@@Yoni123 From what I understood in the lyrics, it speaks of a man who lost his spouse/girlfriend, she died and is currently being embalmed at St James Infirmary Blue, so the man expresses his sorrow
Back in the day, animation would be used to promote musicians of the time, the Fleischers promoted a lot of black performers, a risky but very progressive for the time
I just saw this for the first time, and I'm also astonished. The sheer artistry of this graceful, detailed, mythopoeic animation, over the already magnificent music ... it's incredible.
Not really LONG dead. Cab Calloway died in 1994 at the age of 86. That doesn't seem so long ago to me, but hell, I'm 64. The last 30 years have just gone "pfffft!" from where I stand.
It's funny to think that people went to the cinema to watch this and almost 100 years later I can watch it without even getting out of bed. Damn I'm high.
its supposed to be creepy, but creepy is sometimes good! art can (and..should) make you feel a variety of emotions, i wish people accepted that. this song, if you look up the lyrics, is about how he is coming to see his wife/girlfriend dying of an std, and because it made him realise he has the std too, he is singing about what clothes he wants to be burried in to feel dignified. hows that for creepy?! 😍
I agree. I feel like sadly this is where animation (tv animation and cartoons) kinda peaked. I know why they stopped doing it this way. and it's just a shame. This way is expensive and a bit slow to make which is why it got phased out. But I still think the industry could use the creativity and dynamics form the time.
Cab Calloway is a man that is an absolute classical treasure. Too bad if if you speak his name today 90% of people don't know who he is and how much he contributed to the music industry. I will always hear him and thank him for sights and sounds I will never hear and see again. Rest in Heaven Sir.
Well I hope this video edit of mine continues to bring Cab out in front of new generations of audiences, as well as those who are already familiar getting reacquainted!
Folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary, See my baby there; She's stretched out on a long, white table, She's so sweet, so cold, so fair. Let her go, let her go, God bless her, Wherever she may be, She will search this wide world over, But she'll never find another sweet man like me. Now, when I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches, Put on a box-back coat and a stetson hat, Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain, So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat. An' give me six crap shooting pall bearers, Let a chorus girl sing me a song. Put a red hot jazz band at the top of my head So we can raise Hallelujah as we go along. Folks, now that you have heard my story, Say, boy, hand me over another shot of that booze If anyone should ask you, Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues. Let her go, let her go, oh bless her Wherever she may be She will search this wide world over But she'll never find another sweet man like me Edit: been over a year yet i still come back to this great song with every notification
I think its a combination of the rather grim subject matter along with the uncanniness of the animation and the character's design. Edit: Oh, and how slow and mournful the song is. All that together definitely makes this quite unsettling.
I just love this man's soulful voice!! It's a 90-year old cartoon that directly mimics this incredibly talented man's movements and artistry. There are so many aspects that are seen in modern dance and I think that's really awesome. Idk if he was the first, but damn he was good!
I’m an estate broker and I had a little home listed for sale in a rustic hilly area back in 1979. The lady introduced me to her best friend and neighbor, Cab Calloway. He was elderly, but quite agile and very funny.
@@robertmoffit1135Back then, animation was made for everyone and companies tend to give a lot more funding to their animation studio. Also studios tend to make shorts that are significantly shorter than most cartoons while also having more money to spend. It was until the advent of television where studios wanted longer content and on a lower budget. Live action shows can be able to budget their production cost, but a lot of studios outside of Hannah Barbara struggled a lot to make animated content without going over their budget. Eventually, animation had to rely on kids to buy their toys and merch during the 80s which create the animation is for kids mindset. It was until the 90s where artist can make their own shows without toys and newer technology and techniques made animation a lot cheaper and more efficient to make. The process of making cartoons during the 60s to now is radically different to making cartoons before television. Animation back then can be seen as better than modern animation simply because they had much better funding and their tools are a lot more hands on compared to modern animation. Granted there's a lot great modern animated content, but people tend to compare the best of the best old cartoons with the entirety of modern cartoons which includes both the best and worst that were made. I'm sure there's plenty of old cartoon that were pretty bad and they were quickly abandoned and forgotten while the much better ones are still preserve to this day.
