Satchmo Swings the Congo
This newsreel from 1960 accounts of the genius Louis Armstrong’s fateful trip to Africa.
MORE ...Cab Calloway: Minnie the Moocher
Performing his signature number, Cab Calloway sings Minnie the Moocher in this performance from the 1950’s. As ever he adds a few surprises like the sexy shadow dancer gyrating in the background and a new spin on his familiar scat singing. Born in New York State with a middle class upbringing, Calloway’s parents pushed him […]
MORE ...Black Music in America
This tremendous educational documentary from the mid-1970’s examines the priceless contributions of African-Americans to musical heritage, so closely tied to their unique history in the United States. From Africa upon slave ships captive immigrants brought with them melodies, cadences and rhythms that inarguably gave rise to music considered ‘modern’ today. Beginning with the genius Louis […]
MORE ...I’ll Be Glad when You’re Dead You Rascal, You
Max Fleischer paired Betty Boop with viper man Louis Armstrong in the mid 1930’s. In it Fleischer mixes jazz, live action, and animation to create an innovative, dreamlike world. Pops or Satchmo, as he was often called, was a lifelong tea head who enjoyed cannabis not just to unwind, but also smoked gage, as he called it, […]
MORE ...Jimmie Rodgers: The Singing Brakeman
In 1930, Jimmie Rodgers was probably one of the hottest Americana pop artists in America. Five years later, he would be dead. Born in 1897, a native of Mississippi, Jimmie Rodgers, along with the Carter Family, would influence generations of country musicians to come as the Blue Yodeler with songs like “In the Jailhouse Now,” […]
MORE ...
