Tiger Rag
The Tiger Rag is a song of early jazz. As a composer of the piece, which was published in 1917, Nick LaRocca is registered; the text was written by Harry DeCosta. The piece, which was recorded on the first recordings of jazz, quickly evolved to jazz standard, and is, particularly in Dixieland jazz, often played up to today. It is probably the most famous jazz titles.
Origins of the song
According to La Rocca, who claimed to be the composer of the Tiger Rag, reduced the " chords of popular melodies ," the basis for the piece, La paloma, London Bridge is Falling Down and the National Emblem March by John Philip Sousa. Who really is the composer of the piece, it is highly controversial. Jelly Roll Morton would have also composed the title; According to him it was based on the harmonies of a French quadrille. Others attributed it to the trombonist and leader of the Crescent City Orchestra Jack Carey. The newer Jazz Research According to the piece in New Orleans under the title Number Two was well known, the composer Johnny De Droit was.
In Chicago clarinetist Alcide Nunez and drummer Johnny Stein hired trombonist Eddie Edwards, pianist Henry Raga and cornetist Frank Christian. At the last moment Christian was replaced by Nick LaRocca. On March 3, 1916 this musician 's Cafe of Chicago began in Schiller at first under the band name Stein's Dixie Jass band. The band was successful and received better offers. Tony Sbarbaro was the new drummer of the group for the first time occurring on June 5, 1917 under the name The Dixie Jass band.
Design and structure of the song
The Tiger Rag form consists of four parts, which are joined together as in the classic ragtime. The D part was betextet with the words " Hold that tiger" and "Where 's that tiger". This is often additionally a Lippenglissando or even a growl of the trumpet sound. He has the typical march form as almost all ragtime pieces, namely three parts with five topics: AB; C-D; E. The first part A is achttaktig and is repeated eight-bar B which also will not be repeated, and merges into a recapitulation of A. The 16 measures have B and C, which do not require repetition. The third part ( e ) in turn consists of 32 cycles which are repeated four times.
First recording
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, which at the time had come LaRocca on trumpet, the piece played for the first time on August 7, 1917 in New York, published in September 1917 as a single Skeleton Jangle / Tiger Rag. Effective was a version, which started the band on March 25, 1918 she was number -one hit of the American singles chart for two weeks. In the next few years the band played the piece a over again. " 1923, for example, the pace is comfortable addressed the solo parts are fleshed out further, the Dixieland -great- occupation with trumpet, clarinet and trombone is supplemented by the fashionable instrument saxophone. " In the version 1924 Bix Beiderbecke carries a longer solo on.
More chart success
Later cover versions of the song have been several times for Hit:
- Ted Lewis and His Band (1923, # 8)
- Ted Lewis and His Band with Sophie Tucker (1927, # 10)
- The Mills Brothers (1931, # 1 for four weeks)
- Ray Noble and His Orchestra (1934, # 6 )
- Alvino Rey and His Orchestra (1941, The King Sisters as vocalists )
Effect story
Hans -Jürgen Schaal According to the Tiger Rag was " to Inbebriff of what jazz meant around 1920 in many parts of the world. Rapid, rhythmic, wild, ecstatic dance music with collective improvisation, tight riffs and witty Breaks" The piece was rapidly from dance bands Covered: appeared as early as January 1920, interpreted by an American Military Band, in Germany a first recording of the Tiger Rag (on Homocord ).
Vladimir Horowitz and Arturo Toscanini were overwhelmed by Art Tatum's interpretation of the Tiger Rag ( at New York's Cafe Society ). The Tiger Rag was recorded in the 1930s by musicians from the Swing, 1928 by Tommy Dorsey, then by Ray Noble, by Benny Goodman (1936) and multiply by Django Reinhardt ( first 1934 in a duet with Stephane Grappelli ). He is now considered a quasi indestructible piece of traditional jazz.
Many African-American musicians boycotted the piece first, because they had "reservations" on the charge of LaRocca and his fellow musicians have stolen this piece. Duke Ellington took the piece with a modified tune on under names such as High Life; Chu Berry called the piece Sittin ' In. Louis Armstrong led the piece with his Copenhagen concert in 1932.
During the Nazi dictatorship of the Tiger Rag, was the still was popular with the German public, as "Black Panther" Germanized and danced the foxtrot. Even after the end of World War II, the Tiger Rag was listed under the German title.
In modern jazz, there are only a few interpretations, for instance by Charlie Parker (1947, as an intro to Shaw Nuff ); However, based on the composition of the pieces Daybreak Express, Hot and Bothered, Slippery Horn and Braggin ' in Brass. Pierre Dørge developed the composition to New Tiger Rag on.