Yes, dear hearts, that was the Spike Jones version. You were expecting maybe the Philadelphia Orchestra? Looks like it's a clip from a movie. Uncle Waldemar, who posted this, puts the date "1947" on it, but gives no other information. Anyone who can identify the source is asked to leave a comment.
Showing posts with label Spike Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spike Jones. Show all posts
Saturday, July 22, 2023
MUSIC VIDEO: "Serenade for Strings"
Ed. here. Every now and then Our old buddy Arnie, over at Blazing Cat Fur, posts a "musical interlude" to give readers a break from the steady stream of news of the woke and ridiculous. It's a good idea but it's been a while since we put one up, so here's the calming and cheerful "Serenade for Strings".
Monday, April 24, 2023
What did Jeff Shell do before joining NBCUniversal?
BBC News reports today that the chief executive of NBCUniversal, Jeff Shell, has left the US media and entertainment giant over an "inappropriate relationship" he had with a woman at the company.
The announcement comes after the firm conducted an investigation over a complaint about Mr Shell's conduct. "I'm truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down," he said in a statement.
The BBC report does not give any details of Mr Shell's career before joining NBCUniversal, but Walt's supersleuth, Agent 3, has found a photo showing Mr Shell in his previous show business get-up. Turns out he played banjo with Spike Jones' City Slickers, under the stage name of Freddy Morgan.
Too bad that kind of music is no longer popular. Whatever will Mr Shell do now?
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
VIDEO: Yiddish Hillbillies -- the music of Mickey Katz
Agent 3 sent us this riddle joke...
Q. What has four legs and chases cats?
A. Mrs Katz and her lawyer!
Better, I guess, if you hear it instead of reading it.
Here's the connection to the video. Agent 3 and Walt share a liking for klezmer (Yiddish: כליזמר or קלעזמער) music. [So let's have no more talk about Walt being anti-Semitic! Ed.] Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations. In the United States the genre evolved considerably as Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, who arrived between 1880 and 1924, met and assimilated American jazz.
Which brings us [at last! Ed.] to Meir Myron "Mickey" Katz (15/6/1909 – 30/4/1985), an American comedian and musician who specialized in Jewish humor. He was the father of actor Joel Grey -- famous for his portrayal of Emcee in Cabaret -- and grandfather of actress Jennifer Grey. His first moments of fame came in the 1940s as a member of Spike Jones's City Slickers, where he was known for his "glugging" vocal sound effects on tunes like "Cocktails for Two".
Mr Katz He later went on to form his own band, Mickey Katz and His Krazy Kittens. He created his own parodic musical review and recorded highly popular "ethnic" comedy albums, including English-Yiddish parodies, on the Capitol label. He was recognized as a master of klezmer-style clarinet and had several hits during his long career. Though Katz sang primarily in Yiddish, he is often as recognized as one of the godfathers of American song parody which would later be advanced by the likes of Allan Sherman and Weird Al Yankovic.
In 2009, a chap who posts on YouTube as "CineGraphic Studios" put some of Mickey Katz's music together with some vintage 16mm films -- one of his first attempts (he writes) at manipulating film to music. Here is the very fine result.
Like it? Click here to see the trailer for The Mickey Katz Project, a movie about the life and work of Mickey Katz. [Duh! Ed.]
Q. What has four legs and chases cats?
A. Mrs Katz and her lawyer!
Better, I guess, if you hear it instead of reading it.
Here's the connection to the video. Agent 3 and Walt share a liking for klezmer (Yiddish: כליזמר or קלעזמער) music. [So let's have no more talk about Walt being anti-Semitic! Ed.] Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations. In the United States the genre evolved considerably as Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, who arrived between 1880 and 1924, met and assimilated American jazz.
Which brings us [at last! Ed.] to Meir Myron "Mickey" Katz (15/6/1909 – 30/4/1985), an American comedian and musician who specialized in Jewish humor. He was the father of actor Joel Grey -- famous for his portrayal of Emcee in Cabaret -- and grandfather of actress Jennifer Grey. His first moments of fame came in the 1940s as a member of Spike Jones's City Slickers, where he was known for his "glugging" vocal sound effects on tunes like "Cocktails for Two".
Mr Katz He later went on to form his own band, Mickey Katz and His Krazy Kittens. He created his own parodic musical review and recorded highly popular "ethnic" comedy albums, including English-Yiddish parodies, on the Capitol label. He was recognized as a master of klezmer-style clarinet and had several hits during his long career. Though Katz sang primarily in Yiddish, he is often as recognized as one of the godfathers of American song parody which would later be advanced by the likes of Allan Sherman and Weird Al Yankovic.
In 2009, a chap who posts on YouTube as "CineGraphic Studios" put some of Mickey Katz's music together with some vintage 16mm films -- one of his first attempts (he writes) at manipulating film to music. Here is the very fine result.
Like it? Click here to see the trailer for The Mickey Katz Project, a movie about the life and work of Mickey Katz. [Duh! Ed.]
Sunday, January 3, 2016
VIDEO: Incredible Balkan-Klezmer-Gypsy-Party-Punk-Super Band
During the holidaze, Walt had the opportunity to travel a bit, checking out various holiday entertainments. Just by luck, I caught a performance by the Lemon Bucket Orkestra. They describe themselves as a Balkan-Klezmer-Gypsy-Party-Punk-Super Band. I describe them as a latter-day Ukrainian-Canadian incarnation of Spike Jones. Check out the video (running time about 34:30 -- hint, fast forward past the introduction) and you'll see why.
I say "Ukrainian-Canadian" but am not sure how many members are actually Ukies. It seems founding member Mark Marczyk (he's one!) met bartender and musician Michael Louis Johnson in 2009 after returning to Toronto from Kyïv, Ukraine. Mr. Johnson then introduced Mr. Marczyk to the Gypsy-Punk band Worldly Savages. Mr. Marczyk fiddled around with the Savages at afterparties for their shows, and other eventual members of the band, such as Tangi Ropars and Os Kar, joined in. The rest, as they say, is history.
Search "Lemon Bucket Orkestra" on YouTube and you'll find more great music, including one complete concert. I love this stuff!
I say "Ukrainian-Canadian" but am not sure how many members are actually Ukies. It seems founding member Mark Marczyk (he's one!) met bartender and musician Michael Louis Johnson in 2009 after returning to Toronto from Kyïv, Ukraine. Mr. Johnson then introduced Mr. Marczyk to the Gypsy-Punk band Worldly Savages. Mr. Marczyk fiddled around with the Savages at afterparties for their shows, and other eventual members of the band, such as Tangi Ropars and Os Kar, joined in. The rest, as they say, is history.
Search "Lemon Bucket Orkestra" on YouTube and you'll find more great music, including one complete concert. I love this stuff!
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