12 Tuesday Feb 2013
Let’s all head to Satchmo’s (the one and only Louis Armstrong, not that brat of a sister I have) place* of birth today!
*Although if y’all want to come visit, I would be very happy to have you
Down in New Orleans where the Blues (and Jazz) was born
It takes a cool cat, to blow a horn
Yes, dear Satchmo, you are the coolest, heppest cat that ever lived
11 Tuesday Sep 2012
This playful song reminds me of the kid. And of course, it’s done by the great Satchmo, after whom she was named.
You will recognize the song as part of “The Jungle Book” soundtrack. In the movie, it’s done by Phil Harris as Balloo. Incidentally, he portrayed another bear in yet another Disney movie, Little John in Robin Hood. He was also Thomas O’Malley in the Aristocats. Bear or human, Phil Harris was a cool cat!
30 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in It's a Cat's Life, Jazz, Jazz Cats Series, Music, Swing
Since my blogging days started over at Blogger, I figured I should reblog some of my favourite posts for you -WordPress crowd, to see. Hope you enjoy it!
For my first post I thought I’d let my paws peruse teh Internets so I could share with you one of my favorite vintage jazz songs. See, being a hepcat it’s important to me to be able to share with you the wonderful world of jazz because, well, I don’t spend all day staring out the window and licking my feet, you know.
Can you guess why it is one of my favourite songs? MOL
This version is by Anita O’Day from her short stint (11 months) with Stan Kenton and his orchestra in 1944
21 Monday May 2012
Posted in Jazz, Jazz Cats Series, Music
Not THAT Prince
ANYway…
During Count Basie’s so-called Kansas City years, he had the opportunity to play with Benny Moten’s band, amd even taken over the direction of it due to some internal problems.
This era in Basie’s career is very important in that this is when he enrolled a certain hep cat called Lester Young who -just like JazzCat Jaz, played the tenor sax. together, Basie and Young gave us what is no doubt Basie’s signature piece, One O’Clock Jump [favourite of many a Swing Cat]. But that is material for another post.
17 Thursday May 2012
Last night when I was writing the Jazz Cats post, this song kept going through my head:
Down in New Orleans
Where the blues was born
It takes a cool cat
To blow a horn.
On LaSalle
and Rampart Street
The combo’s there with a mambo beat.
The song is called Mardi Gras Mambo, and it goes like this:
Now, listen to the song again, but sing this words instead
11 Friday May 2012
Posted in Cartoon Cats, Famous Cats, Music
Some of you will remember the 80’s. Now, I’m a millennial cat but my human has told me about those crazy days of silly fashion and even sillier hairdoes.
Don’t worry, you’re not about to be rick-rolled.
I’m talking about the Stray Cats and in particular, their most famous song, Stray Cat Strut
And since these cats are also 80’s cats hilarity naturally ensues. Stray Cats of a very particular kind, if you ask me but with a nice beat nonetheless.
09 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in Cartoon Cats, Famous Cats, Jazz, Music
Tags
Because….
Everybody wants to be a cat,
because a cat’s the only cat
who knows where it’s at.
Everybody’s pickin’ up on that feline beat,
’cause everything else is obsolete.
Now a square with a horn,
can make you wish you weren’t born,
ever’time he plays;
and with a square in the act,
he can set music back
to the caveman days.
I’ve heard some corny birds who tried to sing,
but a cat’s the only cat
who knows how to swing.
Who wants to dig
a long-haired gig
or stuff like that?
When everybody wants to be a cat.
A square with that horn,
makes you wish you weren’t born,
ever’time he plays;
and with a square in the act,
he’s gonna set this music back
to the Stone Age days.
Everybody wants to be a cat,
because a cat’s the only cat
who knows where it’s at;
while playin’ jazz you always has a Welcome mat,
’cause everybody digs a swingin’ cat.
Everybody digs a swingin’ cat.
’cause everybody digs a swingin’ cat
Oh yeah!
02 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in Jazz Cats Series, Music
Greetings, my fine and dandy, swingin’ kittehs!
In today’s installment of this furry hurly burry with no worries, I present to you Hep Cats’ Holiday.
This track – by The Cats and the Fiddle, was recorded in July, 1940 and released in September that same year.
You like Swing? You like vocal prowess? You like to get those paws tappin’ and head swingin’? You, my swell chaps, can then feast your ears right meow!
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.
