#BOTB Fats Waller vs Satchmo + Monday's Music Moves Me





Can you believe it’s time for our next Battle of the Bands?  The time sure is flying by quickly this year.  It’s hard to believe that we are now in the month of May.



I’m also participating in the Monday’s Music Moves Me blog hop hosted by X-Mas Dolly, and co-hosted by Callie of JAmerican Spice, Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and Cathy from Curious as a Cathy

Today’s theme for the Monday’s Music Moves Me is ‘Freebie’ which means I don’t have to adhere to any theme, so I’m just going to use my battle song. Hope you all don’t mind. 

I figured that as I just spent the entire month of April doing 1970’s Billboard Hits, that you might want a break from that. (Sorry, Stephen… no Bee Gees today!)

Today I thought I would step into the world of jazz.

The song choice for today is “I Ain’t Got Nobody”, a song that is sometimes referred to as “I’m So Sad and Lonely”

Lyrics are by Roger A Graham, composed by Spencer Williams, and published by Roger Graham Music Publishing. The song was copyrighted in 1915.

The song has been covered by many artists in several genres. From Country music, to Jazz, to Rock.   But today, we’ve got two jazz artists competing against each other.



Contender # 1 is Fats Waller

Born Thomas Wright Waller, he was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid the groundwork for modern jazz piano. His best-known compositions, "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose", were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1984 and 1999.








Contender #2 is Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong

Louis Armstrong was an American trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional actor who was one of the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in jazz. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also skilled at scat singing.






Please vote for either Fats Waller or Louis Armstrong in the comments.  Voting will end on May 7, 2017 at 6pm EST with results being posts on May 8.

I’d like to encourage you to visit the other bloggers participating in the battle of the bands as well. You can find a current list HERE, or on Stephen’s blog.  Don’t forget to visit X-Mas Dolly and the other Monday’s Music Moves Me players as well.


Are you a blogger that loves music?

We would love to have you join us in the Battle of the Bands blog hop. The battles are held twice a month on the 1st and the 15th.  For more information, please leave a message for Stephen McCarthy on his latest blog post.





Comments

  1. Louis Armstrong is just the best and gets my vote. My husband thought I had gone mad when he came out the shower to hear music we don't often listen to blaring out my speakers!

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    1. Hi Tania

      It's always good to listen to something out of the norm every once and a while. Thanks for stopping by. I've got your vote counted.

      ~Mary

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  2. Mary,

    I love Louis Armstrong's mewsic arrangement and naturally his unique vocals is the icing on the cake. It's Satchmo all the way!

    Thank you for stopping by to vote in my round of BoTB and I invite all of your readers to join Curious as a Cathy for 3 Way "Take It Easy" #BoTB showdown!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Cathy!

      I do hope that all of my readers stop by to visit your battle. Thanks for dropping by to cast your vote.

      ~Mary

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  3. This is such a nice contest. My vote goes to Louis Armstrong.
    I hope you continue to keep such contests as they really are so fun.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you!

      Battles are posted twice a month, and really are a lot of fun. Appreciate you stopping by to cast your vote!

      ~Mary

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  4. This is a tough choice because it's hard to vote against Satchmo, but I really liked that lively piano and preferred Waller's vocal.

    From me it's a vote for Fats Waller.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lee!

      It's no longer a blowout! YAY! I really like what Waller did with the song, and I agree that he's a pretty good contender against Satchmo.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  5. Hm. They're both so great. I think I gotta go with Louis Armstrong though! Never come across a song that disappoints!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Divya!

      I appreciate you stopping in to cast your vote. Nothing like a little jazz in the morning to get you going.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  6. I like them both, but Louis Armstrong has always been a favourite in the jazz world so I'm voting for him :) They both did a great job, but Louis's version is a bit sweeter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jacqueline!

      Jazz is one of those genres I haven't covered much, so I thought it would be a nice change of pace from the 70's songs. Thanks for stopping in to cast your vote.

      ~Mary

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  7. Subconsciously, I found myself comparing the two recording here with Louis Prima's "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody," which is a fun romp that David Lee Roth covered in the Eighties. While I love Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller's had a quicker pace, which I liked more, so he gets my vote.

    Now, had you found Louis singing this with Ella Fitzgerald...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi John!

      I toyed with the idea of the 'Just a Gigolo' version, but decided to just go with the straightforward 'I Ain't Got Nobody' version. Thanks for your vote!

      ~Mary

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  8. Well here's my vote for ya! My nickname is Dolly. My dad named me that when I was little, and it just stuck with me in fact many of my cousins don't even know my real name is Marie LOL! So my vote is naturally for Louis "Hello Dolly" Armstrong!!! ~hehehe~ You've ROCKED THE HOUSE GIRLFRIEND!!! Thanks for playin' along with the 4M's... hugs!

