NOHOBANJO OF NORTHAMPTON, AND NOW EASTHAMPTON, "MUSICAL MUSINGS"

It being the final (hopefully!) week of this year’s presidential knock-down-drag-out election campaign, we need look no farther than out our windows to see our local link to this parade of American history.  Now, I am sure that most of you gentle readers who live in or near Northampton, Massachusetts, are steeped in the lore and history of the city’s most famous citizen, the 30th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge.

But, as a reminder, this is the centennial of his 1924 presidential campaign and landslide election!  Needless to say, it’s a bit more fun to dwell on that one than to stew about the one going on right now. Nuf said . . .

Perhaps a few of you out-of-towners or newcomers to our Happy Valley may not be as up on local lore as the rest of us.  So, this is why his story is of importance and how we can link Coolidge with a musical musing—sort of.

As a quick setting of the stage, Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States, was born in Plymouth, Vermont, on July 4, 1872. The only president born on the 4th of July!  After graduating from nearby Amherst College, he began a career in law and politics in Northampton eventually becoming Governor of Massachusetts, Vice-President of the United States, and–after the death of President Warren Harding–President in his own right.

And, as a matter of local pride, the nationally known (I presume, of course!) Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum is located in Northampton’s venerable Forbes Library!

And, to make a musical point, Northampton’s own AEIOUkes meet in the Library’s Coolidge Room for many of our weekly ukulele strum sessions!

This museum resource began when Coolidge, as Massachusetts Governor and Vice-President-Elect, began giving documents and memorabilia to the public library for the city of Northampton. 

There are several good biographies of Coolidge and his times—as well as our good friends on the internet—that can give you as much of his life story as you care to learn. 

Suffice it to say that, for our purposes, simply knowing that his law office . . .

. . . was in the Main Street building above what is now Fitzwilly’s Restaurant . . .

. . . and that he and his wife, Grace–a teacher at the nearby Clarke School for Hearing and Speech–lived in a rented duplex on Massasoit Street before their moves to Boston and Washington. 

After leaving the White House in 1929, they returned to Northampton where he lived for the rest of his life.  As a historical tidbit, he is the only President to have moved from a rented duplex to the White House—and back! They later moved to a larger house in Northampton to accommodate, as Coolidge commented, all the visitors of a “has-been President.”

Most historians note his calm, shy personality that appealed to the attitudes of the time. 

His common sense and dry wit earned him a well-deserved reputation for being wise.  Most of us recall that he earned the nickname “Silent Cal” because he refrained from giving public statements unless they were absolutely necessary, and when he did, they were short and to the point.  How novel in this day and age!  Just saying.     

In 1924, Coolidge was nominated and ran for President on his own and, with all the campaign hoopla of the day, was elected in a landslide. 

He campaigned on the promise of a “calm hand on the rudder of state” and “safe, sane, and steady” were emblazoned on his posters. 

His reasoned demeanor and deliberate decision-making process sparked his campaign slogan—“Keep Cool with Cal.” 

Voters bought into this and he was elected in a landslide.

But, on to music.  In those early days of radio and rallies, campaign songs were the rage and Coolidge was first mentioned in one for the Harding campaign of 1920.

In the 1920s, these songs were catchy tunes with easy to remember and sing lyrics.  Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for one from the Harding campaign that was written by none other than the most popular musical performer in America of the day, Al Jolson!

For the 1924 election campaign of Coolidge and Charles Dawes, his running mate, there were several songs.

But, by far, the most memorable was “Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge.”  This was written for the “Home Town Coolidge Club” of Plymouth, Vermont, but soon became popular nationwide. 

It was even performed on the White House lawn for the Coolidges, again by Al Jolson himself.

Here is a relatively recent recording of this tune by the performing musicologist Oscar Brand. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a listen.

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for another iteration of this tune complete with newsreel footage of a rally back home in Northampton!

As a reminder that Coolidge was president during the dry (mostly) days of Prohibition . . .

. . . keep cool and listen to some words of wisdom from a hundred years ago.

So, to get ready for the super-hoopla of the 2024 election campaign, hold your nose in any manner you prefer . . .

VOTE but only legally and once, and, STAY TUNED! And . . .

Here it is, Halloween. It’s that special once-a-year day of “ghoulies and ghosties and three-legged beasties and things that go boomp in the night.”  Who knows what these devilish days we’re living through will bring to us, but I do believe that we will survive. We’ll see.

