“Minnie the Moocher” starring Betty Boop and Cab Calloway, bounces along just like the hot jazz number on the soundtrack. Still popular today on social media, with colorized and high-definition restorations, the 8 minutes of film is a funny musical… Read the full story →
PART 2: After the closing of the Cotton Club. The end of a journey with one of those performers who made it on Broadway, on Harlem stages and now has to struggle when hard times come with age… Read the full story →
Appearing just a few seconds dancing with Cab Calloway in the movie Manhattan Merry-Go-Round (1937), this graceful, tall and jumping dancer remained unidentified until we asked jazz dance historian Harri HEINILÄ from Helsinki to help us. Then, with the name in mind, after several… Read the full story →
Among the cameos Cab Calloway did in several movies, this one for Manhattan Merry-Go-Round remains quite obscure and barely appears in people’s minds when talking about jazz on screen. Yet, this short sequence within a mediocre “filmusical” produced by the low budget… Read the full story →
Crowned “The King”, inspired by King Oliver, leader of his own band for a while, famous for composing Jitterbug, noted soloist on muted trumpet and high notes, Edwin Swayze is a musician who deserves to be rediscovered for his intense career… Read the full story →