response from an acoustical records. The Little Wonders were full of nice surprises like this one!

[acidtest1967]

what lyrics?  there aren't any words.

[LoyalTideFan]

Yep, the tubas make it swing! Golly gee, those lyrics certainly aren't politically correct, are they?

[heinbanjo12]

Yes the tuba's are beginng to swing. Espesialy in the chorus.