When I was growing up in our small town, we always knew which households would hand out homemade candy apples or popcorn balls.  Or which houses gave out bags of homegrown roasted peanuts or home baked cookies. Or those high livers who gave out those ten-cent Hershey bars WITH ALMONDS! We frowned a bit but still visited the porches of those neighbors that gave us only fresh apples (alas, sugar or salt free) off their backyard tree.

Ah, the sweet old unsealed goodie days and the warnings about tipped over outhouses! Didn’t kids (not me, of course!) in those days have fun?

Being a bit of a history buff, I’ve offered a special treat for several years now for any of the kids who might darken our doorstep on Halloween evening. Here’s my lawn sign poster.

Alas, I have observed that each year the number of kids waiting in the yard dwindles as they scarily scurry back to their candies, screens, and other neighbors’ houses.  I must be getting old. Or grumpy. Go figure.

Moving on, gentle readers. When it comes to songs of goblins, ghosts, witches, black cats, devils, and Jack O’Lanterns, the proverbial old piano bench is chock full of demonic sheet music of the past eras. 

To me, however, the graphics of most sheet music covers are almost more intriguing than the tunes.  Yet, every once in a while, a song catches my ear.  So, let’s take a look and see what we can (ahem) SCARE UP! Mwaa haa ha hah!

There are so many good songs out there that for this year’s Halloween musical musing I thought I would focus just on tunes about Devils and Deviltry, Hobgoblins and Boogiemen. As a disclaimer, this is NOT a political choice on my part! Oh, well. Maybe.

Moving on–as we must–push out those horns, grab those pitchforks, and DOWN WE GO! Repeat: Mwaa haa ha hah!

And let’s join the . . .

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a cartoon version of this devilish 1913 tune by Irving Berlin.

There are even a few songs that are more romantic than scary–in a devilish sense, so to speak!

Here’s an early recording of this 1918 Music Hall tune. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a listen to this Gallic heartthrob of his day.

Here’s a quite danceable version of this Roaring Twenties number. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image and put on your dancing shoes!

Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards put the horns into a recording of this number back in 1928. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear him play and sing.

Moving on to those devilish cohorts–hobgoblins and boogiemen. Mwaa ha ha ha!

Here’s a good introduction to a rare musical instrument called an “American Fotoplayer.” This is a mechanical player-piano with built-in sound effects and organlike tones that made this a favorite of silent movie pianists for those monster films of the past. You don’t hear one of these that often! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link to watch it at work. Don’t be scared! Mwaa haa haa hah!

Now, I would be a bit remiss if I failed to include at least a couple of tunes a tad more recent than ragtime. I won’t go so far as to include devilish songs by The Beatles or The Grateful Dead, however. Those are a bit too, shall we say, satanically modern. Here are a couple a bit easier to listen to.

Click on the triangle in the next image to hear Frank Sinatra with this devilish song from the 1947 Broadway musical “Finian’s Rainbow.”

Now, click on the triangle in the next image for a song that has become a jazz standard. From the 1936 movie “Follow the Fleet” here’s Ella Fitzgerald’s take on this torchy oldie.

After all that devilishness, here’s a way for we musical musers to fight back! Who knew?

Whew! Now I’m sufficiently motivated to go off to polish my power-point lecture on the history of Halloween for all the lovely, tasty children out there waiting patiently in the yard! Mwa haa haa hah ha ha ha ha!

So, on this scariest of evenings—in this scariest of times—remember the good 0ld days. Try to understand the good ( I guess . . .) new days.

Understand how others must live.

Keep looking forward to good times to come with friends and family.

And for a devilish eternity, STAY TUNED!

Having “retired” from posting my weekly “Musical Musings,” I plan on continuing, but in a less complicated and time consuming manner. Some may call this a “lazy man’s way of working.” I’ll just call it “recycling.” So, here is a timely musing from last year. Enjoy and STAY TUNED!

Rarely in my weekly musings do I focus on a single song, but the beginning of a new month gives this old “greyhair” of a music and musical theater buff an opportunity too good to let pass by. Oh yes, I know that Monday is Labor Day and I have to put my white shoes and straw hats on the shelf. But, let’s take a look at something else a bit more calendric. 

It’s a melancholy song, rather than sad, and it sort of suits my mood these days as we head into the last few months of this bewildering year of 2024.  So, let’s glance back eighty or so years and take an over-the-shoulder look and listen to what has become an American musical standard appropriate for this month: “September Song.”