The Fleischer Brothers were direct competitors with Disney back then. While we know what Disney went on to be, credit must be given to the Fleischer's for their contributions to animation in that era. Gulliver's Travels and Hoppity Goes to Town were two of my favorite films growing up along with these Cab Calloway shorts. I'm grateful for my mom introducing them do me. Rest well gentlemen, you made a huge mark on this world. Cab was simply amazing to watch and listen to.
I love animation style. It's so smooth! All the transitions, the lip syncing to every word, honestly incredible and takes a HUGE amount of work and time. In this era too, that kind of animation was truly ahead of its time by some incredibly talented artists. The song is quite morbid, yes, but beautifully sung and perfect for the cartoon.
Thank you for posting this amazing piece! A haunting rendition of a haunting song captured in equally haunting animation. And Betty Boop and Coco the Clown as I've never seen them before.
For real I can’t stop watching this. It’s just… I don’t know, captivating. The movement mixed with the music and the imagery in the background, I just keep coming back
Man, I love the surreal, eerie designs and rotoscoping of Fleischer Studios. The true pioneers of animation. I wonder if this counts as the most earliest music video?
Directly and Indirectly. Can't understate the influence of his long-time collaborator Danny Elfman, obviously -- during the early days of Oingo Boingo, when they were still the Mystic Knights, they did some of the old Calloway standards. St. James Infirmary, Minnie the Moocher, etc.
Cab Calloway is the very essence of smooth!! And how cool is it that this stunning animation still exists…a wonderful treat for the eyes and the ears…and the heart - thank you for this post!💕
The most haunting version is Louis Armstrong in the 60s. Slowest song I ever heard. Piercing trumpet. My favorite is Eric Clapton & Dr. John in 1996, with a funky Latin rhythm (I know how that sounds but check it out, it’s scorching). Now I know which version they were covering-Cab Calloway-it never did sound much like Louis’ or Bessie Smith’s. The vocal swings are so distinctive!
@@TheCapedWanderer Thanks I have some versions to check out! I have performed this song with a couple other players around my piano, and will be posting that video next 🙂
i’ve always loved cab calloway as a kid. i was a big blues and jazz fan with billie holiday and ella fitzgerald as my introduction to the genre. i’m glad people are noticing him now.❤😊
The animation for the line about the $20 gold piece on his watch chain is sublime. What amazing work. Sometimes art works from the 1930's feel like they come from another world
There are many many versions of this song, but Cab Calloway performed it so well many people believe it's his song. This is an old traditional song with many variations. Jimmy Rogers tecorded a version called "Gambling Room Blues" with totally different lyrics that ends with him diving into the deep blue sea after shooting his gambling buddy over an argument. The basel ine in this version is just sublime, and the animation turned this sad song of saying goodbye to a young lover into an uplifting story of Orpheus descending to the underworld to bring his lover back. It differs sharply from the also famous Louis Armstrong version, which had the pace and cadence of a dirge, which is what the song was supposed to be. But, it was nowhere near Cab Calloway's soul to make a sad song. Superb all the way around.
It's just mesmerizing to see something that seems contemporary yet pre-dates all the stuff in the late 20th century that I remember as a child with nostalgia.
I agree. There is a lot of old things that needs to come back. Things like that shouldn't die. It could attract so much tourist dollars. Be a big tourist grab in the u.s
Me too but it wouldn't make the powers that be enough money. Not like the big artists today like Taylor and Beyonce who are produced by a machine for maximum profits for all involved and who are basically lifestyle brands at this point.
@mdolinski4926 not true. It's all about tourism ads. If you did this in new orleans Louisiana and had guide info about this stuff being avaible to go see for tourists. People will show up. Had this at the hotels or at the restraunts . Tourism promotion is best way to attract attention to stuff like this
[LYRICS] Folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary See my baby there She's stretched out on a long, white table She's so sweet, so cold, so fair Let her go, let her go, God bless her Wherever she may be She will search this wide world over But she'll never find another sweet man like me Now, when I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches Put on a box-back coat and a Stetson hat Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat Folks, now that you have heard my story Say, boy, hand me over another shot of that hooch If anyone should ask you Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues An' give me six crap shooting pall bearers Let a chorus girl sing me a song Put a red hot jazz band at the top of my head So we can raise Hallelujah as we go along Folks, now that you have heard my story Say, boy, hand me over another shot of that booze; If anyone should ask you Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues
@@TotalDec If you stand pat, you refuse to change your mind about something. On the other side, the men stood pat and were unyielding. It makes it hard for the Fed to do anything but stand pat till the economy's direction becomes clearer.
