We move into 1930 with Duke Ellington and come across Three Little Words - a song
that was a massive hit for him, though it was a rare case of a "Duke
hit" not actually written by Duke or anyone in his band. This one comes
from the legendary songwriting team of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby.
The Silver Screen Connection
The song was featured in the (not-yet RKO) Radio picture Check
and Double Check, which starred Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll in
their famous radio roles of Amos 'n' Andy.
While the problematic nature of Amos 'n' Andy is
well-documented, the film remains a vital piece of history for jazz fans
because it provides a rare opportunity to actually see the Duke
Ellington Orchestra in their 1930 prime.
The Record: Duke & The Rhythm Boys
Duke recorded Three Little Words for Victor
Records, and he brought in some heavy hitters for the vocal: The Rhythm Boys.
This trio - comprising Al Rinker, Harry Barris, and a very young Bing Crosby - had
recently been the breakout stars for Paul Whiteman.
After leaving the “King of Jazz,” they were essentially
freelancers when they teamed up with Duke. In the film, you hear their voices,
but you don't see them; because of the segregation rules of the time, the film
used "ghosting"—the white trio sang off-camera while black members of
Duke’s band mimed the words.
Let's give it a spin:
You can definitely hear how this record has more of a
mainstream sound than the “jungle” records of Duke’s band at the time. Still
with that little something extra, though!
The Contrast: The Smile of Beauty (1930)
To see just how differently this song could be handled in
the same year, we turn to The Ipana Troubadours, a studio band led by Sam
Lanin and featured on a popular radio show sponsored by said toothpaste.
Here’s their Columbia record featuring vocalist Paul
Small:
Definitely more "square" than Duke’s version, it
reflects the “dance band” sound of the time - the sound that the Casa Loma
Orchestra was just starting to threaten. It’s also a perfect illustration
of 1930s pop culture: a record of a radio show orchestra playing a song from a
movie based on a radio show!
The Crooning Troubadour (1931)
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| Anybody else want that sweet guitar? |
We go from a band of troubadours to just open - The “Crooning
Troubadour,” Nick Lucas! Guitar and ukulele-playing vocalists like Nick
were extremely popular in the mid-to-late 1920s and were still hanging around
in the early 1930s before the "Crosby style" took over completely.
Here’s his take for Brunswick from early 1931:
The Standard: Claude Hopkins (1934)
Three Little Words quickly became a jazz
standard. One of my favorite follow-ups from the 1930s comes from pianist and bandleader Claude
Hopkins, who recorded this snappy instrumental version for Brunswick
Records in 1934:
It’s a great record from an underrated band that shows just how much "swing" could be squeezed out of those three little words!
The "Export Only" Rarity: Gene Krupa (1935)
By 1935, the song was so popular that musicians were looking for any excuse to record it. Star drummer Gene Krupa led a small group of musicians pulled from the Benny Goodman Orchestra for this session. Interestingly, this "Chicago Jazz" version wasn't released in the States initially - it was produced specifically for the European market!
Here's Gene and they boys on the British Parlophone label:
Very intriguing to compare this to the smoother swing of BG's full orchestra!
Which version makes you say those three little words?
Three Little words is best-remembered (if at all) these days as the title of a 1950 MGM movie purporting to tell the story of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. But that's another story for another day.
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