Dat Dere
Encyclopedia
"Dat Dere" is a jazz song with music by Bobby Timmons
and lyrics by Oscar Brown, Jr.
on the album "The Big Beat"
while Timmons was the band's pianist.
Oscar Brown Jr. penned the lyrics later for the song's release on his 1961 début album "Sin & Soul...and Then Some", as he did with two other recent jazz instrumentals, Mongo Santamaría
's "Afro Blue
," and Nat Adderley
's "Work Song
".
Brown's lyrics describe a child's curiosity and excitement on a visit to the zoo with his father, and the parent's reflections on the child's growing up. The song was inspired by a zoo visit with his son Oscar "Bobo" Brown III. Oscar Brown Jr. wrote song lyrics in honor of each of his children; "Brown Baby" is a tribute to his first born son David "Napoleon" Brown.
and tenor saxophone
solo
from measures 9 through 23. Then the saxophone takes its own solo from measures 34 through 59, sporting a D minor- B minor7 (b5)- E minor7 (b5) chord progression. At measure 59 the whole band joins in for a loud and proud "shout chorus." It takes the coda back to 18, and once measure 30 is finished, it is open to the whole band to solo individually.
Bobby Timmons
Robert Henry "Bobby" Timmons was an African American jazz pianist and composer.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is best known for his role as sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and the composition of "Moanin'", "Dat Dere", and "This Here", each of which are typical of his...
and lyrics by Oscar Brown, Jr.
Creation
Timmons composed the music in succession with the songs "Dis Here" and "Which Were?". It was first recorded in 1960 by Art Blakey and The Jazz MessengersArt Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
on the album "The Big Beat"
The Big Beat (Art Blakey album)
The Big Beat is an album by Art Blakey and his group The Jazz Messengers recorded on March 6, 1960 and released on the Blue Note label. It features performances by Blakey with Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons, and Jymie Merritt.- Track listing :...
while Timmons was the band's pianist.
Oscar Brown Jr. penned the lyrics later for the song's release on his 1961 début album "Sin & Soul...and Then Some", as he did with two other recent jazz instrumentals, Mongo Santamaría
Mongo Santamaría
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue," recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All...
's "Afro Blue
Afro Blue
"Afro Blues" is a jazz standard composed by Mongo Santamaría, perhaps best known in its arrangement by John Coltrane.Coltrane's recordings of the piece have several features in common with his versions of "My Favorite Things", including a pulsating 3/4 jazz waltz rhythm, and a simple, almost...
," and Nat Adderley
Nat Adderley
Nathaniel Adderley was an American jazz cornet and trumpet player who played in the hard bop and soul jazz genres. He was the brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley....
's "Work Song
Work Song
Work Song is an album by jazz cornetist Nat Adderley, recorded in January 1960 and released on the Riverside label. It features Adderley with Bobby Timmons, Wes Montgomery, Sam Jones, Percy Heath, Keter Betts and Louis Hayes in various combinations from a trio to a sextet, with the unusual sound of...
".
Brown's lyrics describe a child's curiosity and excitement on a visit to the zoo with his father, and the parent's reflections on the child's growing up. The song was inspired by a zoo visit with his son Oscar "Bobo" Brown III. Oscar Brown Jr. wrote song lyrics in honor of each of his children; "Brown Baby" is a tribute to his first born son David "Napoleon" Brown.
Musical structure
It features a joint trumpetTrumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
from measures 9 through 23. Then the saxophone takes its own solo from measures 34 through 59, sporting a D minor- B minor7 (b5)- E minor7 (b5) chord progression. At measure 59 the whole band joins in for a loud and proud "shout chorus." It takes the coda back to 18, and once measure 30 is finished, it is open to the whole band to solo individually.
Other versions
- Cannonball Adderley recorded/performed a version of this song when Bobby TimmonsBobby TimmonsRobert Henry "Bobby" Timmons was an African American jazz pianist and composer.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is best known for his role as sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and the composition of "Moanin'", "Dat Dere", and "This Here", each of which are typical of his...
was a member of the quintet, and so did Art BlakeyArt BlakeyArthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
. - A SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
version, "Va' e' de' där", was performed by Monica ZetterlundMonica ZetterlundEva Monica Zetterlund was a Swedish singer and actress.-Biography:Zetterlund was a singer particularly noted for her jazz work. She began by learning the classic jazz songs from radio and records, initially not knowing the language and what they sang about in English...
. The Swedish lyrics were written by Beppe WolgersBeppe WolgersJohn Bertil "Beppe" Wolgers was a Swedish author, poet, translator, lyricist, actor, entertainer and artist.Wolgers was born in Stockholm...
. - Rickie Lee JonesRickie Lee JonesRickie Lee Jones is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.-Childhood:...
recorded the song for her 1991 Pop Pop album. - Mel TorméMel TorméMelvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
performed his version of this song on Raph J. Gleason's exemplary Jazz Casual series. Taped on May 2, 1964, features Mel with Gary Long on piano, Perry Lind on bass, and Benny Barth on drums.