I'm so glad I took my son to see cab Calloway when he was 7 years old. He didn't have a set program. He just went from song to song and his orchestra followed along
I’ll be 29 this week, crazy I accidentally came across this and I love it. Heart and soul. A lot of music now days doesn’t have it! If it does it’s nothing like this
Is actually quite an amazing video . Especially when you think of the limited technology back in those days. And n top of that it's animated! Pair with the master that was Cab Callaway. Very cool!
Amazing animation of dance moves matching the music so precisely. Cab Calloway was such a flamboyant band leader. Truly love watching these old classics
I first saw Cab in the Blues Brothers. Fell in love with his music. This is probably one of the first music videos and i cant think of a modern one this soulful and creative.
@@loki-og1cswhat they were trying to said is that: You- born in 1899 would be 34 by the time this animation aired, and have a 5 years old kid, the kid then watch this animation. Is it really that hard to understand?
This is so beautiful. I had to find the longer clip to understand what folks meant by saying he has such a unique way with his voice. I totally get it now. What a beautiful singer oh what an awesome man ❤
I just love these 30s/40s blues songs! I didn't pay attention to the animation at first bc I was so carried away by the music. These guys knew exactly what they were doing
Could you tell me what is blue song? I searched on Google but I only found blue song (i'm blue da bee da). Is it a hidden meaning for something? I'm not good at English but I have seen a lot of people mention that i'm blue song but have no idea.
@@WM_NonsenseBut the animators are drawing the cartoon characters above the photos rather than making an animation from scratch. Rotoscoping are just tedious to do rather than being harder to drawing characters with no reference to follow. Sure it's hard since there's no undo button but that can be applied to every form of animation before digital art became a thing. Hell even digital art still require you to be skillful in drawing even with more accessibility
@@allendepacheco3419 hand animators did use references- an actor would do the motion and they would draw from it. you can see examples of this in Alice in Wonderland and Sleeping Beauty. Still took an immense amount of skill and patience though
@@froggdoggs8551 I think that still rotoscoping unless the animators didn't use rotoscoping projectors to trace over footages of actresses. I think I used a poor choice of words. Animators do use references when it comes to any type of movement, but rotoscoping tend to be a lot more direct as you are tracing something on top of the person. An animator drawing series of images by watching a video isn't as involved as tracing a cell paper on a video frame by frame.
I wish they had given the animators credit by name. The animation of this time was intensive. Each frame hand painted and there was hundreds if not thousands of them 😊
I saw this guy at the Chicago Jazz fest in the 90s. It was one of his very last performances. Sensational and standing pat. A time machine from the past.
Almost 100-years-old and it’s still enjoyable: PURE ART
Yes Lawd!:)
Sings to the Pauper Soul , An Elegy For Our Burning World It Should Be
timeless music
Facts
ENJOYABLE IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT @ BEST!!! i just heard this song like 4 months ago
This song is the definition of bittersweet: tragic lyrics but embellished by his stunning voice
Whats it about?
@@Yoni123 From what I understood in the lyrics, it speaks of a man who lost his spouse/girlfriend, she died and is currently being embalmed at St James Infirmary Blue, so the man expresses his sorrow
@@Lexie01 thanks. Im not a native speaker and was mostly concentrating on the great animation. I'll take a closer listen to the lyrics
@@Lexie01
It isn’t “Infirmary Blue”, it is “St. James Infirmary” and he HAS the blues regarding the place and circumstances.
@@Peter-ff1tp Oh yes you're right, I made a mistake on the place 😅
My mom saw him in concert. She said he came dancing out in a sparkly pink suit and it was spectacular!
I can definitely see Cab Calloway pulling off a sparkly pink suit and make it look classy.
Cab was one of the flyest of his time ✨
Oh yeah he had some moves
Oh cool, did he actually do the bit at 1:05 fr?
@@Rum-Runner Yes.
This footage fundamentally connects the history of animation with music, creating an incredible piece of art to watch. I'm amazed every time I see it
Back in the day, animation would be used to promote musicians of the time, the Fleischers promoted a lot of black performers, a risky but very progressive for the time
Yes......and they say that music videos were introduced in the 70s!!?
