I ran across this link (http://www.gmarts.org/index.php?go=340) while browsing around the internet. It brings up a lot of thoughts that every working (or want to be working) musician should at least consider.
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- Details
- Category: Jazz Articles
- Published Date
- Written by Jim Ivy
- Hits: 125
- Details
- Category: Dixieland Repertoire Studies
- Published Date
- Written by Jim Ivy
- Hits: 87
I've Been Floating Down The Old Green River
1915
Music by: Joe Cooper
Lyrics by: Bert Kalmar
Cover artist: Barbelle
This song was written for the 1915 stage production, "Maid In America". The humorous lyrics tell the story of an errant husband explaining to his wife after an all-night drinking binge with his buddies. It also a play on words, "Green River" was an inexpensive and popular brand of whiskey at the time. This tune has become a Dixieland standard and is well worth memorizing and adding to your repertoire.
The melody is simple and the lyrics are engaging. That may be one reason the song has lasted for almost 100 years. Browsing around on YouTube you can find performance by all kinds of bands ranging from rock bands, country western, and even high school "pep" bands. Here is an early recording by Bill Murray, a popular tenor whose career spanned from early ragtime to swing.