Jazz Origins

Just in case we think that only George Gershwin could write music that was loved and played by jazz musicians, here is a recording that should change our minds. Cole Porter wrote “What Is This Thing Called Love” in 1930, and it was interpolated into the Broadway revue, Wake Up and Dream. The song was later sung by Ginny Simms in the 1946 movie biography of Cole Porter, Night and Day, with Cary Grant sitting at the piano.

But in 1941, the instrumental version was picked up and played by Sidney Bechet and Tommy Ladnier. Once you hear this version, it is hard to forget it. One instrument that was added to the band was an electric guitar; we don’t know who sat in on this session, but he was good.