Our song was written for the now almost forgotten Broadway musical “Knickerbocker Holiday,” starring Walter Huston (1883-1950), that premiered in 1938. 

The book and lyrics were written by Maxwell Anderson and the music composed by Kurt Weill.  The story is loosely based on Washington Irving’s “Father Knickerbocker Stories” about life in the 17^th century Dutch “New Netherland” colony in America—old New York. 

The musical is a romantic comedy with a thinly disguised ribbing of Roosevelt’s “New Deal” and of authoritarian governments in general. After all, it was the late 1930s.  Sadly, the book didn’t sit well with either critics or audiences and the show didn’t last too long. “September Song“, however, lives on and on. Be that as it may, gentle readers, we’ll just leave the vagaries of political/theater history to be explored by others. We’ll simply muse along with the music.   

Maxwell Anderson (1888-1959) was a prolific American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist.  But, by the 1920s, his progressive take on politics pushed him away from journalism. He soon found his true calling in more creative forms of writing . . . 

. . . and became one of the most prolific writers of historical plays and films of his day. He was particularly noted for adapting novels and other literary works for both Broadway and Hollywood.

Kurt Weill (1900-1950) was a German composer actively working, with his wife the singer and actress Lotte Lenye, from the 1920s in his native Berlin and in their later years as American citizens. 

 He was a leading composer for the stage and was best known for his fruitful collaborations with playwrite Bertolt Brecht, including their best-known and still performed work “The Threepenny Opera.” 

The plot of “Knickerbocker Holiday” is a bit convoluted but basically it’s the tale of Peter Stuyvesant, a Dutchman both arrogant and a bit long in the tooth , who was sent to America in the 1600s by the government of Holland to serve as the governor of the “New Netherland” colony.

The musical dwells on the comi-tragic interactions between the colonial governor and the stubborn, independent-minded colonials. Needless to say, that was a typical political reality in America in those colonial days! All this was done with plenty of singing and dancing, no less.

In the context of the musical, “September Song” is a lyrical metaphor comparing a single year to a person’s entire life span from birth to death.  Here, the song is sung by Huston, a Broadway idol in his day (but, alas, not the best of vocalists) in the starring role of the curmudgeonly, peg-legged Stuyvesant.

The song is a smitten but older man’s wooing song (lament, really) addressed to a colonial maiden that has caught his roving eye. She is, of course, desirable but, alas, much younger and, ultimately, disinterested. The premise of the song is that, in the eyes of the elderly Stuyvesant, the courting activities of young folks and the objects of their desire are, at best, transient and time-wasting. So, why not choose him now, he sings, while there is still time! As an older suitor, Stuyvesant pleads that he hasn’t “got time for the waiting game.” 

Our plucky heroine, of course, brushes aside his advances and runs to the waiting arms (albeit locked in the punishment stocks) of a young and handsome colonial rabblerouser who (I said the plot was convoluted!) was about to be hanged for “disobedience” to colonial rule or some such thing. To our young hero’s delight and relief, the specifics of the hanging sentence were, to the least, unclear. And the play goes on . . .

Today some folks would probably chant “#MeToo” as Huston sang away but, that was eighty innocent years ago before such things as hashtags.  Anyway, we “greyhairs” who may also be a bit long in the tooth can relate to the song’s metaphorical image of the passage of time.  You youngsters—just you wait a few decades!

Moving on, here are the original lyrics–verses as well as chorus–as sung in the musical by Huston. This puts the whole song into context.  Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for this.  

You might not recognize Huston in his early “Knickerbocker role.” Here he is a few decades later as one of Hollywood’s great character actors. Who would have thought?

Here he is in the film “The Treasure of Sierra Madre” For which he won an Oscar. An interesting bit of family history is that his son John and grandaughter Angelica have also won Acadamy Awards!

Over the decades, “September Song” has evolved into a minor-key jazz and pop standard performed by many singers over the years–young, old, male, female –and it’s worth listening to a few other interpretations.  It was featured in the 1944 movie version, also called “Knickerbocker Holiday,” and sung by character actor Charles Coburn who played Stuyvesant as even more comic and buffoonish than Huston. 

Alas, there seems to be no YouTube of Coburn’s rendition of our song. But the whole movie is there if you have the hour or so, and the inclination, these “precious days.”

Here is Coburn, to the left, with a “baroque” wooden leg. The young hearthrob is the really good singer Nelson Eddy and the comely conquest is Constance Dowling. Needless to say, the movie suffered through a MAJOR rewrite to switch the lead to the young and handsome Eddy. At least Stuyvesant’s song remained.

