Stomp Off 1001 - Dickbaker.org

Bouncing Around (Armand J. Piron–Peter Bocage)Hot Antic JB 1044London Ragtime Orchestra 1081Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble 1140South Frisco JB 1180Albion JB 1249Steve Waddell’s Creole Bells 1301Le Petit Jazzband de Mr Morel 1362Grand Dominion JB 1378One More Time JB 1410Manhattan Ragtime Orchestra 1419Rec. Piron’s NO Orchestra 12/3/23, OKeh40021, Odeon 03204. Couldn’t find sheetmusic, but OKeh label says (P. Bocage-A. J.Piron).Bouncing (At the Rubber Ball)(Roger Lewis–Ernie Erdman)Chrysanthemum Ragtime Band 1123ASM, 1916, F. J. A. Forster; w. RL/m. EE..(c) page is:cover isBOUNCINGAt the Rubber BallBOUNCING ATTHE RUBBER BALLBow-Wow (Wheeler Wadsworth–Don Rockwell)Elite Syncopators 1358CD has Bow Wow by F. Wheeler Wadsworth-Don Rockwell.Aha. Found that it’s Bow-Wow on both coverand cy page, one-step by Wheeler Wadsworth(again, no F. on either cover or cy page). cy1919 by Daniels & Wilson, San Francisco (INHarmony). And, as I expected, I also found avocal version (at Templeton), words by DonRockwell, still hyphen and no F. on both coverand cy page, but there’s a subtitle (Puppy-Lov) on cy page of vocal version, pub. 1920.CD notes say they took their version from thepiano roll version by Charley Straight, whichTrachtman database says is Imperial 91075,1920, and credits both Rockwell & Wadsworth.Also found the LC copyright entry for theCharley Straight piano roll, and it too credits“Rockwell and Wadsworth” (no first names).Elsewhere, Tex W. has pointed out that theexistence of both instrumental and vocalversions of rags does not mean that arecording of it without a vocal is in fact theinstrumental version. So we must herepresume that Straight was basing his roll onthe vocal version, and continue that credit toour recording.Now about the F. The only other tune in theindex by Wadsworth is “Dolly (I Love You).”The sheet music there said just WheelerWadsworth, no F., but we added the F.because we already had it here. Now it turnsout we didn’t really have it here. Even if hehad that first initial, he didn’t use it, so out itgoes.(J. Russel Robinson also made a piano roll ofit.)(And beware that there’s a Bow-Wow! withexclamation point by F. Henri Klickmann.)Bowery, The (Charles H. Hoyt–Percy Gaunt)Imperial Serenaders 1351Looks like it was published in folio of songsfrom Hoyt’s A Trip to Chinatown in 1992.Found it in two places. w. Chas. H. Hoyt, m.PG.Boy in the Boat, The [The Rock](Charlie Johnson)Evergreen Classic JB 1202Keith Nichols Cotton Club Orchestra 1210Lande’s Rhythm Club Orchestra 1327Les Rois du Fox-Trot 14365th edit: The Rock doesn’t make sense assubtitle. Where’d you get it? You sure it’s notan alternative title?10/8/00 Erdos agrees it should be alternativetitle.Only entry in LC copyright files is “The Boy inthe Boat,” w/m Lothar Stevens, 11/6/36, StateSt. Music, Chicago. We sure it’s not the samesong? (Alas, music isn’t in LC MRR.)1/25/01: Aha. They dug the Lothair (notLothar) Stevens sheet out of a warehouse inLandover, MD. Lyrics are pretty raunchy andmelody line is sketchy, but I’ll send it toRobbie so he can compare it with the originalCharlie Johnson recording and with SqueezeMe.Note that in his liner notes to a Waldo’sGutbucket Syncopators recording of it on DirtyShame, Waldo says, “...olriginally called THEROCK, written by Charlie Johnson. . . . Don’tconfuse this tune with a Harlem ditty of thesame name which forms the basis for FatsWallers SQUEEZE ME.”Note also that the New World Records reissueof the original Charlie Johnson recordingnotes that ths tune is “often credited to FatsWaller”—wonder if they got confused by theSqueeze Me feint.2/1/01: Robbie Reports:You asked me to listen to the 1928recording by Charlie Johnson entitled "TheBoy in the Boat (The Rock)" and compare itwith the song copyrighted in 1936 by LothairStevens entitled "The Boy in the Boat". Irecommend that the forthcoming revisedStomp Off record catalog list sayThe Rock (Charlie Johnson)But to substantiate this we need evidencefor Terry Waldo's statement on theGutbucket Syncopaters record, that it was"originally called THE ROCK, written byCharlie Johnson...."The trivia mongers will be upset if "Boy inthe Boat" is not mentioned, but the onlyreason for including it is that it appears onthe 1928 record label. We've alreadyagreed that a record label is bad evidence,right?The melody of the 1936 copyrightdeposition by Lothair Stevens, entitled "TheBoy In the Boat", bears no resemblance tothe sophisticated melodies of the CharlieJohnson recording. But there is someresemblance to the song, "Squeeze Me", byFats Waller & Clarence Williams.I believe that composer Charlie Johnsonand his band called the composition "TheRock". Then one day a sleazeball sidles upand whispers, "I own a record company andI can sell your tune..." You get the picture.How many times has the title of a work beenaltered by a producer or publisher who hashis own ideas about how to sell theproduct?!Consider, too, that in the brief era of 1928 to1930 several jazz orchestras wereexperimenting with far-out structures andharmonies, sort of the immediate precursorto the works of the Duke Elington orchestra.The tune titles were short and punchy ThirdRail, The Mooche, The Terror, and TheRock.I listened to the cassette tape of Johnson'sperformance and said, "I've played thatsomewhere with a band..." Then I recalledRoyal Society Jazz Orchestra. Don Neelytranscribed the arrangement from CharlieJohnson's record. Don is a faithfultraditionalist and so at the top of his charts is"Boy in the Boat", just as printed on therecord label. Evergreen Jazz Band alsoplays it very well.At this point I telephoned Frank Powers,who supplied the path to the evidence. It'sin the album notes written by OrrinKeepnews for a Victor XLP circa 1954. ThisLP compilation included a re-issue of CharlieJohnson's 1928 recording(s).Evidently Keepnews talked with Johnson orsome of his musicians about the song andthe recording sessions, and they saidwithout hesitation that Johnson named thesong "The Rock" but the record producerdidn't like the title so the record was titled"Boy in the Boat" simply for title recognition.I wuz right !I see no compelling reason to mention thetitle "The Boy in the Boat" in association withthe composition by Charlie Johnson, sincethe composer himself never called the songby that name. (And he probably hated it!)Robbie’s instincts and research are great, buthis conclusion is flawed. The song was not