Among the versions of Ring Dem Bells we heard yesterday was one by Andy Kirk and his Clouds of Joy, as arranged by the great Mary Lou Williams - The Lady Who Swings the Band. So for today's side-session, let's turn the spotlight on Mary Lou and see what she and Andy were up to in 1930, the year Duke Ellington first recorded Ring Dem Bells!
The Idea (1930)
By 1930, Mary Lou Williams had established herself as a composer, arranger and pianist with Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy. It's almost impossible to comprehend the level of talent as well as determination it took for a 20-year-old Black woman to succeed in the music business almost 100 years ago!
Here's a 1930 Brunswick recording by the Kirk band of Mary Lou's composition Mary's Idea:
That's pretty advanced for 1930. If Duke was leading the way towards more modern sounds, Mary Lou wasn't far behind. She had ideas all right!
The New Idea (1939)
In 1939, Mary Lou was still working with Andy Kirk (now with a non-specified number of Clouds of Joy), though not exclusively, as other bandleaders such as Benny Goodman were now contracting her for arrangements. She and Andy revisited Mary's Idea for this Decca record, giving it a snappy, modernized arrangement that perfectly captures the peak of the Swing Era.
That amply demonstrates that Mary Lou and the Kirk band were keeping up with the times!
The Tribute: The Lady Who Swings the Band (1936)
For fun, let's jump back to 1936 for another Decca record - this one a direct tribute to Mary Lou herself. It’s The Lady Who Swings the Band!
That's just a blast! The uncredited vocal is by Harry Mills of the Mills Brothers. I don't know how he came to sing that number with The Clouds of Joy, but I think it's awesome!
It's also interesting to catch the legendary lyricist Sammy Cahn near the beginning of his long career. He and his early writing partner Saul Chaplin were creating a lot of specialty material at this time and someone had the great idea for them to salute Kansas City's Mary Lou!
Drop a comment for which "Idea" do you prefer - the 1930 original or the 1939 update. Either way, she swung it!
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