Oh yeah or something like that
I just saw this for the first time, and I'm also astonished. The sheer artistry of this graceful, detailed, mythopoeic animation, over the already magnificent music ... it's incredible.
Do we know if they rotoscoped his movements?
There will never be another entertainer like Cab Calloway. R.I.P.
Although that is true, we say that of all great Artists. They are all unique.
also best live musician ive ever saw
Cab Calloway .. the original hep cat👏🎶💃🏼🎶💝
Years later he was revered in the Blues Btothers! Loved him!
Listen to his song “ The Funny Reefer Man”.
I find this really strange. Watching the movements of this long dead man that was animated into a dead ghost. It's an echo of the dead in a way.
Not really LONG dead. Cab Calloway died in 1994 at the age of 86. That doesn't seem so long ago to me, but hell, I'm 64. The last 30 years have just gone "pfffft!" from where I stand.
@@racookster didn't realize he lived for so long. But im only 22, so that still happened before my time
“Death comes for us all.” - Master Splinter, TMNT
And pretty surreal how on point the animation is with the man's dancing. The skill was way ahead of its time.
A true ghost then
Dang, now if THAT isn’t some top-notch smooth dancing and singing, I don’t know WHAT is! Cab Calloway was such a legend!
The last time we saw him was in blues brothers singing Minnie the moocher rest in peace a legend and a great singer cab calloway
He started the moon walk that Michael did, but it wasn't called that then.
one thing most people miss is that the background coincides exactly with what the ghost is singing, very VERY ahead of its time
Cool, I hadn’t noticed the background the dancing was so entrancing!
Wow I had to take a second look ... Nice
How is it ahead? I'd say it's reflective of its time. Creative people are in all eras.
And back then, these cells were each done by hand!!
Koko the clown*
It's funny to think that people went to the cinema to watch this and almost 100 years later I can watch it without even getting out of bed. Damn I'm high.
😅😂😂😂❤I can dig it
It's kind of sad. Have been a while since I went to cinema...or watched a movie with out looking at my phone.😢
It's kind of sad. Have been a while since I went to cinema...or watched a movie with out looking at my phone.😢
As high as you are, you’re probably not higher than Cab and his band 🌴 🥬 🔥
narcissism
His dance moves are as smooth as flowing water.
The power of rotoscoping!
@@moon-cf2vw Yep; it's like an old-timey motion capture.
its epic as shit
@redrum86 no it was smoother 😂😂
Idk how people find this creepy… I really wish we still had this art style and music style too.
its supposed to be creepy, but creepy is sometimes good! art can (and..should) make you feel a variety of emotions, i wish people accepted that.
this song, if you look up the lyrics, is about how he is coming to see his wife/girlfriend dying of an std, and because it made him realise he has the std too, he is singing about what clothes he wants to be burried in to feel dignified. hows that for creepy?! 😍
It's creepy if you pay attention to the background as he's singing
Just because you like it and wish it was still around doesn't make it less creepy.
I agree. I feel like sadly this is where animation (tv animation and cartoons) kinda peaked. I know why they stopped doing it this way. and it's just a shame. This way is expensive and a bit slow to make which is why it got phased out. But I still think the industry could use the creativity and dynamics form the time.
@@blendervendor2220 i disagree i deeply appreciate early animation but its not unbeatable and there have been many works that measure up to it
Cab Calloway is a legend. That kind of vocal range combined with that dancing talent comes along once in a lifetime
Cab Calloway is a man that is an absolute classical treasure. Too bad if if you speak his name today 90% of people don't know who he is and how much he contributed to the music industry.
I will always hear him and thank him for sights and sounds I will never hear and see again. Rest in Heaven Sir.
He's not only amazing, he's from my city so I drop him as trivia for black history month every year.
I am familiar with Mr. Calloway through 2 things.
1. Cuphead
2. The Blues Brothers.
Oh yeah I'm watching his moves
Well I hope this video edit of mine continues to bring Cab out in front of new generations of audiences, as well as those who are already familiar getting reacquainted!
It’s 1933 and that ghost is moonwalking all over the place… Cab Calloway had sauce for generations
Calloway said this dance at the time was called "the buzz" -- and early verison of the moonwalk.
The Buzz is much cooler than the moonwalk.
0:07 from now on you will never not notice the drummer almost messing up and catching his stick with his face. You're welcome.
