zondag 22 april 2018

Under The Bamboo Tree (1902)


This song was written by Bob Cole and J. Rosamond Johnson.

By 1901, Bob Cole and Rosamond Johnson had put together a sophisticated vaudeville act. Dressed in evening clothes, Rosamond played classical works on the piano, then the pair sang their own compositions and ended the act with a soft-shoe routine by Cole. According to Rosamond, they were walking back uptown after a performance one day when he began to hum the African-American spiritual Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen. Hearing the song, Cole got the idea to rearrange it and work it into their act. When Rosamond objected that this was sacrilegious, Cole responded, "What kind of a musician are you anyway? Been to the Boston Conservatory and can't change a little old tune around." By the time Rosamond finally conceded, Cole had already written the words. The resulting song, "Under the Bamboo Tree", sold over 400,000 copies, making it one of the biggest sellers ever.

Described as "the king of ragtime tunes", it was one of the most significant and succesful ragtime songs before 1910. Its setting is an African jungle where a Zulu and a dusky maid become convinced that two men can live as cheaply as one. Even though the lyric was authored by 2 African Americans, it would be found terribly offensive today.

The song was introduced in 1902 by Cole and Johnson. At that time the title of the song was "If You Lak-A-Me" (the first words of the chorus).
Cole's publisher suggested the change of title to "Under The Bamboo Tree"

J. Rosamond Johnson - Wikipedia

Bob Cole (composer) - Wikipedia


Marie Cahill, musical comedy-star, heard the song at a stage party and interpolated it in her musical "Sally in Our Alley" (1902), where she brought down the house with it; from then on this song became basic to her repertory.


Complete sheet music is here:  Under the Bamboo Tree



The first recording of this song was also from 1902

(o) Arthur Collins (as "Under The Bamboo Tree")
Frank P Banta: piano
Recorded  July 1902 in New York City
Released in November 1902 on Edison Gold Moulded Record # 8215.

Edison Gold Moulded Record: 8215.. Arthur Collins. | UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive
 

Listen here:



Or here:  https://cylinders.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/4000/4348/cusb-cyl4348d.mp3


Arthur also recorded a few versions of this song in a duet with Byron G. Harlan.

(c) Collins and Harlan (1902)
Recorded end 1902 in New York
Released on Harvard 970, Columbia 970 and Oxford 970
 




On June 25, 1903 Collins re-recorded the song for the Victor-label

(c) Arthur Collins (1903)
Released on Victor Monarch 1633
 


Listen here:





(c) Mina Hickman (1903)
Recorded in 1903 in New York
Released on Zon-O-Phone C 5413
 

Zonophone matrix [Zo cat C 5413]. Under the bamboo tree / Mina Hickman - Discography of American Historical Recordings

Listen here:





(c) Harry MacDonough (1903)
Recorded February 27, 1903
Released on Victor 1993

Victor matrix [Pre-matrix B-]1993. Under the bamboo tree / Harry Macdonough - Discography of American Historical Recordings

On the same day MacDonough recorded a version in a duet with John Bieling

(c) Harry MacDonough and John Bieling (1903)
Recorded February 27, 1903
Released on Victor Monarch 1998







In 1917 Marie Cahill, who initially made this song famous, finally recorded her version of "Under The Bamboo Tree".

(c) Marie Cahill (1917)
Recorded May 29, 1917 in Camden, New Jersey
Released on Victor 45125
 

http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/5681

Victor matrix B-20004. Under the bamboo tree / Marie Cahill - Discography of American Historical Recordings

Listen here:



Or here:





(c) Orquesta de Pablo Valenzuela (1906) (as "La Patti Negra")

The songtitle was named after opera singer Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones, who was named The Black Patti (La Patti Negra), because she was the African-American counterpart of the famous opera diva Adelina Patti.
Released on Edison Gold Moulded Record 18862

Edison Gold Moulded Record: 18862.. Orquesta de Pablo Valenzuela. | UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive

Listen here:  cusb-cyl16116d.mp3

Or here:






Part of the lyrics of "Under the Bamboo Tree" were used in T.S. Eliot's play in verse "Fragment of an Agon" (1927).

Under the bamboo
Bamboo bamboo
Under the bamboo tree
Two live as one
One live as two
Two live as three
Under the bam
Under the boo
Under the bamboo tree

T.S. Eliot – Fragment of an Agon | Genius

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweeney_Agonistes



In 1943 Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien perform the song in the movie "Meet Me in St. Louis"

http://www.thejudyroom.com/soundtracks/louislp.html

Listen here:





(c) Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band (1945)
Recorded August 5, 1945 in Hollywood, CA.

78 RPM - Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band - Panama / Under The Bamboo Tree - Crescent - USA - 7

Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band* - Panama / Under The Bamboo Tree (Shellac) at Discogs





(c) The DeMarco Sisters (1950)
Recorded October 21, 1949 in New York
Released on King 15038

KDP | Song | Under the bamboo tree

KING numerical listing discography - 15000 series

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(c) Ken Colyer's Jazzmen (1959)
Recorded August 5, 1958 in London

Ken Colyer's Jazzmen - Colyer Plays Standards (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs

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(c) Papa Bue's Viking Jazzband (1960)
Recorded May 2, 1960

Papa Bue's Viking Jazz Band - On Tour (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs

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(c) Clinton Ford (1962)

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