Muskrat Ramble
Encyclopedia
"Muskrat Ramble" is a jazz
composition
written by Kid Ory
in 1926. It was first recorded on February 26, 1926 by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five
, and became the group's most frequently recorded piece. It was a prominent part of the Dixieland revival repertoire in the 1930s and 1940s, and was recorded by Bob Crosby
, Roy Eldridge
, Lionel Hampton
, Woody Herman
, Muggsy Spanier
, Chet Atkins
and Lu Watters
, among others. It is considered a part of the jazz standard
repertoire. Owing to a misprint, the tune was titled "Muskat Ramble" on its initial release.
Ory has said that he originally composed the tune in 1921, and that the title was made up by Lil Hardin
at the recording session. Armstrong, on the other hand, has claimed in an interview to have written the tune himself, and that it was Ory who only named it. Sidney Bechet
has said that it was originally an old Buddy Bolden
tune called "The Old Cow Died and the Old Man Cried". The estate of Kid Ory sued Country Joe and the Fish
for copyright infringement in 2001 alleging that the "Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die Rag" of Woodstock fame lifted its tune from Ory's ramble. This suit was dismissed due to the lateness of the filing.
Ray Gilbert
wrote lyrics to the originally instrumental tune in 1950. Following a decree by the Classification Committee of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1956, Gilbert is entitled to a third of all performance credits of the tune, both vocal and instrumental.
A version with Gilbert's lyrics was recorded by Phil Harris
and His Dixieland Syncompators (Vocalist: Phil Harris) in Hollywood on February 24, 1950. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3273 (in USA) and by EMI
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 9927.
A recording with Big Chief Jazzband was made in Oslo
on January 8, 1954. It was released on the 78 rpm record His Master's Voice A.L. 3371.
The tune contains a 32-bar ensemble section at the beginning, followed by 16-bar solo sections for the trombone, cornet and clarinet. After the solos, an ensemble section of 32 bars is played, followed by a two-bar trombone tag. Ory's tag at the end is almost always copied in performances. In the ensemble sections, the clarinet, cornet and trombone play a three-part counterpoint
line typical of 1920s New Orleans bands.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
written by Kid Ory
Kid Ory
Edward "Kid" Ory was a jazz trombonist and bandleader. He was born in Woodland Plantation near LaPlace, Louisiana.-Biography:...
in 1926. It was first recorded on February 26, 1926 by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five
Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five
The Hot Five was Louis Armstrong's first jazz recording band led under his own name.It was a typical New Orleans jazz band in instrumentation, consisting of trumpet, clarinet, and trombone backed by a rhythm section...
, and became the group's most frequently recorded piece. It was a prominent part of the Dixieland revival repertoire in the 1930s and 1940s, and was recorded by Bob Crosby
Bob Crosby
George Robert "Bob" Crosby was an American dixieland bandleader and vocalist, best known for his group the Bob-Cats.-Family:...
, Roy Eldridge
Roy Eldridge
Roy David Eldridge , nicknamed "Little Jazz" was an American jazz trumpet player. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos and his strong influence on Dizzy Gillespie mark him as one of the most exciting musicians of the swing era and a...
, Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
, Woody Herman
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
, Muggsy Spanier
Muggsy Spanier
Francis Joseph Julian "Muggsy" Spanier was a prominent cornet player based in Chicago. He was renowned as the best trumpet/cornet in Chicago until Bix Beiderbecke entered the scene....
, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
and Lu Watters
Lu Watters
Lucius "Lu" Watters was a trumpeter and bandleader of the Yerba Buena Jazz Band in the "West Coast revival" of Dixieland music...
, among others. It is considered a part of the jazz standard
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
repertoire. Owing to a misprint, the tune was titled "Muskat Ramble" on its initial release.
Ory has said that he originally composed the tune in 1921, and that the title was made up by Lil Hardin
Lil Hardin Armstrong
Lil Hardin Armstrong was a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer, and bandleader, and the second wife of Louis Armstrong with whom she collaborated on many recordings in the 1920s....
at the recording session. Armstrong, on the other hand, has claimed in an interview to have written the tune himself, and that it was Ory who only named it. Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist...
has said that it was originally an old Buddy Bolden
Buddy Bolden
Charles "Buddy" Bolden was an African American cornetist and is regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of rag-time music which later came to be known as jazz.- Life :...
tune called "The Old Cow Died and the Old Man Cried". The estate of Kid Ory sued Country Joe and the Fish
Country Joe and the Fish
Country Joe and the Fish was a rock band most widely known for musical protests against the Vietnam War, from 1966 to 1971, and also regarded as a seminal influence to psychedelic rock.-History:...
for copyright infringement in 2001 alleging that the "Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die Rag" of Woodstock fame lifted its tune from Ory's ramble. This suit was dismissed due to the lateness of the filing.
Ray Gilbert
Ray Gilbert
Ray Gilbert was a lyricist.Gilbert is best remembered for the lyrics to the Oscar winning song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from the film Song of the South, which he wrote with Allie Wrubel in 1947.He married, in 1962, actress Janis Paige.Daughter, actress and singer Joanne Gilbert, July...
wrote lyrics to the originally instrumental tune in 1950. Following a decree by the Classification Committee of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1956, Gilbert is entitled to a third of all performance credits of the tune, both vocal and instrumental.
A version with Gilbert's lyrics was recorded by Phil Harris
Phil Harris
Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
and His Dixieland Syncompators (Vocalist: Phil Harris) in Hollywood on February 24, 1950. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3273 (in USA) and by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 9927.
A recording with Big Chief Jazzband was made in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
on January 8, 1954. It was released on the 78 rpm record His Master's Voice A.L. 3371.
The tune contains a 32-bar ensemble section at the beginning, followed by 16-bar solo sections for the trombone, cornet and clarinet. After the solos, an ensemble section of 32 bars is played, followed by a two-bar trombone tag. Ory's tag at the end is almost always copied in performances. In the ensemble sections, the clarinet, cornet and trombone play a three-part counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
line typical of 1920s New Orleans bands.
Personnel
The original 1926 recording was made with the following personnel:- Louis ArmstrongLouis ArmstrongLouis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
– cornetCornetThe cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was... - Kid OryKid OryEdward "Kid" Ory was a jazz trombonist and bandleader. He was born in Woodland Plantation near LaPlace, Louisiana.-Biography:...
– tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate... - Johnny St. CyrJohnny St. CyrJohnny St. Cyr was an American jazz banjoist and guitarist.St. Cyr was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is most commonly remembered as a member of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven bands....
– banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new... - Johnny DoddsJohnny DoddsJohnny Dodds was an American New Orleans based jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonist, best known for his recordings under his own name and with bands such as those of Joe "King" Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Lovie Austin and Louis Armstrong. Dodds was also the older brother of drummer Warren "Baby"...
– clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed... - Lil HardinLil Hardin ArmstrongLil Hardin Armstrong was a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer, and bandleader, and the second wife of Louis Armstrong with whom she collaborated on many recordings in the 1920s....
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
External links
- Muskrat Ramble at JazzStandards.com