"Palesteena", or, "Lena from Palesteena", was a 1920 song with lyrics by
Con Conrad
Con Conrad (born Conrad K. Dober; June 18, 1891 – September 28, 1938) was an American songwriter and producer.
Biography
Conrad was born in Manhattan, New York, and published his first song, "Down in Dear Old New Orleans", in 1912. Conrad p ...
and music by
J. Russell Robinson.
Background
It was originally recorded and performed by the
Original Dixieland Jass Band
The Original Dixieland Jass Band (ODJB) was a Dixieland jazz band that made the first jazz recordings in early 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz record ever issued. The group composed and recorded many jazz standards, the ...
, a band of
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
jazz musicians, who released it as an instrumental as a Victor 78, 18717-B, in 1920. The A side was "
Margie
Margie is a feminine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of the related names Margaret, Marjorie, or Margarita, all of which mean "pearl".
Margie may refer to:
People
* Margie Abbott (born 1958), Australian businesswoman
* Margie Ac ...
", a jazz and pop standard, paired in a medley with "
Singin' the Blues
''Singin' the Blues'' is the first LP album by American bluesman B.B. King, released in 1957 by the Bihari brothers on their Crown Records, Crown budget label. It is a compilation album whose songs were issued between 1951 and 1956 on singles by ...
". J. Russel Robinson, the pianist in the ODJB, co-wrote the music for all three songs. The song was published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Company in New York in 1920. The melody has a strong
Klezmer
Klezmer ( or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these wou ...
influence, with the chorus based on a phrase from "Nokh A Bisl" by J. Kammen.
Other recordings
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era.
Some of h ...
and
Frank Crumit also recorded the song.
Bob Crosby
George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younge ...
recorded the song on
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...
in 1938.
Vincent Lopez
Vincent Lopez (December 30, 1895 – September 20, 1975) was an American bandleader, actor, and pianist.
Early life and education
Lopez was born of Portuguese immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, Distinguished Americ ...
recorded the song on
.
Lyrics
Sources
* Stewart, Jack. "The Original Dixieland Jazz Band's Place in the Development of Jazz." New Orleans International Music Colloquium, 2005.
* Lange, Horst H. ''Wie der Jazz begann: 1916-1923, von der "Original Dixieland Jazz Band" bis zu King Olivers "Creole Jazz Band".'' Berlin: Colloquium Verlag, 1991.
* Brunn, H.O. ''The Story of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1960. Reprinted by Da Capo Press, 1977.
References
External links
"Palesteena" by the ODJB on the Jazz Anthology website.*
{{Authority control
Original Dixieland Jass Band songs
1920 songs
1921 singles
Jazz compositions
Jazz songs
Songs with music by Con Conrad
Eddie Cantor songs