Re: Re: Re: Re: tuba tiger rag


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Posted by Paul Scott on October 22, 2003 at 07:48:48:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: tuba tiger rag posted by AW on October 20, 2003 at 22:06:26:

I thought that this subject would come up! The Tiger Rag history is a long one. A couple of comments. Mr. LaRocca was always up front about getting ideas for his compositions. He claimed that the prime inspiration for Tiger Rag came from the march National Emblem-the chord changes are similar. Louis Armstrong actually used to play strains from National Emblem when he soloed on Tiger Rag.
Ray Lopez had initially sued LaRocca over another tune, (Livery Stable Blues)and had an axe to grind over Tiger. The court's claim at the time was that blues could not be copyrighted (an oversimplification but that's what they basically said. That would explain DeDroit calling it Number Two BLUES.
As for Morton writing, Eubie Blake once said that Morton claimed to have written the Stars and Stripes Forever! He was joking but made the point that Morton sometimes stretched the truth JUST A BIT.
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band and Nick LaRocca have not gotten the credit they deserve over the years. Listen to their London recordings of 1919 (including Tiger Rag) and you'll hear a band WAY ahead of it's time. I had the pleasure of visiting Mr. LaRocca's son this summer in New Orleans-he's a great trumpeter too!


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