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Saturday, March 9, 2024

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra With Singer Ivie Anderson - "Hayfoot, Strawfoot" & A List Of Ten Of The Best Duke Ellington Songs


Swing Blues Jazz 78 RPM, Nov 3, 2019

Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra

Vocalist: Ivie Anderson

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the phrase "hay foot straw foot".

This post showcases a YouTube sound file of the 1942 Jazz song "Hayfoot Strawfoot" performed by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra and sung by Ivie Anderson.

The lyrics to that song are included in this post along with information about Duke Ellington and singer Ivie Anderson.

This pancocojams post also quotes an article that list ten of Duke Ellington's most famous songs. 


Click 
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/03/what-is-real-origin-and-meaning-of.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post provides information about the origin and meaning of the phrase "hay foot straw foot" as it pertains to marching cadences.

For city folk like me, that post also includes a YouTube video entitled "the DIFFERENCES between straw and hay".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/03/examples-of-military-cadences-with.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents some examples of marching cadences that include the phrase "hay foot straw foot".

The content of this post is presented of historical, cultural, and educational purposes.  

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. 

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INFORMATION ABOUT DUKE ELLINGTON
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington
"
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life.[1]

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards.

[...]

As an adult, [Duke Ellington's] son Mercer Ellington (born- 1919 died 1996) played trumpet and piano, led his own band, and worked as his father's business manager.[107]

[Duke] Ellington was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha[108] and was a Freemason associated with Prince Hall Freemasonry.[109]"...

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Excerpt #2
From  https://jazzfuel.com/best-duke-ellington/ "
10 of the Best Duke Ellington Songs', published by Sam Braysher, last updated Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was born on 29 April 1899 in Washington D.C.

As well as leading his famed orchestra from the piano chair, he is considered by many to be the greatest jazz composer in history. In fact, he is arguably one of America’s finest composers, regardless of genre.

The Duke Ellington discography contains more than a few all-time classic albums and, while his music is often described as “beyond category”, Ellington’s own compositions have proved incredibly popular with all types of jazz musicians, and they continue to be performed and recorded extensively as part of the standard repertoire.

 [...]

It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)

 [...]

Caravan

 [...]

Prelude to a Kiss

[...]

Cotton Tail

[...]

C Jam Blues

[...]
Come Sunday

[...]

Satin Doll

[...]

I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good)

[...]

Never No Lament (Don’t Get Around Much Anymore)"....
-snip-
“Take the ‘A’ Train” is one of Duke Ellington’s best loved songs and was his orchestra’s anthem. That song isn't on this list because it was composed by Duke Ellington’s long time collaborator Billy Strayhorn.

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INFORMATION ABOUT IVIE ANDERSON
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivie_Anderson
"Ivie Anderson (sometimes Ivy) (July 10, 1905 – December 28, 1949) was an American jazz singer. Anderson was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more than a decade.

[...]

Anderson was born July 10, 1905 in Gilroy, California.

[...] 

Career

Anderson's singing career began around 1921 with performances in Los Angeles. In 1924, she toured with the musical Shuffle Along.[4] By 1925, she had performed in Cuba, the Cotton Club in New York City, and Los Angeles with the bands of Paul Howard, Curtis Mosby, and Sonny Clay.[2][4] In 1928, she sang in Australia with Clay's band and starred in Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club in Los Angeles in April. Soon after, she began touring in the United States as a solo singer.[2]

From 1930 to early 1931, with pianist Earl Hines's band, Anderson performed in a 20-week residency at the Grand Terrace in Chicago, Illinois. In 1931, she became the first full-time vocalist in the Duke Ellington orchestra.[4] Her career for over a decade consisted of touring with Ellington. Her first appearance on record, "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)", recorded in 1932, was a hit.[4] She participated in Ellington's first European tour in 1933.[2] In 1940, she recorded "Solitude", "Mood Indigo", and "Stormy Weather".[4] One of the rare occasions Anderson sang independently of Ellington in this period was her performance of "All God's Children Got Rhythm" in the Marx Brothers film A Day at the Races (1937) for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[2][4]"...

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LYRICS FOR "HAYFOOT, STRAWFOOT"

Music: Paul McGrane

Lyrics: Ervin M. Drake, Harry Lenk (Hans Jan Lengsfelder)


Hayfoot, strawfoot Five miles more After this tramp there's a camp cot in store, Come on, doggies don't get sore Get hep hep hep in your step Hayfoot, strawfoot Four miles more Then with a smack goes my pack on the floor Come on, doggies don't get sore Get hep hep hep in your step The sun grins with glee And I start to shrink I can't grin like he I'm carrying everything, but the kitchen sink Hayfoot, strawfoot Three miles more Where in the heck is this mechanized war? Come on, doggies don't get sore Get hep hep hep in your step -snip- These lyrics are included in the summary for the YouTube sound file that is given in this post. This song is imaged being sung by marching soldiers. "Hay foot, straw foot" is an old time phrase that was used to help soldiers determine their left foot from their right foot. "Hep Hep" is another old time marching command, although the words "Get hep hep hep in your step" means to march with "pep" ("energy"). The word "doggies" in the line "Come on, doggies don't get sore" refers to the soldiers' feet. The line "I'm carrying everything but the kitchen sink" refers to the soldier's heavy backpacks.

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