Topic: Louie Jordan and Bessie Smith music

[funguy]

Hopefully this is not too far off the country blues topic.
I am looking for louie jordan tab or music: coleslaw in particular.
Also Gimme a pigfoot by Bessie Smith.
I am interested in songbooks of these two artists as well.
TIA

[Bunker Hill]

Hopefully this is not too far off the country blues topic.
I am looking for louie jordan tab or music: coleslaw in particular.
Also Gimme a pigfoot by Bessie Smith.
I am interested in songbooks of these two artists as well.
TIA

Lordy, Louis Jordan recorded almost continuously from December 1938 almost right up until his death in 1975. That would make one hell of a songbook to compile.
As to Bessie when Paul Oliver wrote his 1959 Bessie appreciation he was told by his publisher (Cassell Books) that Columbia/Empress Music reproduction rights for lyric transcriptions/quotes were totally prohibitive, hence none appeared. If one examines most other books published since on Bessie you'll note that few, if any, lyrics are cited. It would be a rich person who'd want to publish a Bessie songbook, and there'd be no financial gain for Columbia Records to publish one. I will refrain from boring you all with my story about a 1976 German CBS 10 LP Bessie Smith box set which was advertised as having a booklet of lyrics but didn't...

[Rivers]

This is an ancient topic revived through the miracle of tagging technology.

I picked up a Bessie Smith Songbook at Port T this year, publisher is Hal Leonard, title is Empress of The Blues. From the few songs I've explored so far the keys seem to be correct, guitar chords are of the 'simplified jazz' variety and good enough to be of assistance in figuring out some kind of chord melody. Songs include Pigfoot but there are some notable omissions, for ex. Sugar In My Bowl and 'Lectric Chair. I'm glad I grabbed it when I did though.

There's a nice short biographical intro with pics, which prompted me to go out today and pick up Chris Albertson's new edition of "Bessie" which I'll review when I've finished it.

Here's a link to the songbook: http://www.amazon.com/Bessie-Smith-Songbook/dp/0793532736

This is the Albertson biography: http://www.amazon.com/Bessie-Revised-expanded-Chris-Albertson/dp/0300107560/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0350035-8751102?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189895422&sr=1-1

[mr mando]

"Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday" by Angela Y. Davis has 102 pages of lyrics to Bessie Smith songs. I guess it covers all songs that she recorded. No music transcriptions though.

"The Nasty Blues", a songbook compiled by Tom Ball has a couple of the juicier songs from Bessie's repertoire in them.

Can't help much with Louis Jordan unfortunately.

[Pan]

"Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" has been discussed on the forum, the lyrics here, and the chord changes here.

I'm doing a sort of "country-bluesified" version of "Money Blues", if anyone is interested in a lead sheet with lyrics, melody and chord changes, PM or email me.

By the way, LaVern Baker has done a pretty good big band album of Bessie Smith tunes.

Cheers

Pan

[Bunker Hill]

"Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday" by Angela Y. Davis has 102 pages of lyrics to Bessie Smith songs. I guess it covers all songs that she recorded. No music transcriptions though.

Shame on me. I was given this as an Xmas present in 1999 and I've never opened it let alone read it! I also note it contains 150-odd pages of Ma Rainey songs too. There's several pages of "permissions acknowledgments" giving chapter and verse about copyright etc on each song.