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66
THE
JAZZ MUSIC FOR THE SOLDIERS
Yankee Bands, With Their Scrambled Strains,
Prove a Strong Attraction for the French—
The Sort of Melodies Sammie Likes
From published reports and from propa-
gandists that one comes in touch with person-
ally, it would seem that for every soldier in
France or in camp in this country there are two
self-appointed individuals devoting all their
time to looking after- his morals, his habits, or
his enjoyment. In short, it is assumed by many
that the American soldier, although perfectly
competent to go forth with a gun and risk his
life, nevertheless requires a guardian or a nurse
during his leisure hours. They even want to
pick out the soldier's music. Although the sol-
dier insists on singing the popular songs of the
day—trash as the highbrows see fit to term it—
some of his guardians feel that it is not the
sort of music for him, but that he had much
better sing the songs that were popular in the
wars of a half century or century ago. They
insist on his singing "Yankee Doodle" and
"Dixie" in place of modern melodies, although
they would cry in protest if the Government
gave him a flintlock musket or a muzzle-loading
rifle to fight with.
In view of all the attempts to regulate the
soldier's music, it is refreshing to read the fol-
lowing message from France by J. W. Pegler,
United Press staff correspondent, which indi-
cates that there is genuine inspiration in jazz
music for the fighting men.
Mr. Pegler says: "Those French bands are
all there with the fanfare and whirligigs but
they aren't on to the jazz stuff. They stood
around the village square this afternoon with
their trumpets and slip-horns under their arms
and just gaped at a band of Sammies reeling
off jazz till your feet couldn't behave a-tall.
"It started out as a kind of reciprocity con-
cert. Both bands marched through the main
stem of town, led by trumpeters, with the kids
running alongside and the village girls not ex-
actly scornful toward the Americans.
"Reaching the square they separated. The
poilus took up their stand under the statue of
Jeanne d'Arc—the same kind of statue you see
in most every village in France. They played.
The captain leader with the baton would prance
toward the buglers on the left. Bugles would
flash in the sunlight as the poilus brandished
them over their heads, then they'd blare a march
tune so full of pep that you wanted to grab a
rifle and start shooting every boche in creation
from the Kaiser down. It was great—for that
kind of music.
"But when the American opened up—now,
that was music.
"Pretty soon half the population of the town
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was flocking to the square to get an earful of
the new article. They never heard a jazz tune
before to-day. How that old band did moan;
trombones bleating, big horns oomping, bugles
squawking, and cymbals crashing just the right
kind of crash at the right place. In two min-
utes all the audience was swaying under the
rhythmic spell of the jazz. If the drums had
dropped out it wouldn't have made any differ-
ence; a thousand peasants' wooden shoes were
beating a clackaty-clack-clack on the cold cob-
blestones.
"Shutters were open all around the square and
folks leaned on the window-sills drinking in the
frenzied American strains—ragtime ragged to
the nth power.
"Well, sir, they jazzed every jazz tune they
knew, and then, for an extra encore, we got
'Just Before the Battle Mother,' served up in
jazz measures.
"When the musical spasm was over the
French band played 'The Star-Spangled Banner'
and everyone, civilians, poilus and Sammies in
the crowd around the square, stood at salute.
"Then, just to prove they could play old-style
music and play it right, our band gave the
'Marseillaise.' "
LOST MUSIC ALMOST COSTS LIFE
Egyptian Bandsman in Dire Danger Till Lost
Score of "Star-Spangled Banner" is Recov-
ered and National Air Welcomes Ambassador
A most amusing story regarding the arrival
of Peter A. Jay, United States Consul in Cairo,
Egypt, has just reached this country through
London.
It seems that the ceremony coincident to the
presentation of credentials to the Khedive re-
quires a vast amount of preparation. Instead
of the diplomat stepping to the street and hail-
ing a hack to convey him to the royal palace,
the Khedive sends a procession of lancers,
lackeys, buglers, and torchbearers to conduct
the stranger to his presence. When the proces-
sion reaches the palace gate the imperial band
Two Sensational English
Ballad Successes
"Somewhere a Yoice is Calling"
"The Sunshine of Your Smile"
T. B. Harms & Francis, Day & Hunter
62 West 45th Street
NEW YORK
MARCH 30,
strikes up the national*anthem of the country
which the visitor represents and he is ushered
in to its martial strains.
About a week before the Khedive was to re-
ceive Consul Jay the master of ceremonies
dashed up to the consulate and asked to see the
new diplomat with every appearance of extreme
nervousness. It is customary for the master
of ceremonies to open a conversation by in-
quiring into the state of being of the consul
and his family, with protestations of respect
for his progenitors and immediate friends. But
on this occasion the nervous messenger got
right down to business.
"Your Excellency," he said, "the loathsome
and unspeakably vile dog who is leader of the
imperial band has had the effrontery but this
very morning to crawl before me on his belly
and with loud lamentations to tell me that he
has mislaid or lost the music of the 'Star-
Spangled Banner.'
The punishment for his
crime will be terrible, but in the meantime if
the son of a dog and a thousand dogs cannot
find the music for the 'Star-Spangled Banner'
would it suit your Excellency if the band plays
'Marching Through Georgia' when your Ex-
cellency arrives at the palace gate?"
Being a true diplomat Consul Jay rose to the
occasion. It might also be stated that Jay was
born north of the Mason arid Dixon's line,
otherwise some embarrassing complications
might have ensued.
"It would please me greatly," said Jay, "if
the imperial band should play 'Marching
Through Georgia' upon my arrival."
Thereupon, the master of ceremonies backed
himself out of the room with many assurances
of his thankfulness and protesting between
thanks that regardless of whether the dog of
a band master found the music or not, he and
all of his players would have the skin removed
from their backs by public flogging; they would
be boiled in oil, drawn and quartered for their
carelessness.
On the morning of the presentation, Consul
Jay stepped into an open faced "punkin" car-
riage drawn by prancing chargers. Two lackeys
stood behind. The others walked ahead and
behind. The carriage was preceded by a troop
of lancers and buglers.
As the carriage entered the postern gate Con-
sul Jay was prepared to hear the air of "March-
ing Through Georgia," but instead, there was a
crash of cymbals, and bandsmen, with all the
force of their lungs and all the spirit they pos-
sessed, sent up the good old strains of "Oh,
Say, Can You Seel" And Jay passed into the
palace through a lane of dazzling smiles from
bandsmen who had escaped a horrible death.
They played the American national anthem an
it has seldom been played before.
TWO BIG SUCCESSES
The Song of the Moment
"KEEP THE HOME-
FIRES BURNING"
('Till the Boys Come Home)
"SEND ME A CURL"
"CARRY ON"
By GEOFFREY O'HARA
Hi»h Voice
CHAPPELL & CO., Ltd.
41 East 34th St.
1918
The camp »oog f»Torite
By N. F. WOODBURY
Low Voice
Dettined to be the most popular of war »onj»
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TWO CONCERT BALLAD SUCCESSES
WHEN SHADOWS
The Favorite Song of the National Army
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"DARLIN"'
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