Threaded Thursday: Indecision

Yesterday we heard Charlie Shavers’ Dawn on the Desert, so let’s tug that thread a little further and find Charlie’s best‑known composition — the standard Undecided.

📡 Title by Telegram

As with Dawn on the Desert, Charlie wrote the tune while playing trumpet with John Kirby’s small band. He submitted it to his publisher without a title, and when they wired him asking what to call it, Charlie wired back: “undecided.” They took him literally — and the tune had a name. And if that story isn’t true… it ought to be!

Let’s hear Charlie and the rest of the Onyx Club Boys on their 1938 Decca recording:

They had a great sound — they really were The Biggest Little Band in the Land.

🥁 Red Rolls In

The catchy tune started making the rounds, and Red Norvo cut a version for Brunswick later in 1938:

Sounds good!

🎙️ Sauter’s “Job Interview”

I’m presuming Eddie Sauter wrote the arrangement for Red’s recording, though the paper trail is a little fuzzy. What’s clearer is that Sauter did arrange a version of Undecided as something of a “job interview” for Benny Goodman — who recorded it for Victor only a week after Red’s take.

Let’s spin BG’s version:

Interesting that both Benny’s and Red’s records jump straight into the melody with no introduction. A clue… or just coincidence? Whatever the case, Eddie got the job!

The Goodman band was in a transitional period here: Gene Krupa had recently left to form his own band, and Harry James would soon follow. BG also shifted from Victor to Columbia within a few months. But the records? They always sounded great.

💃 Ella Makes It Easy

As with many popular instrumentals, Undecided quickly acquired lyrics — courtesy of Sid Robin (he of the alternate Harlem Nocturne lyrics) — and the tune began circulating as a vocal number.

In early 1939, Chick Webb recorded a knockout version for Decca with Ella Fitzgerald:

The song fits the Chick/Ella combination like a glove.

🎹 Fats Has His Fun

Then Fats Waller took a turn for Bluebird:

Fats was an interesting character. His version here feels a bit tongue‑in‑cheek, as he toys with the tune. I always wonder whether he did that with songs he liked… or with songs the A&R folks told him to record.

📈 The 1951 Revival

Like many songs, Undecided kept popping up over the years — but it roared back in a big way in 1951 when The Ames Brothers recorded a smash version for Coral, backed by Les Brown and his Band of Renown:

I absolutely love this one. It’s been a favorite of mine forever — just a blast!

🌟 Capitol Can’t Resist

With the tune hot again, Capitol had Ray Anthony record it:

Ray’s version, featuring Tommy Mercer, Gloria Craig and The Skyliners, was also popular and also fun.

🎷 Benny Brings it Back

Let’s close with a 1952 version that brings the tune back toward its roots: an extended arrangement by the Benny Goodman Sextet on Columbia:

A solid workout and a great sendoff.

One thing we’re not undecided about: it’s a great tune!

Word Association Wednesday: Desert Dusk and Dawn

To follow last Sunday's Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol classic Caravan for today's word association, my mind wandered to where that caravan might be headed. A desert… desert…

🌙 Duke at Dusk

...and sure enough, Duke had a tune called Dusk in the Desert from 1937 — the very same year as Caravan.

Let’s spin the Brunswick disc:

It’s a fun, slightly off‑kilter number with some unusual voicings. As far as I can tell, Duke never revisited it, which makes this one feel like a little sand‑swept postcard from a moment he didn’t return to.

🌅 Shavers at Sunrise

(l-r) O'Neill Spencer, Charlie Shavers, John Kirby, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope and pianist Billy Kyle - apparently not happy about having their picture taken!

But the desert has two edges to its day, and intriguingly, there’s a Dawn on the Desert from 1939, written by trumpeter Charlie Shavers. Charlie was with the John Kirby Sextet at the time, and they recorded it for Vocalion:

This one has that moody, exotic, hypnotic Caravan vibe with Buster Bailey’s clarinet guiding us through the early‑morning haze.

🎺 Tommy Takes the Trail

Charlie then got the tune to Tommy Dorsey, who recorded his own version for Victor later in 1939:

Deane Kincaide’s arrangement stays close to Charlie’s original, but swaps the clarinet for TD’s trombone. It changes the color of the melody in a way that feels surprisingly natural.

I don’t know if this tune is what first put Charlie Shavers on Tommy’s radar, but a few years later, in 1945, Charlie joined the Dorsey band — becoming its first Black musician. A tremendous talent, and one of those players who could brighten any ensemble he touched.

🧭 Choose Your Horizon

So as our little caravan rolls on, I’m curious where your ear settles in the sand — does dusk pull you in, or does dawn call your name?