Take the A Train - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 🎷

[appalachiablue]

- 1943, segment from the film, Reveille with Beverly. The song was composed in 1939.

[634-5789]

1. Now we're talking!

[vlyons]

2. Smooth and stylish

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Whatta sound!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Hold my beer and watch this.

Thu Dec 15, 2022: On this day, December 15, 1943, Fats Waller died.

Tue Dec 15, 2020: On this day, December 15, 1943, Fats Waller died.

{snip}

Soundies: A Musical History Hosted by Michael Feinstein (2007)
1h 16min | Documentary | TV Movie 3 March 2007

Before MTV and the age of television, there were Soundies. First appearing in 1941, these three minute black-and-white films featured artists of the Big Band, Jazz and Swing era, like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Jordan, Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, The Mills Brothers, Les Paul, Cab Calloway, and Fats Waller. The Soundies helped launch the careers of Doris Day, Nat King Cole, Liberace, and Dorothy Dandridge, among others. Viewed for a dime through a special machine called a Panoram, a movie jukebox, these forerunners to the music video could be seen in nightclubs, roadhouses, restaurants and other public venues across the U.S. These classic films remain as glorious time capsules of music, social history, popular culture, and tell the story of a crossroads in our country, when the uncertainties of war, race relations, and emerging technologies combined to write one of the most influential chapters in our nation¹s history.

—Chris Lamson

YouTube has a bunch of soundies. You can find them here:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=soundies

Meanwhile, here's a compilation:

Soundies: Jazz And Jive (1940s) | Early Music Videos
85,299 views • Aug 7, 2019

reelblack
780K subscribers

Soundies were an early form of music video. Developed prior to television, they played on 16mm film projectors that were viewed on small screens like a video jukebox and captured some of the top artists of the day. This reel, preserved by the Prelinger Archive features Rhythm and Blues performers .Enjoy!

Delta Rhythm Boys in "Take the 'A' Train" (1941).
2:43 Fats Waller in "Your Feet's Too Big (1941).
5:49 Count Basie Orchestra in "Take Me Back, Baby" (with vocal by
Jimmy Rushing) (1941).
8:21 "Preacher and the Bear" featuring The Jubalaires (vocal quartet)
11:25 "Ring Those Bells" (Black children vocal quintet, unidentified;
Possibly The Cabin Kids.)
12:19 The Ali Baba Trio in "Patience and Fortitude" (1946)
(featuring Valaida Snow singing and playing jazz trumpet -
with trio of guitar, bass and accordion!)
15:01 "Rocco Blues" featuring Maurice Rocco (piano and vocal)
17:54 Gloria Grey sings "Oh By Jingo" (looks later, circa 1950 or so)
20:35 "I Want A Man", sung by Annisteen Allen and accompanied by
Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra (huge big band)(1943).
25:33 Woman jazz harpist (LaVilla Tulos) playing "Swanee River"
( a title list of Soundies has this entry as "Swanee Swing" ).

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