I've noticed it, but I think he made a graceful save 😀
Folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary,
See my baby there;
She's stretched out on a long, white table,
She's so sweet, so cold, so fair.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
Wherever she may be,
She will search this wide world over,
But she'll never find another sweet man like me.
Now, when I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches,
Put on a box-back coat and a stetson hat,
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain,
So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat.
An' give me six crap shooting pall bearers,
Let a chorus girl sing me a song.
Put a red hot jazz band at the top of my head
So we can raise Hallelujah as we go along.
Folks, now that you have heard my story,
Say, boy, hand me over another shot of that booze
If anyone should ask you,
Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues.
Let her go, let her go, oh bless her
Wherever she may be
She will search this wide world over
But she'll never find another sweet man like me
Edit: been over a year yet i still come back to this great song with every notification
The lyrics of the song sound sad for some reason.
@@무명씨1인 Possibly because the song is about a man mourning over his wife's corpse.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thank you for these lyrics!
Anytime sir
Niiiice!! Loved the correlation between the original singer's moves and the animation.
Thanks for the comment! Glad you liked it
I'm pretty sure the original animations where rotoscoped from Cab Callaway's moves. Maybe someone else that knows more can correct me if I am wrong?
@@PacoElMapache I believe you are correct. I did see that somewhere. He, reportedly, was quite surprised they had done it.
@@anitaodom5155 Wow that's awesome, I didn't know that
Was rotoscoping a thing back then? So early in animation? I thought it was invented later
This is the definition of spooky.
Not terrifying, but not tame. That erie feeling of uneasiness not out of fear but out of observation.
I think its a combination of the rather grim subject matter along with the uncanniness of the animation and the character's design.
Edit: Oh, and how slow and mournful the song is. All that together definitely makes this quite unsettling.
@@PonderousEclectica4383 Yes
The pictures in the background are spooky. I like it.
But it's not spooky at all, not even a little bit.
@@nirorit Fear, like taste is subjective
I just love this man's soulful voice!! It's a 90-year old cartoon that directly mimics this incredibly talented man's movements and artistry. There are so many aspects that are seen in modern dance and I think that's really awesome. Idk if he was the first, but damn he was good!
As a metal head shred guy, this is some of the best music ive ever heard. Actually got me wanting to play again. God bless Cab Calloway.
Likewise, as someone who plays a lot of slipknot, death & pantera etc. I can concur that this is the sick shit.
I’m an estate broker and I had a little home listed for sale in a rustic hilly area back in 1979. The lady introduced me to her best friend and neighbor, Cab Calloway. He was elderly, but quite agile and very funny.
that's awesome.
😮Wow! That is fascinating! 😊
"rustic hilly area"- Where would this be?
Jealous this man was the first rockstar
Oh I’m sorry I didn’t know we were talking about you now.
The animation is so smooth, it's amazing to look at. Crazy to think how old this cartoon is.
Better than some of today’s animation
@@robertmoffit1135 yes, totally
@@robertmoffit1135 it's better than all of it.
@@robertmoffit1135Back then, animation was made for everyone and companies tend to give a lot more funding to their animation studio. Also studios tend to make shorts that are significantly shorter than most cartoons while also having more money to spend. It was until the advent of television where studios wanted longer content and on a lower budget. Live action shows can be able to budget their production cost, but a lot of studios outside of Hannah Barbara struggled a lot to make animated content without going over their budget. Eventually, animation had to rely on kids to buy their toys and merch during the 80s which create the animation is for kids mindset. It was until the 90s where artist can make their own shows without toys and newer technology and techniques made animation a lot cheaper and more efficient to make. The process of making cartoons during the 60s to now is radically different to making cartoons before television.
Animation back then can be seen as better than modern animation simply because they had much better funding and their tools are a lot more hands on compared to modern animation. Granted there's a lot great modern animated content, but people tend to compare the best of the best old cartoons with the entirety of modern cartoons which includes both the best and worst that were made. I'm sure there's plenty of old cartoon that were pretty bad and they were quickly abandoned and forgotten while the much better ones are still preserve to this day.
@@allendepacheco3419Also their were lot of talented animators who will work for min wage
I just love how it all flows together like some twisted dream
i love how smooth animation were back then, so hypnotizing to look at
I learned how to bend and swing my voice between notes by listening to Cab Galloway. Absolutely legendary singer.
