Parody in jazz

[Guest Bill Barton]

The Jazz Club: niiiiiiiiiiiiice!

Thanks for that link.

This is a fun thread...

Somewhat related might be the Jonathan and Darlene Edwards recordings, though they probably don't withstand the test of time. You almost had to grow up in that era to even "get" the in jokes.

[JSngry]

Somewhat related might be the Jonathan and Darlene Edwards recordings, though they probably don't withstand the test of time.

Au contraire! I play them for younger musicians today, some of whom have never even heard of Paul Weston and/or Jo Stafford, and the reaction is always the same - puzzlement followed by bewilderment etc etc until finally the guffaws come fast and furious.

A little goes a long way with them, but hey -as long as there is a music business, there will be a quiet yet knowing audience for the talents of Jonathan & Darlene Edwards. This I do believe.

[sidewinder]

This came up in another thread. Are you Americans familiar with the Fast Show? It was a quite succesful sketch show on UK telly, and one of the regular sketches was "

thanks for posting this !

omg ... that was ... niice !

Priceless !

The 'Jamiroquai' spoof is particularly good.

[Christiern]

My favorite Jonathan and Darlene Edwards album is I Love Paris, where all the songs are French-related--it's on Columbia rather than RCA. Another great album of bad music, although not an intentional parody, is the collection of Florence Foster Jenkins' private recordings, which RCA issued. The lady, a Philadelphia sociality, was deadly serious about her music; she held a concert at Carnegie Hall in the Forties and it was sold out strictly from word of mouth. The audience had to wait between songs as she changed costumes, and when one of the wings on her angel costume sagged, the audience spontaneously went into one of the pop songs of the day, Comin' In On a Wing and a Prayer. Shortly before she died, Madame Jenkins is said to have told a friend, "Many people said that I couldn't sing, but nobody can say that I didn't/"

[paul secor]

I've posted this before, but it fits this thread - more as put on than parody. A guitarist/singer named Danny Adler recorded some tunes and shopped them to various record companies as recordings by a deceased bluesman who had worked as an elevator operator. Flyright, in the UK, issued the recordings, complete with liner notes giving the history of Otis "Elevator" Gilmore, along with a cover photo. From what I understand, Flyright discovered the hoax, but only after copies of the LP were pressed, sued Adler, and received damages to cover their expenses (though probably not to cover their embarassment).

[Christiern]

I bet Adler wished Flyright had straightened up and seen the marketing value of a well-honed hoax.!

[Dan Gould]

On the subject of "great albums of bad music" - my sister's Father In Law passed away early in February and since I live five minutes from his house, I've been asked to help his son and daughter in the process of clearing out the house. Since I am known as the "music person" in the family, it was suggested that I go through his old records. Harry Parley loved latin music and he actually owned a pair of bongos just so that he could play along with his favorite records. So I am flipping through the Xavier Cugat records when I came across ...

Irving Fields Trio, More Bagels & Bongos

I'm sure some of you have heard of it but it was the first of Mr. Fields' "... & Bongo's" series. Obviously, "Yiddish Favorites set to Latin rhythms" was such a big hit they had to come out with More Bagels & Bongos but while I didn't find the original "Bagels & Bongos" Harry did own:

Champagne & Bongos (Favorite French melodies)

Pizza & Bongos (Italian favorites)

A look at AMG revealed that there was a final entry in the series:

Bikinis and Bongos (yes, Hawaiian tunes)

For those interested, Bagels & Bongos was reissued on CD in 2005, and believe it or not, Irving Fields issued a new CD in 2007.

[Christiern]

Bahama bagels?

[Free For All]

Bagels & Bongos

"......and whiskers on kittens....."

[BillF]

Bagels & Bongos

"......and whiskers on kittens....."

Ah, yes, Frank is back. I didn't recognize him at first!

[paul secor]

I bet Adler wished Flyright had straightened up and seen the marketing value of a well-honed hoax.!

I believe that Adler has reissued the recording as Danny Adler - The Otis "Elevator" Gilmore Album.