The recording of our song that reached the top of the charts, however, was made in 1946, by a much younger and better singer than either Huston or Coburn, Frank Sinatra.  He leaves out the verses that provide the song’s context, however, and really only does the chorus. Musical license, I guess; but musical cheeseparing nonetheless.

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to listen to what became one of Sinatra’s signature songs over the decades.

A more recent “greyhair” to tackle this tune was Willie Nelson in 1978.  Click or tap on the next image for his melancholy interpretation. Again, only the chorus without context.

Now–performing well out of his usual clownish character–is a surprisingly good take on “September Song” by, of all people, Jimmie Durante.  Tap or click on the next image for this. I think that this “greyhair” really captures the poignancy of the song. And, it includes the verses! Context makes a difference; you might want to grab a hankie! 

Since this musing is, lest we forget, about music and my favorite little musical instrument–the ukulele, I can’t resist digressing. The time setting of “Knickerbocker Holiday” coincides with the so-called Dutch “Golden Age” of commerce and art and, needless to say, a lot of art of the period touches on musical themes. I’m sure, of course, that these strummers and singers are using 17th century versions of our favorite three-chord song books!

I’m sure that somewhere in the New Netherland colony of our musical there was a lute or two to be found. But the only apropos reference to a ukulele that I could find is, well, a bit more modern–but from the ancient New Netherland village of “Old Dutch” Los Angeles. Sorry.  “Greyhaired Grandpa Joke”  .  .  .

Now, back to the business at hand and with a real ukulele. The melancholy lyrics of “September Song” that touch on the aging process are one thing that has lasted, but more so has the melody.  This has been interpreted as a jazz standard by many musicians not the least of which is this intricate ukulele solo.  Click or tap on the next image to feel the musical thrill of a September chill, Gypsy jazz ukulele style, no less.

So, as “the days grow short,” we reach the calendric September of this year, as well as a pivotal month within a metaphorical lifetime. So, let’s remember both the verses and choruses of the songs we sing and live, and–whether “greyhaired” or not–STAY TUNED!

Well, the calendar has rolled around to another Father’s Day as of this Sunday so here’s one of my musical musings that I dust off, tweak, and post just about every year. Enjoy!

Now, all of us who have or have had fathers can muse on their influence on our lives, at least our musical lives. Needless to say there is a plethora of “daddy” music out there from the sweet to the maudlin . . . Here are some early sheet music covers to remind us.

Give a listen to this old tearjerker by that “singing cowboy” himself, Gene Autry. Click or tap on the triangle in the center of the next image for a treat.

And then there’s that perversion of the word “Daddy” into the torchy, tinted (but not quite off-color) slang of the day.

Here it is by Marilyn herself. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear (and see) her in action!

Oh yes, we can’t forget the “Papa” songs either.

Here is this childish novelty tune of the 1920s. Click or tap on the triangle in the center of the next image to sing along.

Another Papa tune!

Here’s an early recording of this bluesy Papa song performed by Bessie Smith. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear her voice.

And, of course, the novelty songs about fathers or even grandfathers.  Don’t we have fun!

Seek and ye shall find! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for this one.

Here are a few more rather curious sheet music covers of the day. What were they thinking?

And, of course, here is probably the most played “Papa song” out there!

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a listen to this one–brings a tear to one’s eye!

Here’s a version of this country/western chestnut of a song for a final musical offering. Tap or click on the triangle in the center of the next image to listen in and try to follow the convoluted lyrics. (Not me playing the uke; his beard is longer than mine!)

So, to all you fathers out there–and to all of you who have or have had fathers, grandfathers, dads, papas, and (perhaps?) “daddies,” have a happy, safe, Fathers’ Day this year for you and yours!

So, remember dear old Dad and STAY TUNED!

And, for the electronic age . . .

Over the years, many of you gentle readers have told me that you enjoy banjo music.  “Good for you,” I reply.  Then I ask, “What kind of banjo music?”  After a pause, most don’t offer an opinion other than asking, “Are there different kinds?”  Well, yes.  Hence this musical musing—in a few paragraphs, with a lot of tunes! Now, take those earplugs out! 

Let’s start with a bit of banjo history.

The musical instrument that today we call a “banjo” had its roots among the African peoples. Many brought their musical culture and traditions with them—if not their musical instruments themselves—when they were transported empty handed and against their will into slavery here in the so-called New World.

