performed by Oran Etkin
key: C blues
mode: C D Eb F F# G Bb
melody: (S) d r m f [the low sol depends on the rendition]
form: verse-chorus
meter: duple
English function names: tonic subdominant
Tagg (modified): home counterpoise (away)
Riemann: T7 D7
Scale degrees: I7 V7
Chords: C7 G7
chorus:
C7
|/ / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |
G7 C7
|/ / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |
verse:
C7 G7
|/ / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |
G7 C7
|/ / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |
I first learned this song from the Oran Etkin recording, which as far as children's recordings go, is top notch. Mr. Etkin has a whole shpiel — Timbalooloo — with supreme musicianship that connects with kids and adults. It's funny, it's smart. Etkin has studied the music deeply and knows what he’s doing, both musically and educationally. If you want this served up with less of an ear toward kids, the Paul Barbarin recording is a nice one, but I think the kids and the adults might be most fascinated with the energy and vocal timbres of the Pierce & Valentine recording.
I do not have a name for the form of the chord progression/harmonic rhythm in the chorus, but we've heard it in Tomorrow Never Knows and Rockin' Pneumonia. There's a shorter version of it in the chorus of Bling Blang. Four, Two, and Two? The verse has what I've named counterpoint inversion, which we have discussed several times before and will hear again in the future.
Interesting to me is that this is considered a Cajun folksong, but it's definitely played in an early-jazz way on most recordings. You can imagine Louis Armstrong singing it over, say, Clifton Chenier, though neither seem to have recorded it (unless they did so under a different title — if you know about it, do share!).
Also interesting to me is that this song doesn't seem to come up in beginning jazz pedagogy. It isn't in the Aebersold books. You start with 12-bar blues with at least three chords and you move as quickly as possible to bebop. Maybe this has changed. After all, I am not a jazz pedagogue. But if you want people to start to hear when the chords change and get a feel for the style, you could do worse than this particular song. Furthermore, how about that four-note melody? Between the two chords and the four notes — can you have a better song for both beginning and seasoned musicians to play together? (I mean, there's C Jam Blues/Duke's Place — a three-chord song with a two note melody — which I also love to teach, but this might replace it…) Plus, it's a song about eating too much. Good times.
other recordings:
Don Vappe & Jazz Créole, The Blue Book of Storyville, Lejazzetal. F blues.
Paul Barbarin, Atlantic Jazz New Orleans, Rhino Atlantic. F blues.
Bill & Dee Dee Pierce with Kid Thomas Valentine, 1960, 504. G blues.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, New Orleans' Billie and Dee Dee, Preservation Hall. Ab blues.
Willie Pajeaud's New Orleans Band, The Larry Borenstein Collection Vol 2, 504. Ab blues.
Kid Ory, Sounds of New Orleans, Storyville. Bb blues.