.............Joop's Musical Flowers: Under The Bamboo Tree (1902)

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

Collins And Harlan - Under The Bamboo Tree (Shellac) at Discogs

Columbia matrix 970. Under the bamboo tree / Collins and Harlan - Discography of American Historical Recordings

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

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

Under the bamboo tree | Library of Congress

Listen here:

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

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(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

Under the bamboo tree | Library of Congress

Victor matrix [Pre-matrix B-]1998. Under the bamboo tree / John H. Bieling ; Harry Macdonough - Discography of American Historical Recordings

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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