This man was a LEADER!!! He could lead a band, he could sing and dance and engage an audience!! What a performer!!!
You can't beat the classic cartoons.
I mean they made a massively popular game based on these esthetics and animation,I'm glad they are getting this much appreciation
Yes we can lol
@@muffinconsumer4431no we cant
The culture of today would cancel this due to it being a white man. They would claim white supremacy or some other BS.
Cab was an entertaining genius. He did what he was born to do.
The Fleischer Brothers were direct competitors with Disney back then. While we know what Disney went on to be, credit must be given to the Fleischer's for their contributions to animation in that era. Gulliver's Travels and Hoppity Goes to Town were two of my favorite films growing up along with these Cab Calloway shorts. I'm grateful for my mom introducing them do me. Rest well gentlemen, you made a huge mark on this world. Cab was simply amazing to watch and listen to.
Makes me happy that things like Cuphead exist to keep this combined style of art and music alive.
Good job splicing the different versions of the song that are on the internet! It almost sounds like a single recording!
Thanks, I was psyched when I discovered they must be from the same recording!
This is what TH-cam is for, wonderful!
I love the way Cab dances, such a thrill. I enjoy listening to his vocals and watching his dances, truly an amazing performance by Cab Calloway.
Man this rotoscoping is insane, I'm just utterly mesmerized by it.
I love animation style. It's so smooth! All the transitions, the lip syncing to every word, honestly incredible and takes a HUGE amount of work and time. In this era too, that kind of animation was truly ahead of its time by some incredibly talented artists. The song is quite morbid, yes, but beautifully sung and perfect for the cartoon.
Even after 90 years, this song is smooth and boss.
Thank you for posting this amazing piece! A haunting rendition of a haunting song captured in equally haunting animation. And Betty Boop and Coco the Clown as I've never seen them before.
For real I can’t stop watching this. It’s just… I don’t know, captivating. The movement mixed with the music and the imagery in the background, I just keep coming back
Cabtivating
Man, I love the surreal, eerie designs and rotoscoping of Fleischer Studios. The true pioneers of animation. I wonder if this counts as the most earliest music video?
TH-cam: Ghostmane " Mercury"
1:14 - this HAD to be Tim Burton's inspiration for the "Oogie Boogie Man".
Directly and Indirectly. Can't understate the influence of his long-time collaborator Danny Elfman, obviously -- during the early days of Oingo Boingo, when they were still the Mystic Knights, they did some of the old Calloway standards. St. James Infirmary, Minnie the Moocher, etc.
And cupheads king dice
King dice is minnie the mocher
@ well not exactly but the singer of Minnie the moocher “cab Calloway” is king dice
Cab Calloway is the very essence of smooth!! And how cool is it that this stunning animation still exists…a wonderful treat for the eyes and the ears…and the heart - thank you for this post!💕
I've been obsessed with this song and it's history for a while now and I also happen to love animation so this is really hitting a good spot for me
Very cool
Listen to the white stripes version as well
The most haunting version is Louis Armstrong in the 60s. Slowest song I ever heard. Piercing trumpet. My favorite is Eric Clapton & Dr. John in 1996, with a funky Latin rhythm (I know how that sounds but check it out, it’s scorching). Now I know which version they were covering-Cab Calloway-it never did sound much like Louis’ or Bessie Smith’s. The vocal swings are so distinctive!
@@TheCapedWanderer Thanks I have some versions to check out! I have performed this song with a couple other players around my piano, and will be posting that video next 🙂
i’ve always loved cab calloway as a kid. i was a big blues and jazz fan with billie holiday and ella fitzgerald as my introduction to the genre. i’m glad people are noticing him now.❤😊
You can’t convince me this wasn’t one of the most captivating performers ever
The animation for the line about the $20 gold piece on his watch chain is sublime. What amazing work.
Sometimes art works from the 1930's feel like they come from another world
Man, this causes nostalgia for something I didn't experience, I like watching cartoons from the 30s, I like this song
Rotoscoping really revolutionized the animation landscape back in the day.
It's a cheat. Tracing over a real person, not drawing it all from scratch.
