Old School Friday: Jazz Tribute

For my first selection on this week's Old School Friday, I chose the legendary Cab Calloway's signature tune... Minnie the Moocher. Although Cab recorded Minnie the Moocher in 1931, I'm not sure of the date of the clip I selected. Whenever I think of him, I'm reminded of a story my mother told me when I was a kid. During Cab's heyday, she and her friends would see him perform live. She said that while performing, Cab would shake his head in such a way that his processed hair would be all over one minute and right back in place the next.

For those of us who weren't around during Cab's prime, we probably remember him from his role in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers (he played Curtis, the orphanage worker who introduced Jake and Elwood to the blues). One of the highlights of the movie was when Cab performed Minnie the Moocher, all decked out in a white-tie-and-tail suit.

This week's 2nd selection is by The Crusaders and is perhaps their most famous song, the 1979 hit Street Life. Featuring female vocalist Randy Crawford, the song has been featured in the films Sharky's Machine starring Burt Reynolds and Jackie Brown (starring Pam Grier in the title role).

You can watch the clips to both "Minnie the Moocher" and "Street Life" in the You Tube player below.

This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate; any music genre
2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999
3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version
4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane
5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out
6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participants

If you want to join in on the fun, click here.