Voici un extrait de petit film dans lequel Cab interprète avec son orchestre du Cotton Club une des ces chansons interlopes qui faisaient frémir le spectateur aventuré à Harlem. On y parle de la drogue et de ses méfaits et naturellement, la petite Minnie the Moocher est dans le coup...
L'ambiance du Cotton Club est recréée très simplement, mais ce qui compte, c'est de voir l'attitude sur scène de Cab et son jeu avec le micro, les appels-réponses avec l'orchestre, tout de blanc vêtu. Du jazz tout en élégance avec des paroles somme toute assez triviales.
Pour vous aider à suivre, voici les paroles de cette chanson écrite pour la revue du Cotton Club de 1931 par Ted Koehler et Harold Arlen :
It was down in Chinatown,
All the cokies laid around,
Some were high and some were mighty low;
There were millions on the floor
When a knock came on the door,
And there stood old Smoky Joe.
He was sweatin', cold and pale,
He was lookin' for his frail,
He was broke and all his junk ran out;
Nobody made a sound,
As he stood and looked around,
And then you hear old Smoky shout:
Saying, "Tell me where is Minnie?
My poor Minnie!
Has she been here,
Kicking the gong around?"
"If you don't know Minnie,
She's tall and skinny,
She gets her pleasure
Kicking the gong around!"
[Scat]
"Just tell her Smoky Joe
Was here and had to go."
And as he departed,
The curtains parted,
And there stood Minnie
Kicking the gong around!
All the cokies laid around,
Some were high and some were mighty low;
There were millions on the floor
When a knock came on the door,
And there stood old Smoky Joe.
He was sweatin', cold and pale,
He was lookin' for his frail,
He was broke and all his junk ran out;
Nobody made a sound,
As he stood and looked around,
And then you hear old Smoky shout:
Saying, "Tell me where is Minnie?
My poor Minnie!
Has she been here,
Kicking the gong around?"
"If you don't know Minnie,
She's tall and skinny,
She gets her pleasure
Kicking the gong around!"
[Scat]
"Just tell her Smoky Joe
Was here and had to go."
And as he departed,
The curtains parted,
And there stood Minnie
Kicking the gong around!
