On Sunday, we explored the haunting, wordless mystery of Duke’s "Creole Love Call." Today, it’s a short ride on the train of thought to follow that "Love Call" title over to the king of the clarinet—Artie Shaw.
If Duke’s version was about the "Jungle" atmosphere of 1927, Artie’s Indian Love Call (1938) was about the pure, driving swing of the late 30s.
Let's give it a spin:
What a blast!
You'll note that Artie was billed as "Art" Shaw at the time!
From Operetta to the Jukebox
Originally written by Rudolf Friml for the 1924 operetta Rose-Marie, this song was meant to be sung by Mounties in the Canadian Rockies. It was stiff, formal, and definitely not "hot."
But in the hands of Jerry Gray (Artie’s brilliant arranger), it became a juggernaut. I love how they took that famous "oo-oo-oo-oo" melody and gave it a muscular, rhythmic foundation that made it a massive hit for the Bluebird label.
The Tony Pastor Charm
The "secret sauce" on this record is the vocal by Tony Pastor. He doesn't try to sing it like an opera star; he sings it in a gritty, conversational style—kind of like an Italian Louis Armstrong!
I always like the guys who are part of the band as instrumentalists but occasionally step up to the mic to sing a novelty or rhythm tune. They seem like the coolest guys in the room! Like Tex Beneke with Glenn Miller, Tony was also the tenor sax star of the Shaw band. Drummer/vocalist Ray McKinley (with Jimmy Dorsey and Will Bradley) was in this mode, too. Interestingly, Tony, Tex, and Ray all went on to be successful bandleaders themselves!
The “Secret” Version
Did you know there was actually an earlier version of Indian Love Call recorded by Artie? It was cut in February 1938—a few months before the famous July session for Bluebird—for the Thesaurus Transcription Service. But there’s a twist…
Listen and learn:
It’s an instrumental! Crazy, right? The arrangement is very similar to the famous record (although it sounds like the band chants "Yip! Yip!" rather than "Cheep! Cheep!"), but just when you think Tony Pastor is about to sing, he plays a tenor sax solo instead!
The Flipside: A Jukebox Giant
We can’t leave that Bluebird record behind without spinning the B-Side: a little number called Begin the Beguine.
It’s hard to overstate the impact of this record. It was a massive hit that made Artie a superstar and helped solidify the entire Swing movement. For me personally, “Begin the Beguine” was one of the “gateway” records that made me a Big Band fan. It popped up on so many compilations and just seemed like the perfect Big Band record.
And you know what? I still think so!
Kudos to ace arranger Jerry Gray for his brilliant work on both sides of that disc.
Which "Love Call" gets your vote? The atmospheric "Creole" mystery of Duke Ellington, or the hard-swinging "Indian" energy of Artie Shaw?
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