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In the 1860s, when the American Civil War breaks out with the racist slave trade at stake, North America had already turned into an unprecedented cultural melting pot. In any case, the movement of populations to the “New World” (sometimes forcibly and sometimes voluntarily) and the multinational settlement and colonization was a constant condition that started from the 16th century and defined the history of the continent. In essence, the now post-Civil War presidential confederation of states, the United States of America, is a microcosm of the globe: a “successful Babel”. Naturally, a unique syncretism also dominates in the field of music. The genesis of discography builds a condition that favors conversation and osmosis between the innumerable ethno-cultural groups that make up the population. These processes will lead to the reinterpretation, updating and renewal of old musical trends that arrive in the United States, and, at the same time, to their re-exportation to the “old worlds”, thus setting up a uniquely multi-layered network. Richard Spottswood’s now monumental multi-volume work “Ethnic Music on Records” vividly reflects the extraordinary record production in the USA. This “convergence” of geographical coordinates is often accompanied by another one, the “convergence” of internal cultural “coordinates”. These are the fields of scholar and popular music, which enter into a creative dialogue in a variety of ways, and often introduce in-between and/or new “places”. The contribution of forcibly transported slaves from the African continent to the musical scene of America, and especially their role in the formation of the genres that are now considered as part of the “national music of the USA”, was more than crucial. Folk, country, bluegrass, gospel, blues, soul, jazz, fox trot, rock ‘n roll, charleston, minstrel show, but also symphonic music, waltz, tango, music for the cinema, Italian, Russian, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish-speaking and other idioms are recorded and flood the global record market. In this endless body of recordings, we come across instances where Greek-speaking musicians arrange American songs. This appropriation is twofold: on the one hand are the lyrics, which are now in Greek (often, in fact, they has nothing to do with the original ones), and, on the other hand, the performance practices: different instrumentation, different singing style, often differences in melodic and rhythmic forms and in the harmonies. Greek musicians adapt what they hear to their own condition and aesthetics, based on their own capabilities and needs.
This recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the American song "My blue heaven", set to music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by George A. Whiting.
It was included in the two-act revue "Ziegfeld Follies of 1927" that premiered at the New Amsterdam Theater, in New York, on August 16, 1927.
The song was a global hit, has been recorded and arranged many times in historical discography, in various forms, languages and locations. For example:
- Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, New York, July 6, 1927 (Victor BVE-39627 - 20828)
- The Melody Boys, London, December 20, 1927 (Homophone Hh 12272)
- "Mi cielo", José Bohr, New York, January 20, 1928 (Victor BVE-41565 - 80605)
- "My blue heaven (Meu Céu Azul)", Francisco Alves, Brazil, October 1928 (Parlophon 2094 - 12874-a)
- Robert Burnier, Paris, October 19, 1928 (HMV BV 145-1 - 2-232935/K5521)
- "Mein blauer Himmel", Comedian Harmonists, Berlin, November 6, 1928 (Odeon Be 7570-2 - O-2737 a)
- "Голубой гаваец", David Mevdedovsky, Leningrad, 1937 (LEF 588 -588)
- "Svend Asmussens Kvintet, Copenhagen, 1940 (Odeon kpo 3517 - A 160631b D 404)
- "Cielo", I maestri del ritmo, Milan, 1942 (Odeon Mo 9789 - P. 529)
The presence of the song mostly in American cinema is also noteworthy. So far, it has been featured on the soundtrack of more than ten films, the earliest being "The Last Mile" (1932) and the most recent being the Dutch film "Antonia" (1995).
According to the data collected so far, this recording is the only recording of the song in Greek historical discography.
Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis
In the 1860s, when the American Civil War breaks out with the racist slave trade at stake, North America had already turned into an unprecedented cultural melting pot. In any case, the movement of populations to the “New World” (sometimes forcibly and sometimes voluntarily) and the multinational settlement and colonization was a constant condition that started from the 16th century and defined the history of the continent. In essence, the now post-Civil War presidential confederation of states, the United States of America, is a microcosm of the globe: a “successful Babel”. Naturally, a unique syncretism also dominates in the field of music. The genesis of discography builds a condition that favors conversation and osmosis between the innumerable ethno-cultural groups that make up the population. These processes will lead to the reinterpretation, updating and renewal of old musical trends that arrive in the United States, and, at the same time, to their re-exportation to the “old worlds”, thus setting up a uniquely multi-layered network. Richard Spottswood’s now monumental multi-volume work “Ethnic Music on Records” vividly reflects the extraordinary record production in the USA. This “convergence” of geographical coordinates is often accompanied by another one, the “convergence” of internal cultural “coordinates”. These are the fields of scholar and popular music, which enter into a creative dialogue in a variety of ways, and often introduce in-between and/or new “places”. The contribution of forcibly transported slaves from the African continent to the musical scene of America, and especially their role in the formation of the genres that are now considered as part of the “national music of the USA”, was more than crucial. Folk, country, bluegrass, gospel, blues, soul, jazz, fox trot, rock ‘n roll, charleston, minstrel show, but also symphonic music, waltz, tango, music for the cinema, Italian, Russian, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish-speaking and other idioms are recorded and flood the global record market. In this endless body of recordings, we come across instances where Greek-speaking musicians arrange American songs. This appropriation is twofold: on the one hand are the lyrics, which are now in Greek (often, in fact, they has nothing to do with the original ones), and, on the other hand, the performance practices: different instrumentation, different singing style, often differences in melodic and rhythmic forms and in the harmonies. Greek musicians adapt what they hear to their own condition and aesthetics, based on their own capabilities and needs.
This recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the American song "My blue heaven", set to music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by George A. Whiting.
It was included in the two-act revue "Ziegfeld Follies of 1927" that premiered at the New Amsterdam Theater, in New York, on August 16, 1927.
The song was a global hit, has been recorded and arranged many times in historical discography, in various forms, languages and locations. For example:
- Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, New York, July 6, 1927 (Victor BVE-39627 - 20828)
- The Melody Boys, London, December 20, 1927 (Homophone Hh 12272)
- "Mi cielo", José Bohr, New York, January 20, 1928 (Victor BVE-41565 - 80605)
- "My blue heaven (Meu Céu Azul)", Francisco Alves, Brazil, October 1928 (Parlophon 2094 - 12874-a)
- Robert Burnier, Paris, October 19, 1928 (HMV BV 145-1 - 2-232935/K5521)
- "Mein blauer Himmel", Comedian Harmonists, Berlin, November 6, 1928 (Odeon Be 7570-2 - O-2737 a)
- "Голубой гаваец", David Mevdedovsky, Leningrad, 1937 (LEF 588 -588)
- "Svend Asmussens Kvintet, Copenhagen, 1940 (Odeon kpo 3517 - A 160631b D 404)
- "Cielo", I maestri del ritmo, Milan, 1942 (Odeon Mo 9789 - P. 529)
The presence of the song mostly in American cinema is also noteworthy. So far, it has been featured on the soundtrack of more than ten films, the earliest being "The Last Mile" (1932) and the most recent being the Dutch film "Antonia" (1995).
According to the data collected so far, this recording is the only recording of the song in Greek historical discography.
Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis
© 2019 KOUNADIS ARCHIVE