@@Aristocles22nowadays id call it lazy. but for frame by frame animation a century ago? ill give them a pass
@@crabwildeA pass? There doesn't need to be any 'pass' given lol. It was revolutionary for a reason. That person doesn't know shit
@@Aristocles22let’s see your master class animation skills without tracing
@@Ok20002 Give me the same resources Fleischer had, then dare me to do that again. Just so that we're all fair. :)
That was awesome! So amazing that voice and those dance moves. Cab Calloway was a musical genius. ❤❤😊😊
There are many many versions of this song, but Cab Calloway performed it so well many people believe it's his song. This is an old traditional song with many variations. Jimmy Rogers tecorded a version called "Gambling Room Blues" with totally different lyrics that ends with him diving into the deep blue sea after shooting his gambling buddy over an argument. The basel ine in this version is just sublime, and the animation turned this sad song of saying goodbye to a young lover into an uplifting story of Orpheus descending to the underworld to bring his lover back. It differs sharply from the also famous Louis Armstrong version, which had the pace and cadence of a dirge, which is what the song was supposed to be. But, it was nowhere near Cab Calloway's soul to make a sad song. Superb all the way around.
It's just mesmerizing to see something that seems contemporary yet pre-dates all the stuff in the late 20th century that I remember as a child with nostalgia.
One hell of a tribute you've put together here. Gem of a voice with the animation to match. What a masterpiece.
I wish people would sing like this again
I agree. There is a lot of old things that needs to come back. Things like that shouldn't die. It could attract so much tourist dollars. Be a big tourist grab in the u.s
Me too but it wouldn't make the powers that be enough money. Not like the big artists today like Taylor and Beyonce who are produced by a machine for maximum profits for all involved and who are basically lifestyle brands at this point.
@mdolinski4926 not true. It's all about tourism ads. If you did this in new orleans Louisiana and had guide info about this stuff being avaible to go see for tourists. People will show up. Had this at the hotels or at the restraunts . Tourism promotion is best way to attract attention to stuff like this
Have this brochures at the hotels and restraunts stuff like that*
@@TheBlazersfan22 that would be really cool to see!
Excellent! Thank you I loved this great video wonderful sonic quality and vintage cab Calloway!!
[LYRICS]
Folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary
See my baby there
She's stretched out on a long, white table
She's so sweet, so cold, so fair
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She will search this wide world over
But she'll never find another sweet man like me
Now, when I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches
Put on a box-back coat and a Stetson hat
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat
Folks, now that you have heard my story
Say, boy, hand me over another shot of that hooch
If anyone should ask you
Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues
An' give me six crap shooting pall bearers
Let a chorus girl sing me a song
Put a red hot jazz band at the top of my head
So we can raise Hallelujah as we go along
Folks, now that you have heard my story
Say, boy, hand me over another shot of that booze;
If anyone should ask you
Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues
"Pat?"
@@TotalDec
If you stand pat, you refuse to change your mind about something. On the other side, the men stood pat and were unyielding. It makes it hard for the Fed to do anything but stand pat till the economy's direction becomes clearer.
Clearly standing fast
@@TotalDeche had money in his pocket, he wasn't broke.
:)
I come here to watch this every October! My favorite ❤️
I just love that reverse shot looking out at the audience with Cab moving along. The switch in perspective is gorgeous!
Beautiful voice, intense, scratchy, exciting, the fusion with the cartoon is fantastic
No CGI, just creative animators. Much more interesting.
I'm so glad I took my son to see cab Calloway when he was 7 years old. He didn't have a set program. He just went from song to song and his orchestra followed along
This is the kind of art, music and feeling that can’t be made today! There is something about this that just reaches your soul.. Sooo good 🤝
Charming and unsettling. Completely mesmerizing!
I love this! It walks the line between silly and unsettling so well!
Beautiful. Such vocal power with even more control. Just beautiful
The animation is just so beautiful and moves so fluently .
And the music so spooky and cryptic .
10/10
Really nice job on the edit.
Thanks for watching!
Cab was the man! What a true legend!!❤
Cab Calloway was fresh than a mug. Just fly ❤
This song legitimately made me fall in love with Cab Calloway
Wow! This really knocked me out. The singing, the animation are both incredible. What a creative piece of art. A true historical great!
ART, ART !❤ , Karita.
This is just absolutely MESMERIZING
What a strange but profound legacy this man has left.
I love this so much.
It really is very modern.
Thank you for sharing this treasure.
