Louise Brooks & Sophie Tucker, Moanin' Low (1929)

Sophie Tucker - Moanin' Low (Deitz/Rainger), Victor 1929
& Louise Brooks photographs

I felt somewhat uncertain while putting together into one clip two personalities apparently so distant from each other: the noisy, simply-hearted, harsh and happy red-hot mama Tucker and the legendary, sophisticated and fragile Jazzbaby from the silent movie era. Yet, I think, in each of them some element can be found, which, finally, makes these two extremes meet. It is - malancholy, and profoundness. Something, what always and everywhere makes the real artists immediately be friends.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Sophie
• Tucker
• Louise
• Brooks
• Roaring
• Twenties
• Blues
• jazz
• 78s
• shellack

[LizzyDouglas]

@Thug8855: Well, Sophie Tucker is very wellknown still in Europe, I've heard about her from my parents and sometimes you can hear her on the radio in this part of the world.

I also want to express my astonishment about the unbelievable quality of the sound, you can understand every word Sophie is singing.

Even more when I realise the state of recording techniques just after electrical recording was started in 1927. Much better than nowadays!! Honor for those technicians then. Shame for now!!

[ccaammiiittoo]

YouTube, thank you so much. You just don't know your contribution to a public who appreciates these deep sojourn into the past.

[CriticalListener]

Okay, back then the primitive recording techniques didn't allow them to record the instrumental music as in depth as they can now. But the real reason you can hear Sophie better is: back then, listeners had the quaint notion that the words were worth following, so the engineers made sure the voice was recorded so you COULD hear it, unlike today.

[KScarlett777]

Great song! Great Sophie Tucker! Lovely Louise Brooks!

[ccaammiiittoo1]

@ASchurThing Lulu from a social point of view was way ahead of her time, going into social innovation at a time when careers could've been derailed. To develop nontraditional friendships at that time was definitely a no-no.

[ccaammiiittoo1]

@Thug88Then that's their loss indeed. You'll have to do the introductions, although belated. Tucker, to coin a cliche, always left them dead in the aisle. For example, have them listen to her "My Yiddisha Mama" JUST for starters. A gigantic talent here!

[corinnabambina]

@ccaammiiittoo So so true!!

[marshmellowmeltedass]

does anybody know where i can find this exact song online somewhere to download for free? maybe even without a membership?

[cbrun67176]

It was her presence that people even today remember.Her voice at times was actually hard to take, especially in her later years.

[78timothy]

Howard Dietz also shares composer credit on "You and the Night and the Music" - Revenge w/Music (1934), & "Dancing in the Dark" - "The Bandwagon" (1931) Mein liebe freund aus Polen, what you have described in your notes so beautifully is the true Artistic Dichotomy that makes an individual performance stand out above all others - Passion in Performance. The fidelity is so sharp & well balanced you can even hear the Brushwork, by the Percussionist.Please see my notes from 9 months ago.

[waynebrasler]

What a joy to hear Sophie Tucker undertaking a serious torch song and doing so with such understanding, emotion, power and truth. She is just about to enjoy a renaissance, with a full page plus in last Sunday's New York Times Arts section.