The Blackbirds Of 1928 / Shuffle Along

Many standards have entered our Broadway classics' repertoire through circuitous, obscure means. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy some of them on this collection taken from two of the pioneering all-black musicals from the 1920's - "Shuffle Along" and "Blackbirds of 1928," being released by Sony Music for digital download.

"Blackbirds of 1928" represented the first Broadway success for the songwriting team of Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields. The legendary Cab Calloway ("Minnie the Moocher") and the sultry Thelma Carpenter are preserved on the four "Blackbirds'" tracks, which include the jazzy "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" and the exotic "Diga-Diga-Doo," (covered in later years by Ella Fitzgerald and the Mills Brothers) while Carpenter is joined by Avon Long for the four "Shuffle Along" tunes, which include the Eubie Blake-Noble Sissle hit "I'm Just Wild About Harry." "Harry" has gone on to be frequently recorded (Judy Garland, Carmen Miranda), and was used as the slogan for the Truman campaign in 1945. Heartfelt performances of "Gypsy Blues" and "Bandana Days" from "Shuffle Along" are also included in this collection.

The set is a well-recorded group of songs, though at less than 25 minutes in length, the listener will definitely wish that there had been more material included.