23 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in It's a Cat's Life
Did I tell you about my birthday presents?
No? why, sometimes I don’t know where my mind is… squirrel!!!
Where was I? oh yes, birthday presents!
I woke up from a nice nap and what’s waiting for me in the living room?
Awesome. I love to play with bags. Let’s see what’s inside!
19 Thursday Apr 2012
Posted in It's a Cat's Life
Today is a special day, hepcats, for today is yours truly’s BIRTHDAY! Yessir, this dandy swingcat is another year older. Might I also add also as handsome and swell as ever!
I suppose I shall treat myself to a nap, perhaps look out the window for a bit then, because I’ve been a good boy, another nap! I don’t think I’ll be blowing out the candle on my cake, though. In cat fashion, I’ll swat at it with my paw, pull it out and hold on to it while I kick at it with my back legs.
All together now, sing along with some of my furry friends…
Happy day!
18 Wednesday Apr 2012
Posted in Cartoon Cats, History, Reblogged
Tags
Oh you’d love to see me in a zoot suit, wouldn’t ya?
Maybe I’ll do it. But in the mean time, you can learn about the history behind that fad on this nice article by Appletreedays
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots in America in 1943 during World War II that were essentially old style gang rivalry not disimilar to that of mods and rockers. The rivalry exploded in Los Angeles, between white sailors and Marines (patriots) and Latino youths (rebels), outstanding by the zoot suits they wore. The Zoot Suit Riots were in part the effect of the infamous Sleepy Lagoon murder which involved the death of a young Latino man in a barrio near Los Angeles.
…a flamboyant long coat with baggy pegged pants, a pork pie hat, a long key chain and shoes with thick soles.
The ‘Sleepy Lagoon’ case made national news in 1942 when teenage members of the 38th Street Gang were accused of murdering a man named Jose Diaz in an abandoned quarry pit. This case created a lot of anti-Mexican sentiment and the 9 men were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms.
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16 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in Famous Cats, Music
Tags
Yes, Jazz Cat Jay also speaks Italian. Jazz Cat Jay is a very accomplished cat.
Jazz Cat Jay also likes humourous things. And he wants to share them with you. Cause smiling (and laughing) is good for the soul.
Don’t forget to smile today!
Meooooooooooooooooooooooooooow
*Humorous duet for two cats
16 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in Cartoon Cats, Famous Cats, Music
This time, I’d like to feature another famous cat. Tom Cat. Which -incidentally, ties nicely with my previous post.
Tom Cat
Now, Tom Cat is a short hair cat like me who unfortunately has to share living quarters and screen credits with the most annoying mouse in the history of mice. However, despite all the grief he gets from Jerry Mouse, the pair went on to win several Academy Awards in their long acting career (which includes 275 short movies, a three-decade running TV show and a feature film). And he got to have some fun doing it so I guess it’s not all bad.
In the Cat Concerto short, Tom plays a piano virtuoso who is giving a piano recital of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt.
Then, un-cool, un-hep and definitely un-cat Jerry the mouse ruins the recital -even changing the rhapsody to a song called On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe at some point, tortures poor Tom and ends up taking all the applause and credit for himself! The nerve of that insolent mouse!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against mice. They’re great to play with. Tons of fun, actually. But this Jerry mouse is bad, bad news.
And the same goes for the song. On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe is a very fine song, sung by the very fine Judy Garland. So fine, that it also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year. And Judy Garland, well, she’s simply too cool for words.
But so rudely interrupting such a beautiful performance of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Tom Cat? well, that is nothing short of blasphemous.
Nonetheless, this is a great short movie. Just ignore the little pest.
11 Wednesday Apr 2012
Posted in Jazz, Jazz Cats Series, Music
The Tom Cat Blues. This is a song close to my heart. Why, do you ask? well, let me tell you.
The Felis catus (a.k.a Felis silvestris catus or Felis domesticus) often called the housecat, is a small carnivore mammal of the family of felines of which the Jazz Cat Jay is a proud member. Some of our remarkable traits include social nature, obvious body language, love of play and high intelligence. And a great love of music, of course.
