Forget the Cotton Club fame: « Surprise-party chez Lily »
is what made Cab Calloway famous then...
Yes, to sell Cab Calloway to the French public, the author of the Olympia program can't find nothing better than to say that Cab is famous in France for two reasons: he "appeared in 'Porgy and Bess' at the Empire in 1953, where he was the amazing bandit Sportin' Life, and the famous song by Roger Pierre 'Surprise Party,' which refers in each refrain of the "last disc of Cab Calloway"."
Cab Calloway backed by Gaston Lapeyronnie
on the Paris Olympia stage
No musician from the original band
Gaston Lapeyronnie is in charge of leading the orchestra that accompanies Cab Calloway for this show. In reality, Lapeyronnie has been the home conductor since the reopening of the Olympia in February 1954.
Twenty-five years earlier, this trumpeter was considered one of the best musicians of the time. I must say he played with "le Tout-Paris" of French jazz musicians: Andre Ekyan, Alix Combelle, Christmas Chiboust, Django Reinhardt, Greg and his Gregorians, Hubert Rostaing, Ray Ventura...
Lapeyronnie even had his own band on Radio-Paris during the Occupation. He will become the Executive Director of the Olympia in the sixties.
Cab Calloway singing out-loud at the Olympia
One-hour show maximum.
Reading the program of the evening, the part devoted to Cab should not last more than an hour. By observing the officially recorded tunes by Cab Calloway during this period, you can imagine some of the songs sung in Paris:
- Some old standards from his repertoire: Minnie The Moocher, St. James Infirmary, The Jumpin 'Jive, Stormy Weather, The Hi Ho Man That's Me
- One or two tracks from Porgy and Bess: It Ain't Necessarily So, Summertime
- Some "new" songs: I'll Be Around, I See A Million People
- And probably a few Afro-Cuban tunes that he was fond of at the time.
An evening full of surprises.
As was common at that time, Cab Calloway's routine closed the evening show as the main attraction. Several artists do their numbers emceed by Suzanne Gabriello. There are attractions like The Steenback's (?) Erpap (equilibrist), 7 Walgardis (acrobats) and even the young cartoonist Sine with his sketches of cats. He who has always said he never enjoyed Cab Calloway is to be found associated with him! Besides, I know of only one drawing by Siné alluding to "Pope Calloway."
Cab Calloway in his Olympia dressing room
(photo : André Sas)
What did the critics say?
"The Parisian public was able to appreciate the talent of singer Cab Calloway, featured at the Olympia since May 22. Cab, who was one of the most popular figures of Harlem thirty years ago, remains a dynamic and pleasant vocalist. Unfortunately, this man who once ran one of the best big bands of the era with soloists such as Jonah Jones, Chew Berry and Cozy Cole, had to lower his expectations with a pit orchestra. Cab's baroque style, disjointed and eccentric, was able to pass the ramp and gave the illusion that his companions were swinging. His vocals in the 'Hideho' way reminded fans that he was the creator of the word zoot and the spiritual father of a generation."
As usual, after the concert, EP's were sold that evening with an Olympia sticker.
A shortened commitment?
As noted in the Afro American newspaper in its edition of June 28, 1958, galas Cab in Paris happened "when the political crisis was the most intense. People were too upset and nervous to go to the shows, and the King of Hi-de-Ho had to play in front of many empty seats."
