Video of the Week #68

Back to the roots of the Video of the Week:  the soundies. Cab Calloway is a performer I'd rather listen to than watch. Here he is with the Cabaliers and his Orchestra doing a fairly straight performance of "Blues in the Night" from 1942. I recognized only trumpeter Jonah Jones and drummer Cozy Cole in the background.

Jonah Jones was a big contributor to Cab's band. In this undated short, he sings and plays "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" with a small group from the band. I find Cab's attempts to upstage him painful to watch.

Several other filmed performances by Calloway are available on You Tube.

You may also enjoy:

The Soundies #4 (Jimmie Lunceford)

The Soundies #5 (Louis Armstrong)

The Soundies #11 (Count Basie)