A group of cats is referred to as a “clowder”, a female is called a “molly” or “queen” and a male cat is called a “tom”. Which I am. A tom cat, that is. Ergo, this song is about me.
Jazz Cat Jay pondering about life, the universe and everything
Now, back to the song. Tom Cat Blues was composed by one hep cat called Joe “King” Oliver. King Oliver is one of the greatest figures of Early Jazz and his style of collective improvisation is what we know today as Hot Jazz. Not only that but he was the mentor or world’s beloved Louis Armstrong. King Oliver recorded this song in 1924 with Jelly Roll Morton, another great figure of Jazz, on piano.
Enjoy!
09 Monday Apr 2012
Swing cats are my favourite kind of cats. The heppest of the hep. Other than Jazz cats, of course!
Dancing through wartime. And here’s how we all did it…
Dance 1943
Swing Dancing
Swing Dancing describes a variety of dances including the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Shag, and Balboa, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Hand Dancing, Jive, Rock and Roll, and the Boogie Woogie.
Swing Fever
Although it originated as early as the 1910s, the Lindy Hop was a dance that developed throughout the 1940s. As an American dance, the Lindy Hop entered mainstream American culture in the 1930s, gaining popularity through Dance troupes, including the Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, Hot Chocolates and the Big Apple Dancers . Hollywood films, such as Hellzapoppin’ 1941 and A Day at the Races 1937 began featuring the Lindy Hop in dance sequences.
Lindy Hop
In the 1930s and 40s, the Lindy Hop appeared in films and news reels, and was popular with American troopsstationed overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia…
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07 Saturday Apr 2012
Posted in It's a Cat's Life
There’s a new cat in the alley!
I’ve been told all the hep cats like to hang out around here so I decided to pack up my things and come join them.
Looking forward to exploring the new digs and getting to know you all.
Meow!
PS: Feel free to peruse my pre-WordPress posts
02 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in Music
Being a JazzCat (and a mighty nifty one at that!), I do love jazz music most of all. But, I’m also a Canadian cat and I have an appreciation for Canadian roots music, too.
One night, a few of the other hep cats in the neighborhood and I made our way to a jam session on the street, performing for anyone who would listen. Turns out there’s a record of the events that’s based on a Canadian folk song that you’ve probably heard if you’ve ever spent more than five minutes in a pub!
Here it is, cool cats! The video of the actual song this story’s based on is at the bottom so you can sing along!
(Sung to Barrett’s Privateers, by Stan Rogers)
O, the year was 1778
(How I wish I was outside right meow!)
A little idea had come to Jay
And the Spartacat anxious to wail and play!
God pet us all!
I was told we’d cruise the streets
For some other hep cats
We’d prance and run.
Shed no fur!
Now I’m the coolest cat that did ever roam here
The last of JazzCat’s Privateers!
O, Frankie & PJ cried the town
(How I wish I was outside right meow!)
For twenty hep cats, all swingin’ and grand
Would make for Jay the coolest kitty cat band!
(chorus)
O, the Litter Box sure was a sickening sight
(How I wish I was outside right meow!)
It had a missing wool sock and and a moldy fig
But we had no time to clean it for we had our gig!
(chorus)
So, on Jay’s birthday we put to street
(How I wish I was outside right meow!)
We were ninety-one steps to Slater and Bay
Struttin’ like Jazz Cats all the way!
(chorus)
And we made it to Bay, our tails a’ sway
(How I wish I was outside right meow!)
When an ugly, big tomcat hove in sight
With our sharpened cat claws, we made to fight!
(chorus)
The tomcat lay low down on the ground
(How I wish I was outside right meow!)
He was old and fat and loose in fur
But so pathetic and harmless, he made us purr!
(chorus)
And at length we stood three meters away
(How I wish I was outside right meow!)
Turns out the tomcat called the show
Then he pulled out his trumped and he did blow!
(chorus)
Spartacat shook and shimmied all night
(How I wish I was outside right meow!)
Solos were matched by a crowd so high
And we all carried on, it was Jazz Cat pride!
(chorus)
So, here I lay on my human’s warm lap
(How I wish I was outside right meow!)
It’s all nine lives we’d jammed away
And I just made Sandy Hill yesterday!
(chorus)
All That JazzCat! 