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    Replies
    1. Hey Marie!

      Isn't it fun how our names from when we were younger just seem to stick? Thanks for dropping by!

      ~Mary

      Delete
    2. EXCUSE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE OMG I cannot believe I put girlfriend!!! bwahahahaha I'm sooooooooooooo sorry! Hope you can forgive me! And I agree with you about Ella Fitzgerald... that would be a hard decision to make... or with Ella would be fantastic!!!!

      Delete
  9. Time is flying by VERY quickly, so I appreciate that this battle takes place way in the past.

    I do love Satchmo, but something about the flair and the vocals in Fats Waller's version really gets to me. Lets save him from a crushing defeat by adding at least one more vote to his total, yeah?

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    1. I do like the sound of this! And the battle is turning out quite nicely. I'm not sure who's blog I visited and played a video on, but this song turned up in my youtube recommendations (of course it was a totally different artist!) but it was what inspired this battle.

      Another vote for Fats Waller! Thanks, guys!

      ~Mary

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  10. I am not a jazz person, it is one of the few genres I generally dislike. So I have not heard of either one of them but after listening to the videos I would have to go with Satchmo. I really like how deep his voice is.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Shakirah!

      Appreciate you stopping by to cast your vote!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  11. I've got to go with Louis Armstrong on this one!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks Sassy!

      A vote for Satchmo has been counted. Thanks for stopping by!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  12. I enjoyed reading your the post. I think Waller is the best among the two

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mihir!

      And Fats Waller thanks you as well! :)

      ~Mary

      Delete
  13. I'm pretty bummed about the lack of Gibb Brothers in this Battle but I guess I'll get over it... given enough time.

    Dang! Really great Battle, MARY, and tough, too!

    I really enjoyed both versions. I've heard SATCHMO doing this song many times, but this may have been a first for FATS WALLER. And although it almost physically hurts me to vote against Louis, I think I'm going to have to side with FATS on this one. The way he tickled those ivories and had such fun with the song gives him the edge. He was having Tiny Tim-like fun with it!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    [Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...

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    1. Hey McStephen

      I gots to tell you this battle is turning out good! Like put some ice cream on it good! I know it's only day one of the battle, but dang.. it's a good horse race!

      And thank you.. I just grew a wild hair for next battle! Prepare to grin from ear to ear.. that's all I'm gonna say.

      ~Mary

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  14. I have heard them for the first time.. though I enjoyed listening both.. but for now I will go with Louis Armstrong!! :)

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    1. Thank you Ankita!

      Appreciate you taking the time to stop by to cast your vote.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  15. I vote for louis armstrong. Oh yeah baby. xx

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    1. Hi Anna!

      Thanks for stopping by to cast your vote!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  16. What is strange for someone who spent 12 years booking bands including a few jazz and blues artists....is I don't really like the two styles. It's not that I don't like the artists,its the people who say they like the blues and jazz. They always seem to pigeon hole the music and never like anything new and fresh like a Charlie Hunter...they constrict any new ideas and sounds.

    Any way,my vote will go to Fats Waller.

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    1. Hey there!

      Another vote for Fats Waller! I tend to agree with you. It's not just jazz and blues, it happens in almost all of the genres.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  17. Ooh, tough. I guess my vote's with Louis Armstrong. He's a hero.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Darla!

      I like the tough battles. It makes you think!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  18. Love this music! I vote Louis Armstrong :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Emily!

      It's fun to listen to something different every now and again. Thanks for stopping by to cast your vote :)

      ~Mary

      Delete
  19. A nice refreshing change of pace! And Louis Armstrong has my vote. ;) Thanks for the dance, Mary - have a great week! :)

    Happy People in Paris That’s What I Like – hope they’re not Rich and Miserable!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Stacy!

      Another vote for Louis Armstrong :)

      ~Mary

      Delete
  20. Oh gosh this is a tough one but I'm going with, gasp, Fats because it was a bit more fast paced which I liked better with this song. I love Louis and his trumpet sound is fantastic as always but it was too slow for me. I think this song deserves the faster pace.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Birgit!

      Another vote for Fats. Hope it's enough to keep him in the race!

      ~Mary

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  21. Replies
    1. Thanks, Mike!

      I've got your vote for Armstrong counted :)

      ~Mary

      Delete
  22. Ahh yes I'd choose Louis :)
    Thanks for rocking.

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  23. Excellent Blog! I would like to thank for the efforts you have made in writing this post. New thing I learnt from this post. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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