I have been fascinated with the song Heebie Jeebies since 1968, when i first read of it in Milton "Mezz" Mezzrow's wacky autobiography "Really the Blues." In it, he described, in fascinating detail, how electrifying it was to the Chicagoland jazz community when they first experienced Louis Armstrong's scat singing on this seminal recording. "Louis' scatting almost drove the English language out of the Windy City for good." wrote Mezz. And he wasn't kidding.
Other folks have written, far better than I ever could, about the whys and wherefores of Armstrong's scatting on this record (http://themeandvariations.blogspot.com/2004/09/heebie-jeebies.html). I had the myth memorized by heart before I even HEARD the tune the first time around 1970. It was worth the wait--Pops' recording of the tune immediately made my pulse pound from the first time I heard it!
It was only about a year ago, that I discovered the Boswell Sisters. Their weird style immediately fell in sync with my own peculiar sensibilities. Whenever I'm drawing Beanworld nowadays--chances are The Bozzies are providing the soundtrack. This bit of film hardly does them the justice that comes out in their recordings--but it gives a taste.
Now, if that sounds like "cartoon music to you. There is a reason why. They provided songs for several classic Fleischer cartoons. (Most of which I probably saw on TV as a youngster!)
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