Muskrat Ramble

"Muskrat Ramble"
Music by	Kid Ory
Lyrics by	Ray Gilbert
Written	1926
Form	Jazz standard
Original artist	Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five

"Muskrat Ramble" is a jazz composition written by Kid Ory in 1926. It was first recorded on February 26, 1926 by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and became the group's most frequently recorded piece.^[1] It was a prominent part of the Dixieland revival repertoire in the 1930s and 1940s, and was recorded by Bob Crosby, Roy Eldridge, Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman, Muggsy Spanier, Chet Atkins and Lu Watters, among others.^[1] It is considered a part of the jazz standard repertoire.^[2][3] Owing to a misprint, the tune was titled "Muskat Ramble" on its initial release.^[1]

Ory has said that he originally composed the tune in 1921, and that the title was made up by Lil Hardin at the recording session. Armstrong, on the other hand, has claimed in an interview to have written the tune himself, and that it was Ory who only named it.^[1] Sidney Bechet has said that it was originally an old Buddy Bolden tune called "The Old Cow Died and the Old Man Cried".^[4] The estate of Kid Ory sued Country Joe and the Fish for copyright infringement in 2001 alleging that the "Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die Rag" of Woodstock fame lifted its tune from Ory's ramble. This suit was dismissed due to the lateness of the filing.

Ray Gilbert wrote lyrics to the originally instrumental tune in 1950. Following a decree by the Classification Committee of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1956, Gilbert is entitled to a third of all performance credits of the tune, both vocal and instrumental.^[5]

A version with Gilbert's lyrics was recorded by Phil Harris and His Dixieland Syncompators (Vocalist: Phil Harris) in Hollywood on February 24, 1950. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3273 (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 9927.

A recording with Big Chief Jazzband was made in Oslo on January 8, 1954. It was released on the 78 rpm record His Master's Voice A.L. 3371.

The tune contains a 32-bar ensemble section at the beginning, followed by 16-bar solo sections for the trombone, cornet and clarinet. After the solos, an ensemble section of 32 bars is played, followed by a two-bar trombone tag.^[1] Ory's tag at the end is almost always copied in performances.^[6] In the ensemble sections, the clarinet, cornet and trombone play a three-part counterpoint line typical of 1920s New Orleans bands.^[7]

Personnel

The original 1926 recording was made with the following personnel:^[8]

• Louis Armstrong – cornet
• Kid Ory – trombone
• Johnny St. Cyr – banjo
• Johnny Dodds – clarinet
• Lil Hardin – piano

See also

• List of 1920s jazz standards

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Anderson & Budds 2007, p. 74
2. ^ Giddins 2004, p. 531
3. ^ Bayles 1996, p. 227
4. ^ Wintz & Finkelman 2004, p. 940
5. ^ "'Muskrat' Decision May Spark Hassle". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). 15 December 1956. ISSN 0006-2510. 
6. ^ Anderson & Budds 2007, p. 77
7. ^ Scott 2003, p. 187
8. ^ Kernfeld 1995, p. 22

References

• Anderson, Gene Henry; Budds, Michael J. (2007). The Original Hot Five Recordings of Louis Armstrong. Pendragon Press. ISBN 1576471209. 
• Bayles, Martha (1996). Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226039595. 
• Giddins, Gary (2004). Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of Its Second Century. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0195156072. 
• Kernfeld, Barry Dean (1995). The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 0631195521. 
• Scott, Derek B. (2003). From the Erotic to the Demonic: On Critical Musicology. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 019515195X. 
• Wintz, Cary D.; Finkelman, Paul (2004). Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1579584586. 

External links

• Muskrat Ramble at JazzStandards.com