This is an instrumental cover of a song written by Vincent Scotto (1874-1952) in around 1905, but now best-known as one of the signature songs of Josephine Baker, who first recorded it in 1927 (her recording is here). It was a huge hit in France and elsewhere and associated the song with 1920s jazz age Paris, although musically it's a polka -- not a style much associated with jazz... This arrangement for two mandolins and guitar was published in the 1920s by O. Di Bella Music in New York and was included in a stack of old sheet music sent to me some years ago by Jim Garber. I've picked instruments that enhance the 1920s feeling: Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin Gibson Ajr mandolin Garry Probert resonator tenor guitar For variety, the mandolin and tenor guitar swap places for the reprise of the polka. Same recording on Youtube with pictures of La Baker: Martin
This is another of those tunes that went into the regular repertoire of our weekly mandolin group after I first recorded it in 2013. Having played it semi-regularly over the past seven years or so, here is my updated lockdown recording, played on a vintage Italian bowlback mandolin with overdubbed second mandolin and tenor guitar accompaniment. 1898 Giuseppe Vinaccia mandolin (x2) Vintage Viaten tenor guitar Martin
Captures a bygone age rather well, Martin.
Oh, là, là! :-/ -nicely played though Martin.
Thanks, John and Simon. It's a fun tune to play, and very catchy. Martin