They soon found and fashioned shells or gourds, skins and strings, and sticks and wood into forms similar to those they remembered.  With these, and their hands and voices, music was made.

While the banjo emerged from the enslaved Black community, White America listened, liked, absorbed, and copied. And, the banjo and banjo music evolved into what we see, hear, and play today.   

Now, let’s jump from the past to the present.  As with any musical instrument or musical genre, each player focuses on their own musical directions and styles. 

Needless to say, this varies with different cultures over time. 

But, it’s worthwhile to take a moment to look at the three most dominant banjo playing styles commonly heard today.  Hopefully this simple musical musing will help your understanding and appreciation.  A careful look and listen should help to hear and understand the stylistic differences of 1) old-time “Clawhammer” playing,  

2) “Jazz” era tenor and plectrum playing,

and 3) modern “Bluegrass playing.”

We’ll save an exploration of the bawdy “Minstrel” style,

and the genteel “Parlor” style of playing for another day. Whew! Who knew?

Let’s start with the style from the earliest days that is still popular with folk musicians today.  That’s what is known as the old-time “Clawhammer,” or, as some folks call it, “Frailing,” style.  The banjo used by most folk musicians has a skin-covered (mostly mylar today) “pot,” a 22-fret neck, and five steel strings. Four strings are full length and a fifth, called a “drone” because it is seldom fretted, is shorter than the others.  The short fifth string is played with the thumb while the other four strings are played downward with the fingers in a variety of single notes and chords.

Some even prefer to go “fretless.” Why not? That’s the way fiddle players do it.

It’s the right hand position that is said to resemble a carpenters clawhammer, hence the name.  Most players rely on strong fingernails rather than picks and the smoother sound produced with this style of play is particularly well suited to accompany singing and dancing. Now, click or tap on the triangles in the next couple of images for a look and listen to the great banjo artist, Steve Martin (Yes, THAT Steve Martin!), and some folks just having some musical fun, clawhammer style

Moving along . . . During the jazz age, four-string (no short fifth string here) banjos played with a “plectrum” (flat pick) were used and the style of play featured rhythmic chording as well as melodies made up of single notes and chords played up and down the neck. A popular technique to look for is the fast up and down picking called “tremolo.” A so-called “tenor” banjo usually has 19 frets while a “plectrum” banjo has the standard 22. 

Many were ornately decorated to show up and show off on stage.

This style of play is well suited for dance bands or for a soloist playing in what is known as the  “chord melody” style.  This style has many followers today, particularly for Irish music and in amateur “banjo bands.” However, it fell out of favor with jazz and dance bands with the advent of the amplified electric guitar. Click or tap on the triangles in the next few images for a look and listen–a 1930s jazz band, an Irish player, and a couple of contemporary treatments.       

Now for Bluegrass music, players will use a fretted five-string banjo and metal or hard plastic thumb- and finger-picks used primarily to pluck the strings upward in syncopated patterns called “rolls.” These banjos, like the tenor and plectrum banjos, usually have a resonator mounted to the back of the pot to intensify and project the sound.  

This style of play is often called “three finger picking.”  The style is fast paced, and percussive with melodies emerging from the rolls.  You’ll hear this style played both as background and solo in today’s bluegrass bands. Tap or click on the triangles in the next images for a look and listen, first to the late Earl Scruggs–considered both master and inventor of the style– and to a tiny wannabe.

Are your eardrums still vibrating? Well, after this deluge of strumming, chording, and picking, you should be able to go to your favorite play lists or YouTube and search for examples of the various playing styles. And, if your eardrums have survived, you’ll know the background of all those earworms you now have. My gift to you!

Wait! TMB? Too much banjo? Never! What? Ouch! Who threw that rotten tomato at me!

Just for that! Click or tap on the triangles in the next two images for my riposte! More, more, MORE! Heh, HEH, HEH!

Note: For those of the musically supercilious persuasion–not my enlightened gentle readers of course–these are the first two musicians to audition for and graduate from the Julliard School in New York on banjo. So, for those of you remain unconvinced and who might retain some lingering disdain for the banjo canon, here are the late Eric Weissberg, who wrote and performed the banjo music for the movie “Deliverance,” and the brilliant Bela Fleck. Nyaa, Nyaa Nyaa!

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Alas, gentle readers, sad opinions still linger in the minds of the uninitiated and uninformed. Well. I tried!

Not those of you, of course, who have absorbed the message of this musical musing and will, of course, STAY TUNED!