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| “The session’s results are electrifying ... and Christian’s solo blisters with his genius.” |
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- Chris Tyle
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On January 22, 1926, Clarence Williams’ Blue Five introduced “I’ve Found a New Baby.” Eight years later, in 1934, a Mills Brothers recording of the song rose to number nineteen on the pop charts. The song was on the charts again in 1939 as the Harry James Orchestra rendition rose to number fourteen.
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Williams and Spencer Williams (no relation) wrote numerous songs together, their best known of which is 1919’s “Royal Garden Blues.”
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“I’ve Found a New Baby” is included in the repertoire of almost every traditional jazz band. It is attractive as an improvisational vehicle, allowing not only the individual musician creative vistas but the group ample opportunity to share solos. The lyrics speak of a happy fellow who has fallen hard for a pretty girl. The jargon is definitely the patter of the 1920’s, “Tells me lies, but she’s wise, naughty eyes, mesmerize I vow, and how, I don’t mean maybe!”
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More information on this tune... |
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Henry Martin
Enjoying Jazz
Schirmer Books
Paperback: 302 pages
(Martin devotes three pages to “I’ve Found a New Baby,” including an analysis of the musical content, a list of performers, and a jazz solo transcription.)
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See the Reading and Research page for this tune for additional references. |
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- Jeremy Wilson
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| This section suggests definitive or otherwise significant recordings that will help jazz students get acquainted with
“I've Found a New Baby.” These recordings have been selected from the Jazz History and
CD Recommendations sections.
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Benny Goodman’s version of “I’ve Found a New Baby” ( The Genius of the Electric Guitar) is the definitive recording of the tune. The whole band sounds great, but the star is guitarist Charlie Christian, who takes one of his most influential and brilliant solos on this tune. Like Christian, Lester Young and Nat “King” Cole both had strong pedigrees in swing but forward-thinking approaches and technical prowess that helped to foreshadow the bebop movement. Their rollicking version of “I’ve Found a New Baby” ( Take Me to the Land of Jazz), accompanied by drummer Buddy Rich, is another performance well worth hearing.
Noah Baerman - Jazz Pianist and Educator
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Musical analysis of
“I’ve Found a New Baby”
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| Original
Key |
D minor,
moving to relative major of F; temporary
false key change to “C” major in second
half of “B” |
| Form |
A – A – B
– A |
| Tonality |
Primarily
minor, ending in major |
| Movement |
“A” is a
downward arpeggiated figure, embellished
with chromatic lower neighbors and a passing
tone. “B” consists of two downward-moving
scale patterns that contain lower neighbor
embellishing tones. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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A fairly repetitive song with a simple chord
progression that originally served as the
vehicle for novelty lyrics. The “A” harmonic
progression is i – V7 – i (with a passing
bVI7 chord that serves as a secondary dominant
in the role of N6/V). “B” starts on V7 going
to i, then repeats this a step lower diatonically,
making the sequence V7 – I in the new temporary
key before a V7/i modulation back to the
original key–all very unequivocal with few
surprises. |
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K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com |
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Brilliant electric guitarist Charlie Christian
was hired by
Benny Goodman in 1939 to be part of his smaller
“band-within-a-band” which had, by 1940, expanded
from a trio to a sextet. Goodman’s 1940 recording
of “I’ve Found a New Baby” includes ex-Duke
Ellington trumpeter
Cootie Williams (who had recently joined Goodman)
and guests, pianist Count Basie and his drummer,
Jo Jones.
The session’s results are electrifying. The rhythm
section of Jones, Basie and bassist Artie Bernstein
light a fire under the other band members, and Christian’s
solo blisters with his genius. Although his career
was brief (he died in 1942 from tuberculosis), Christian’s
influence on jazz guitarists continues to this day.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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Additional information for "I've Found a New Baby" may be found in:
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Henry Martin
Enjoying Jazz
Schirmer Books
Paperback: 302 pages
(3 pages including the following types of information: music analysis, performers and jazz solo transcription.)
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“I've Found a New Baby” was included in these films:
- Sweet and Low Down (1944,
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra)
- New York Stories (1989, Wilbur
de Paris and His New Orleans Jazzband)
- Mighty Aphrodite (1995, Wilbur
de Paris and His New Orleans Jazzband)
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Comment Policy
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| Click on any CD for more details at Amazon.com |
Sidney Bechet
Best of
Blue Note Records
Original Recording 1949
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Bechet's soprano saxophone goes toe to toe with the cornet of Wild Bill Davison, and both players shine. Bechet's Blue Note recordings were vital to keeping the flame of traditional jazz lit, and this performance is a timeless example of that.
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Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders
1991 Original Jazz Classics 340
Original recording 1958
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After making this recording, Rollins would spend several years in retirement, seeking to develop his sound. This was a very surprising development at the time, and is still striking today when hearing how advanced his music already was. He plays a swinging and very witty version of "I've Found A New Baby"' here, accompanied by an all-star West coast rhythm section.
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Joe Pass and Herb Ellis
Two for the Road
1996 Original Jazz Classics 726
Original recording 1974
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Guitarists Pass and Ellis rank among the most influential modern practitioners of straight-ahead guitar. They met on record only three times, and this spunky, interactive performance comes from the only duo session they did together.
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Pee Wee Russell
Take Me to the Land of Jazz
2001 ASV Living Era 5391
Original recording 1938
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This remarkable performance features clarinetist Russell in a trio with two other early jazz legends, pianist James P. Johnson and drummer Zutty Singleton. Each of them plays masterfully, and the synergy among the three is remarkable.
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Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grapelli
La Quintet Du Hot Club De France
Music
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Not only is this an entertaining recording of some superb gypsy swing but an important one as well, as the listener is treated to the intuitive interplay of two masters in their heyday.
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Lester Young
The Lester Young Trio
Polygram Records 21650
Original recording 1946
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This album actually has two versions of "I've Found a New Baby." Saxophonist Young is featured in a trio with pianist Nat "King" Cole and drummer Buddy Rich in a stunning, rollicking performance. Young, meanwhile, doesn't even appear on the other performance, a quintet track featuring Cole again, this time with a frontline of trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison and a young Dexter Gordon tenor saxophone.
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Mills Brothers
The 1930's Recordings
2000 JSP 902
Original recording 1934
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The Mills Brothers' signature vocalization of "instrument"' sounds is put to excellent use on this infectious recording.
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Roy Eldridge/Dizzy Gillespie
Roy and Diz
1994 Verve 314521647
Original recording 1954
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Trumpet legend Eldridge and his disciple Gillespie engage in some friendly competition on this swinging number, ably prodded by Oscar Peterson and his quartet.
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Dave McKenna
Giant Strides
1994 Concord 4099
Original recording 1979
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Pianist McKenna does not need a band to make the music groove mightily, and on this solo piano performance he does just that.
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Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Inevitable
1995 Mammoth Records 980105
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A rousing rendition from the new breed of swing band. The Squirrel Nut Zippers prove that the energy of the song really is timeless.
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Matt Wilson
Smile
1999, Palmetto
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Eclectic drummer Matt Wilson charms the listener with a challenging version of the song.
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