I’ll be 29 this week, crazy I accidentally came across this and I love it. Heart and soul. A lot of music now days doesn’t have it! If it does it’s nothing like this
Is actually quite an amazing video . Especially when you think of the limited technology back in those days. And n top of that it's animated! Pair with the master that was Cab Callaway. Very cool!
I did get to see Cab Calloway perform one time, I do feel lucky.
This isn't creepy, it's an amazing work of art 💪🏻
This was about the coolest thing I've seen in quite some time, amazing ❤
Não deixem esse vídeo morrer nunca,por favor. É uma preciosidade.
Fantastic cartoon, so creative... I love this stuff since my childhood! :D And I saw Cab Calloway live in the 80s in germany, unforgettable!
Great performance by Cab Calloway with incredible syncopated animation, both ahead of their time. Excellent!!
Everything about this classic is a joy to watch. Cabs dance moves are absolutely fabulous 👍🥰
Cab Calloway was a phenomenal entertainer, and I'm so glad he's preserved in a great film, The Blues Brothers!
One of the most awesome things I’ve ever seen, animation is surreal if you just pay attention to “it”
Amazing animation of dance moves matching the music so precisely. Cab Calloway was such a flamboyant band leader. Truly love watching these old classics
Asombroso
Excelente
Divertido
Muchas gracias amigo lejano
Cab was so smooth. No autotune kids...didn't even exist. Just pure refined talent.
That’s how you drop a mean verse in the 30s.
Man...i've been listen to this song at least 300 times 🙈
I first saw Cab in the Blues Brothers. Fell in love with his music. This is probably one of the first music videos and i cant think of a modern one this soulful and creative.
I just 💌 CAB & BETTY B. collabs, but THIS IS the BEST!
They really took that walk into the cartoon!
Imagine being born in the 1800's and seeing your kid watch this.
@CABULOSO_RLKyes and if you were born in 1899 you would likely have a 5 year old watching this in 1933 as he was saying
Your kid would be at least 33 not really a kid
@@loki-og1cs How are you all not getting this? lol
@@loki-og1cswhat they were trying to said is that: You- born in 1899 would be 34 by the time this animation aired, and have a 5 years old kid, the kid then watch this animation. Is it really that hard to understand?
Loved this for many years. He is the greatest. Best cartoon too.
This is so beautiful. I had to find the longer clip to understand what folks meant by saying he has such a unique way with his voice. I totally get it now. What a beautiful singer oh what an awesome man ❤
Here after watching The Blues Brothers for the first time. Incredible performance, maybe my favourite film cameo ever
I just love these 30s/40s blues songs! I didn't pay attention to the animation at first bc I was so carried away by the music. These guys knew exactly what they were doing
Could you tell me what is blue song? I searched on Google but I only found blue song (i'm blue da bee da). Is it a hidden meaning for something?
I'm not good at English but I have seen a lot of people mention that i'm blue song but have no idea.
@@qmt1610 a genre of music. its called the Blues
Considering there was no motion capture back then this was quite impressive
This animation is rotoscoped which is basically a 2d version or motion capture
@@sonicfanboy3375 but every frame was hand drawn
@@WM_NonsenseBut the animators are drawing the cartoon characters above the photos rather than making an animation from scratch. Rotoscoping are just tedious to do rather than being harder to drawing characters with no reference to follow. Sure it's hard since there's no undo button but that can be applied to every form of animation before digital art became a thing. Hell even digital art still require you to be skillful in drawing even with more accessibility
@@allendepacheco3419 hand animators did use references- an actor would do the motion and they would draw from it. you can see examples of this in Alice in Wonderland and Sleeping Beauty. Still took an immense amount of skill and patience though
@@froggdoggs8551 I think that still rotoscoping unless the animators didn't use rotoscoping projectors to trace over footages of actresses.
I think I used a poor choice of words. Animators do use references when it comes to any type of movement, but rotoscoping tend to be a lot more direct as you are tracing something on top of the person. An animator drawing series of images by watching a video isn't as involved as tracing a cell paper on a video frame by frame.
I wish they had given the animators credit by name. The animation of this time was intensive. Each frame hand painted and there was hundreds if not thousands of them 😊
Animation was by Roland Crandall
I saw this guy at the Chicago Jazz fest in the 90s. It was one of his very last performances. Sensational and standing pat. A time machine from the past.
i love everything about this so, so much