We could do Hoagy Carmichael tunes all night long — and, well, sometimes we pretty much do. Here, from last night’s Floodifying, is our latest take on a lesser known Carmichael work, Hoagy’s cool 1932 composition called simply “New Orleans.”
Freebies from The 1937 Flood, West Virginia's Most Eclectic String Band! The Flood, the Original Old Boy Band, has been around since the 1970s playing their own brand of mountain music, from blues and jugband to swing and traditional folk. These podcasts feature Flood Freebies, recordings captured on the fly, as it were, at the Flood's weekly jam sessions
We could do Hoagy Carmichael tunes all night long — and, well, sometimes we pretty much do. Here, from last night’s Floodifying, is our latest take on a lesser known Carmichael work, Hoagy’s cool 1932 composition called simply “New Orleans.”
This song has been rattling around in the Floodisphere for a long time. Originally for us it was an instrumental. It became a Michelle Lewis special when the Chick Singer was still with the band. Then, when Michelle moved on, it looked like the tune might retire. But last night darned if it didn’t poke its head in the door and become of a fun vehicle for for Veezy and Sam in the solo space, and now… well, it appears “All of Me” is ready for another rebirth.
Last night we just barely had a quorum — about half the band had other obligations — but, as we always say around here, whenever two or three gather in its name, it is The Flood. And, as this will testify, Danny and Randy brought more than enough juice to power up the solos!
Earlier this week, when Veezy and Danny created their own thoughtful impressions of this old Appalachian tune, they were also communing with the spirit of a Floodster they never met. It was more than 40 years ago that the late Roger Samples sat down in the Bowens’ kitchen one hot summer’s night and strung together the chords that would become The Flood’s unique take on this tune. Wouldn’t Rog be smiling right about now, just knowing his ideas lives on?
This tune’s still relatively new for us, but last night we found the groove. Just listen to Randy’s heartbeat of a bass line under Charlie’s vocals as we pass it off for sensuous soliloquies by Veezy, Danny and Sam, a flowing sweet and earnest conversation among friends.