Begin the Beguine
Cole Porter’s Begin the Beguine from the broadway musical Jubilee, and later the Ziegfeld Follies 1936 musical revue never really gained popularity. That is until swing band leader Artie Shaw recorded it. He jokingly referred to it as “a nice little tune from one of Cole Porter’s very few flop shows.”
Even the original recording label, RCA Victor, was pessimistic about the long tune "that nobody could remember from beginning to end anyway". They shunted the recording to the low cost subsidiary brand Bluebird Records and released it on the "B" side of "Indian Love Call". Shaw however had the last laugh, with the tune hit number 3 on the charts, making it a best-selling record. The recording became one of the most famous and popular of the entire Swing Era.
Shaw was the first white bandleader to employ a black female singer as a full-time member of his band, Billie Holiday, how he had employed just before making that best selling recording, and even though there are lyrics to Begin the Beguine, Shaw recorded it as an instrumental.
Shaw’s 1938 line up included Artie Shaw, clarinet, leader; John Best, first trumpet; Chuck Peterson and Claude Bowen, trumpets; George Arus, first trombone; Harry Rodgers and Russell Brown, trombones; Les Robinson, first alto saxophone; Hank Freeman, alto saxophone; Tony Pastor and Ronnie Perry, tenor saxophones; Les Burness, piano; Al Avola, guitar; Sid Weiss, bass; Cliff Leeman, drums; Jerry Gray, arranger.
– Bozzie 🎷