Louis Jordan - Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby

This is a clip from the 1944 film "Follow the Boys". In this film there's a performance sequence of the song "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby".
The song was originally released by Louis Jordan in 1944 as a b-side. It became a hit and reached high positions in various charts. The song was co-written by Billy Austin. The phrase "Is you is or is you ain't" dates back to the 1920's where it first appeared in a story by Octavus Roy Cohen who wrote humorous black dialect fiction, racist fiction basically.
The tune has over time become a jazz standard and it has been recorded by such artists as: B.B. King, Diana Krall,Bing Crosby,Nat King Cole, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

It also gained fame through being featured in a 1946 "Tom and Jerry" short titled "Solid Serenade". That is the clip above this text. It's a fun little clip. The title card of the cartoon is in the image below.

It's a great little jazz tune, sure to pick you up if you're feeling down, cause this is swingin'!

Enjoy ; )

Dave Powers - Powerhuse

This is an excerpt from an American public access television programme called "The Piano Guy". It's basically an educational show that sometimes just features talented performers performing certain pieces. In this segment Dave Powers plays the song "Powerhouse". (He plays both set of hands in the video, impressive!!)
The song "Powerhouse" was composed by Raymond Scott in 1937. It is most famous for being featured in a lot of Warner Brothers classic cartoons.
The piece consists of two seemingly different breaks. The tempi of those pieces are also different. The A piece of the composition is fast and frantic, and was often used for chase scenes. The B piece is slower and sounds more slavish and industrial which is why it's often referred to as "assembly-line music". The structure of the song is A-B-A.
I really think it's a fun little composition, and Dave just plays it so well. I really love how he also throws a little jazz into the mix when making the last transition from the B piece to the A piece ending the composition.
It's a good song, and it's very well played, and hey it has a jazz influence on it, so that's why I'm posting it.

Enjoy ; )