Cab Calloway: "Vuelva" (1939)

[EKE BBB]

In the October 17, 1939 session, Cab Calloway´s orchestra (with Gillespie and Bauza) recorded this bolero, "Vuelva". There´s a percussionist on that particular track.

Lord´s entry doesn´t mention any percussionist (Cozy Cole´s on drums):

____________________________________________________________

Vuelva

[C573-4] Cab Calloway

Doc Cheatham, Mario Bauza, Dizzy Gillespie, Lammar Wright (tp), Claude Jones, De Priest Wheeler (tb) Keg Johnson (tb,g) Garvin Bushell (cl,as,bassoon) Andrew Brown (as,cl) Chu Berry (ts), Walter "Foots" Thomas (ts,cl,fl) Benny Payne (p) Morris White (g) Milt Hinton (b) Cozy Cole (d) Cab Calloway (vcl,ldr)

New York, October 17, 1939

WM-1101-A Chili con conga (cc vcl) Voc 5315

WM-1102-A Tarzan of Harlem (cc vcl) 5267, EGT (F)DK625 [CD]

WM-1103-A Jive formation, please (cc vcl) 5195, TFD (Du) TFD5009

WM-1104-A Vuelva 5315, Meritt 21/22

___________________________________________________________

Neither does "The Chu and Dizzy Years" release on Hep label.

Does any other release containing this track include information re the percussionist (i.e. Classics) ?

Any other source?

Thanks in advance,

Agustín

[mikeweil]

John Storm Roberts refers to this and other Calloway sessions in his books, but does not name the percussionist. Bruyninckx also has nothing more than Lord. The information is either buried in the vaults or lost forever ... Who owns Vocalion now?

Could be any Cuban percussionist from an authentic dance band in New York at the time - Bauzá sure had the contacts. I will try to find the time to look for New York based recording sessions of Cuban dance bands at the time.

[jazzbo]

What a title!

[EKE BBB]

What a title! 

←

Still haven´t heard that track, but I am not sure "Vuelva" is the correct title of the original bolero.

There are two famous boleros with similar titles: "Cuando vuelvas" (Agustín Lara) and "Cuando vuelva a tu lado" (María Grever).

[EKE BBB]

CUANDO VUELVA A TU LADO (TANGO BOLERO)

(Music and lyrics by María Grever)

Cuando vuelva a tu lado

no me niegues tus besos

que el amor que te he dado

no podrás olvidar

no me preguntes nada

que nada he de explicarte

que el beso que negaste

ya no lo puedes dar

Cuando vuelva a tu lado

y este sola contigo

las cosas que te digo

no repitas jamás

por compasion

une tu labio al mio

y entrechame en tus brazos

y cuenta los latidos

de nuestro corazón.

[EKE BBB]

Looks like "Vuelva" (the one performed by the Cab Calloway orchestra) is credited to Morales / Platzman.

[jazzbo]

I don't think that Cab minded a double-entendred alternate idea for the title that an American audience might come up with. . . .

[brownie]

The Meritt liner notes were pretty thorough usually but those on the twofer 21/22 (Chu Berry -The Calloway Years 1937-1941) do not shed any light on this.

[JSngry]

CUANDO VUELVA A TU LADO (TANGO BOLERO)

(Music and lyrics by María Grever)

Cuando vuelva a tu lado

no me niegues tus besos

que el amor que te he dado

no podrás olvidar

no me preguntes nada

que nada he de explicarte

que el beso que negaste

ya no lo puedes dar

Cuando vuelva a tu lado

y este sola contigo

las cosas que te digo

no repitas jamás

por compasion

une tu labio al mio

y entrechame en tus brazos

y cuenta los latidos

de nuestro corazón.

←

This is the tune that got English lyrics & became "What A Difference A Day Made", right? The title means "When I Return To Your Side", "vuelva" being some form of the verb that means "return" (I would say "come back" but that would jsut add fuel to the fire, so to speak...)

Another example - the bolero "Somos Novios" got retrofitted and became "It's Impossible".

[mikeweil]

Don't have the time to check all of this right now - Calloway is not among them, but perhaps the song.

The discography as such could shed a light on which Cuban percussionists were active in New York at the time.